Five is an Odd Number
by ShiroMoon
Summary: Five is an Odd Number takes place in New York City and centers around the misadventures of a polar opposite gay couple, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and Ulquiorra Schiffer, and three dogs named Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. The story also centers on the conflicts and often beautiful revelations Grimmjow encounters within his romantic life with Ulquiorra. (Bleach/Wolf's Rain/GDW crossover.)
1. Adventure 1

**Adventure # 1**

**A Valentines Day Caper**

It was Valentine's Day. Yes, Valentine's Day. The day that lovers celebrated together! Well, guess what? Grimmjow hated Valentine's Day. It was too pink and fluffy and he really didn't see the reason behind it, sure he had a lover but he really just didn't see a point in celebrating Valentine's Day. However, some did. Blue for instance had been excited about it for some time; she had been looking forward to spending the day with Hige, her new and fifth boyfriend this year. She just couldn't find the right person and then she found Hige and the two almost immediately fell in love. Kyoshiro however did not seem to have a partner yet, he just didn't seem interested. Weed, well, he was only a pup and was not ready for anyone yet.

Now, let me explain who these people are for a sec;

Blue is a wolf. Yes, a wolf... well she is half wolf. She can deceive humans into believing she is a human, like a trick of the mind. Hige is also a wolf.

Kyoshiro is a Kishu Inu, a type of Japanese dog. He is covered in scars, most of which he got while rescuing abused puppies from their parents back when he lived in Shiga. Blue taught him how to deceive humans as well.

Weed is an Akita Inu. He's the youngest in their group and the sweetest. He was also taught by Blue, like Kyoshiro, how to deceive humans.

Grimmjow is an Espada, a spiritual being or something like that. He left his home in Heuco Mundo, Las Noches, and took up residents in the human world, in a Gigai, a Gigai is a body normally used for Shinigami but it can also be used for Espada. The Gigai helps them be visible and can help them live in the human world and leave their body whenever they wish to go back to their original form, in other words they'll go back to their Espada form and they'll be invisible and have all their powers available.

Ulquiorra Schiffer is an Espada too, he left Heuco Mundo when Grimmjow did and also inhabits a Gigai.

So there you are, the most messed up group of misfits ever.

Now on to the story!

It was Valentine's Day and it was good weather, not too hot and not too cold, and people were bustling about in the streets. Grimmjow watched from his window, his blue eyes following the movements of the people below. He really could not understand how people could waste time doing all that stuff, it was boring. Ulquiorra obviously thought the same because he was not going anywhere today, the two of them just planned to spend the day inside, relaxing and taking a bit of a break from college work, they had both decided to go to college in order to understand the world they were living in and how it worked.

But at the same time even if he claimed it was stupid, Grimmjow felt it would be odd not to celebrate the holiday. The two of them had been together three months, and to him, even if it was a short amount of time, it meant something to him. Despite that neither of them were exactly romantic people and they were polar opposites, they'd somehow managed to get into a relationship. And besides, it was boring in the small apartment. He smelled something at that moment and he got up and went downstairs his stomach growling.

Ulquiorra had taken it upon himself to heat up some rolls he had gotten from a delivery yesterday. "Here," Ulquiorra said, passing him one. "They're crunchy but good…" Grimmjow just nodded and took a bite of the soft bread, it was good, a little burnt though. Ulquiorra, he noticed seemed to be in thought. "What's up?" Grimmjow asked him, tilting his head. "Nothing." Ulquiorra responded quietly. Grimmjow scowled. "C'mon, tell me." Grimmjow pressed. Ulquiorra glanced at him and said. "Don't you want to do anything apart from sitting around the house?" Ulquiorra asked him. Grimmjow stared. "No." he responded. "What's to do?" Ulquiorra watched him thoughtfully and said. "Well, we could just go for a walk. It doesn't seem either of us are particularly happy to be inside."

Grimmjow sniggered. Ulquiorra's green eyes fell upon him and he said. "What's so funny, exactly?" Grimmjow continued sniggering at him. "What, you actually wanna go on a date?" Ulquiorra blinked and then immediately took a gulp of his hot chocolate. The guy had a fascination with chocolate; it was cute at the same time as it was funny. "No." Ulquiorra said quickly, licking his lips free of the chocolate he had just drunk. Grimmjow smirked, watching that. "You so do." He answered, leaning across the table, smirking. He and Ulquiorra were almost nose to nose, Ulquiorra blinked, his face heating up. "Uh…Grimmjow— what…?"

Grimmjow loved teasing him like this; Ulquiorra's reaction was just too cute anyway. Grimmjow loved the fact that he could make Ulquiorra like this, suddenly speechless, nervous. And then Grimmjow snatched Ulquiorra's hot chocolate and drained it in a gulp, flinging himself back against his own chair and putting his feet up on the table. Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open and he glared daggers at Grimmjow, who was smirking. "You…" Ulquiorra growled and, from underneath the table, Ulquiorra kicked Grimmjow's chair. Grimmjow yelped as his chair fell back against the floor with a bang.

"Hey!" Grimmjow snarled, sitting up. "What the hell?" he exclaimed. Ulquiorra knelt down over him, his eyes narrowed. "I should be asking you the same thing." He growled. "I told you to stop doing that." Ulquiorra said coldly. Grimmjow smirked. "Why don't you see it coming if you love your precious drink so much, Cuatro?" he asked mockingly, the use of Ulquiorra's rank implying that he was accusing Ulquiorra of being two levels higher than him and still not being able to see the attack and prevent it before it happened.

Ulquiorra suddenly went silent. Grimmjow knew the answer; it was because of himself of course. Ulquiorra liked him, even if he didn't admit it. Grimmjow liked him too (possibly more than he was willing to admit) of course, but teasing him every now and then couldn't hurt, right? Ulquiorra did his fair share of teasing of course; it was back and forth, forth and back. Sometimes they didn't even talk to one another for a while afterwards, if the teasing got too out of hand they wouldn't speak to one another, but usually Grimmjow would go and apologize once guilt kicked in. Ulquiorra did the same, and still Grimmjow had no idea what kept them together, love, hate, both?

The doorbell rang. The two heads in the room turned to look at the door. Grimmjow sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Ulquiorra saw this and Grimmjow saw him frown. Apparently he was regretting what he had just done, a little. Grimmjow decided to curse under his breath and rub his head as he walked towards the door. He looked through the peek-hole. He didn't see anyone. He opened the door. It was a boy with spiky white hair and scars. "Hey, Grimmj—!"

Grimmjow slammed the door.

"Hey!"

"Who is it?" Ulquiorra asked. "Winter-wonder-brains." Grimmjow responded, rolling his eyes. That was his nickname for Kyoshiro. Ulquiorra opened the door and saw Kyoshiro standing in the doorway, glaring at him. "Thanks." He responded moodily. "What brings you here?" Ulquiorra asked him. "Well…" Kyoshiro thought about this and said. "Blue sent me here, she couldn't come herself, she was busy preparing."

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder at the mention of Blue's name.

"Preparin' what?" Grimmjow asked rather loudly, "A shotgun in case you came along?"

"Shut up!" Kyoshiro spat, stomping inside without asking Ulquiorra, the latter merely closed the door. "I'm surprised Ulquiorra can stand to live with you, Grimmjow Jaeger-jerk!"

Grimmjow turned around and snapped, "What did you call me, you dunderheaded jackass?"

Ulquiorra just leaned against the door with a sigh. He knew Grimmjow wouldn't really hurt Kyoshiro, regardless of how they acted around each other, Kyoshiro and Grimmjow were actually friends and got along most of the time. "And don't drag Ulquiorra into this!" Grimmjow yelled over Kyoshiro's next response. "Hey." Ulquiorra said but no one heard him. "_Hey_." the both of them stopped arguing and looked around at him. "Kyoshiro, you came for a reason, didn't you?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Oh yeah," Kyoshiro said, forgetting his anger momentarily, "I'll tell you, before Blue-Berry-Head interrupts me!" Grimmjow snarled an insult at him which Kyoshiro discarded. "Blue sent me here with these." And he handed them three cards. "Huh?" Grimmjow said, taking one and looking at it. "What the hell's this crap?" he said.

Kyoshiro glared at him and then Ulquiorra said, quickly so to avoid another fight, "They're invitations to a dance at the piers tonight."

"That's right!" said a new voice. Grimmjow yelled out and Ulquiorra jumped. Kyoshiro however started to laugh. A young dog sat in the shadows of the door, he was silver and white and he had big blue eyes. "Weed!" Ulquiorra and Grimmjow said slash yelled. Weed grinned. "And we are all going!" Ulquiorra then looked at the third card Kyoshiro had handed him and gave it to Weed. "That's yours."

"No." the pup said, looking it over. "It's not mine, I already have one."

Ulquiorra blinked. "It's Blue's." Kyoshiro explained, smirking at them. "And she expects you and Grimmjow to meet us at the piers this afternoon with it!"

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra groaned. "I guess we have no choice then." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow growled. "Yeah, unless we wanna get beaten up for allowing Blue to miss her 'oh-so-epic' date with Hige."

Ulquiorra nodded, Blue did bad things to people who let her down badly, especially when they did it on purpose.

"Yeah…" Ulquiorra sighed and looked over at his comrade. "Grimmjow get a suit and a tie ready, we're going to the piers in a few hours."

Kyoshiro and Weed smirked.

* * *

The sun was half way down in the sky when Grimmjow and Ulquiorra met Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue at the piers. Hige was late, he had gotten lost or something. "Hello, guys!" Blue said, smiling. "Nice suits." She said, addressing the two in front of her. Grimmjow merely scowled and tugged at his collar. Apparently, Grimmjow had a habit of wearing his shirts open, or not even wearing one at all. He said it made him look sexy, but today he really had to keep his tuxedo closed otherwise girls would run off with him. That was what Kyoshiro had said anyway. Grimmjow was wearing a white tuxedo with a purple shirt with a high collar underneath it. Ulquiorra also wore the same thing, except his shirt was green. Kyoshiro and Weed were in their dog forms and they both had little bows around their necks. It was quite cute. Blue herself looked stunningly pretty, even more so than usual anyway. She was dressed in a midnight blue dress; she also wore a blue jean jacket over it, to keep out the cold.

Kyoshiro didn't seem to be able to speak to her properly for some reason, merely stammering for the right thing to say. Weed smirked at him and he and Grimmjow exchanged glances. So Kyoshiro liked Blue, did he? "Why don't you two take your human forms?" Blue asked. Kyoshiro said, stammering. "We…we…uh, didn't want to."

Weed nodded. "Anyway, you guys can understand us so there is really no need and it isn't like Kyoshiro and I am going to dance anyway." Weed murmured sheepishly. He was horrible at dancing. Blue could always understand Kyoshiro and Weed whether they were in their dog forms or not, being a wolf. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra for some reason could understand them perfectly fine; they could probably talk because of the spiritual energy Grimmjow and Ulquiorra produced.

"Okay," Blue said. "Shall we wait for Hige? Well, I'll wait, but you guys can go ahead."

"I'll wait with you, Blue!" Kyoshiro said and he hurried forward to stand beside her. Grimmjow stuck out a foot and tripped Kyoshiro, causing him to sprawl in the dirt before her. "Oh no, you should watch where you walk, Kyoshiro!" Grimmjow mockingly advised, laughing. "Grimmjow, don't be so nasty!" Weed scolded, nudging Kyoshiro to his paws. Grimmjow smirked. "Not my fault he can't tell my foot from his paws."

"You're so mean to him!" Weed said angrily, turning around to look at the man in front of him. _"You're so mean to him!"_ Grimmjow mimicked in a high imitation of Weed's voice. "I know." He said, smirking widely. "Jackass!" Kyoshiro snarled, turning around. Blue stepped between them. "C'mon, guys. The night is young, try to relax and have fun! No more bantering, c'mon!"

They were halfway towards the doors when Blue's cell phone rang. She sighed and reached into the breast pocket of her jacket and pulled out her cell phone. "Hi, Hige." She said in an odd voice.

She gestured at them to go on ahead. Kyoshiro shook his head rapidly. Weed decided to wait and Grimmjow walked ahead, Ulquiorra following him. Grimmjow handed the man at the doors his pass and the man opened the door for him. Grimmjow suddenly heard a loud groan behind him and turned. Ulquiorra was rummaging in his pockets.

Grimmjow walked over. "What's up?" he asked. Ulquiorra just sighed and said. "I've forgotten my pass…I must have left it at home…" Grimmjow put a hand on his shoulder. "That sucks."

"Thank you for your comforting words." Ulquiorra said sarcastically and Grimmjow replied. "Anytime Ulqui-chan!" Ulquiorra glared at him as the doorman let out a snort of laughter. "Don't call me that, Jaeger-jerk."

Grimmjow blinked, "Hey…"

Blue walked up to them. "Is something the matter, Ulquiorra?" she asked him. "Yes. I was foolish and forgot my pass, I'll have to go home and get it."

Blue sighed and said. "I'm sorry…" she pulled her pass out of her pocket and said. "Here, you can use mine."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "Thank you, but this is my blunder. I'll be back in a bit."

Kyoshiro and Weed watched him leave and Weed said. "Poor Ulquiorra! Maybe I should go back."

"Nah, he'll be fine." Grimmjow said, he watched Ulquiorra leave and sighed. _I'll wait for him._ Grimmjow crossed over to a bench next to the railing and sat down on it, looking after him. "You know," Kyoshiro said, watching the blue-haired man. "He looks like a puppy waiting for his master." Weed grinned. "Aw!" he said.

* * *

Ulquiorra was walking quickly up the street; he groaned at his 'stupidity' and pulled out his cell-phone. "Yo, Ulqui!" it was Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, listen, I'm not going to be back for a while, go in without me."

"Like hell. I'm not going in there! It's noisy; sounds like it'll be a pain in the ass!"

"Funny, I would have thought you'd like noise." Ulquiorra taunted, smirking a little. "Oi! Shut it!"

"Really, Grimmjow—,"

Ulquiorra broke off.

"Huh? Ulqui? What's up?"

The lights in his bedroom were on. None of the lights had been on when he and Grimmjow left the house this morning. Ulquiorra felt his heart skip a beat and his eyes widened. "Grimmjow…I…I got to go."

"Hey! Ulquiorra, wait a minute! What's wrong, are you okay?"

Grimmjow's voice was panicked. "I don't think so right now. I think someone's broken into our house."

"WHAT?" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra jumped. "Don't yell."

"Listen, do not go near the house in fact don't even go in it!"

"I've got to go, Grimmjow. I'm calling someone. I'm not stupid."

"Do you hear me?"

"It's impossible not to hear you right now; don't have a heart-attack. I'm calling the police." Ulquiorra reassured him.

"Holy shit…look, I'll be there in a second."

"Grimmjow, wait!"

But he had already hung up.

Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes. "Idiot."

He began dialing the police when suddenly the curtains in his room were drawn back. Ulquiorra looked up. Someone was staring at him from his bedroom, a shadow, and then the figure waved slowly, Ulquiorra backed away and then the lights upstairs went out. Ulquiorra retreated backwards. And then something exploded over the top of his head.

There was a terrible pain and he felt as if the top of his head had been cracked open, he heard voices, laughter then there was the sensation of falling down a long, dark tunnel.

The next thing he knew, he was waking up, his head throbbed horribly but the upside was he was lying on something soft. He opened his eyes and blinked several times. There was something leaning over him, a something with big blue eyes and a cold wet nose. Ulquiorra jumped up with a gasp and almost fell off the stretcher head-over-heels. "Hey, Grimmjow, Grimmjow, Grimmjow, Gri—!"

"What!" said a very loud angry voice. "I'm right here!"

"He's awake!"

There was a scrambling sound and the next thing he knew Grimmjow was beside him. "What's your name?"

"What…?"

"Oh shit…" Grimmjow blinked, horrified. "What's wrong, Grimm?" it was Kyoshiro's voice. "He's not answering! I asked what his name was and he said 'what'!"

"Calm down, Grimmjow." It was Blue this time.

"Guys…" Ulquiorra groaned, he felt dizzy.

"I'm sure he's alright!" Weed said he was currently sitting on Ulquiorra's stomach. "Oi! Get off him!" Weed jumped off and Ulquiorra took in a deep breath before he said. "Grimmjow, calm down…I am not suffering from amnesia, I'm okay." Grimmjow knelt back down beside him and sighed. "Okay, that's good." And then Grimmjow smacked him on the forehead. "Hey!" Kyoshiro and Weed yelled. "Grimmjow, be gentle." Blue coaxed.

"Are you stupid!" Grimmjow yelled his face inches from Ulquiorra's. "You go walking up to your house even though there's a burglar in it! And then you stay passed out for almost two hours! Not to mention you didn't show any signs of life at all! Seriously! You stupid…you stupid…" but for the first time in his life Grimmjow could not find a proper insult.

"In other words, 'Jow was worried about you, Ulquiorra." Kyoshiro said, smirking. "And screaming at you about how you looked dead is his way of saying he cares about whether you live or die!" said Kyoshiro in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Fuck off, Witless Wonder-git!" Grimmjow bellowed.

Blue walked over and placed a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. "Calm down, Grimmjow." Grimmjow mumbled something.

Ulquiorra forced himself to sit up a bit and said. "I'm fine, apart from my head, that's a whole other matter." Ulquiorra said, not even bothering to raise a hand to his head as if afraid it would split open if he did. Grimmjow just looked miserably at the ground. Ulquiorra glanced over at Grimmjow. "Did they take anything?"

"Nothing is out of place." Grimmjow said, not looking at him but rather to his right.

"Ulquiorra," Weed said timidly. "Are you alright? What happened?" he began to lick Ulquiorra's hand. Ulquiorra placed his hand on Weed's head, lightly scratching the pup's ears. "I came home to get my pass because I left it at home, when I got home I discovered that the lights in my room were on, the next thing I saw was someone waving at me from my window, the lights went out and then I was struck from behind."

"Ouch!" Weed exclaimed. "They said your skull wasn't broken but they are afraid of concussion and—"

"Concussion?" Grimmjow exclaimed. "You didn't tell me that!"

"Oh, shut it, Grimmjow." Kyoshiro said, head butting him in the ribs gently. Grimmjow shoved the dog in the head. Grimmjow then looked around and said. "Don't talk so loudly! The ambulance dudes are still around!"

"Yeah… in the truck!" Kyoshiro said, but his voice was lower.

Ulquiorra suddenly reached his hands into his pockets, his eyes widened. "Dammit." Ulquiorra growled, falling back against his 'bed'.

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow inquired. "They stole my wallet."

Kyoshiro gagged on his own spit, Weed gasped and Blue face-palmed.

Grimmjow's face was set in a deep frown and he glared at the ground for a moment. "Get up." He ordered. Ulquiorra looked up. "Stand up, walk over to my car, get in." Ulquiorra closed his eyes and said. "Grimmjow, this is my business, not yours, so—,"

"Oh yeah! That house is mine as well as yours, dammit!"

Ulquiorra sat up slightly, his head was hurting still, but he pushed the blankets off and sat up, staggering a bit. "Did you see any car outside our house that isn't there now?" Grimmjow asked. Ulquiorra thought about it and then he glanced towards his house, Grimmjow's car was there, the red convertible, but something was amiss. "Yes. There was…a blue car there before, it's gone now."

"Right! We have a bit of a lead." Grimmjow said. "Now…" he walked over to his car and unlocked it, opened the door and called over to his four friends. "Get in, and hurry up!"

"But, Grimmjow, we called the police and they should be here any minute now!" Weed said, looking around the street, his pointy ears erect and listening. "That was an hour ago!" Kyoshiro said.

"I think we should get going, now!" Blue chimed in. "By the time the police get here they could be miles away."

Ulquiorra walked over to the car and climbed into the seat next to Grimmjow. The man opposite however suddenly let out an "hmmm…" and got out of the car and walked around it, and opened the trunk. While he was doing this, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue ran over and climbed in the back seat. Grimmjow reached into the backseat and set a blanket up on the sill behind them. Everyone looked at him oddly. Grimmjow jumped into the car and looked over at Blue. "You're missing your date." He was smirking. Blue nodded. "Well," she said. "I'll pick one of my friends being burglarized over a silly date any day. Step on it."

"Right." Grimmjow said. Then Grimmjow was pawed on the shoulder by Weed. "What?"

Weed handed him a CD. "What the hell is that for?"

"You suggested I bring it next time we're in your car." Weed said, his tail wagging, his voice slightly muffled because of the CD case he held.

It was a Mindless Self Indulgence album.

Grimmjow grinned and said. "Oh yeah." And he pushed the CD into the player. The song "Shut me up" started playing. "Hold on, buckle up. Let's rock!" Grimmjow said, and then he slammed on the break. Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra were slammed into their seats with the force he took off with. Grimmjow rolled down his window and allowed the breeze to whip across his face and he grinned widely. "Wahoo!" the music was certainly fitting, the crazy song went along with Grimmjow's crazy driving.

"Thanks a lot, Weed!" Kyoshiro yelled, hugging Weed tightly around the middle. "You've driven him crazy!"

"N-n-n-n-n-no p-p-p-problem!" Weed stammered, his teeth chattering as they went over bumps in the road. "Grimmjow, you are going to kill us!" Blue bellowed. Grimmjow turned the music up louder and said. "This song is awesome!"

"Oh brother!" Blue said her blue eyes huge with fear.

Ulquiorra meanwhile was clutching both sides of his seat.

"Grimmjow slow down!"

"No way, if I slow down they'll only get ahead of me! They've gone out of town or they're still in it, I'm taking a guess that they've gone out of town! Anyway, the tire track went straight ahead!"

The red car swerved to the right and everyone in it was thrown against the right door. Left turn, everyone slid to the left, over a bump in the road, everyone slammed onto the ceiling except Ulquiorra, who was clutching his seat.

Kyoshiro was lying in the back crying. "Make it stop, make it stop!" Weed was grinning widely and bobbing his head in time with the music and Blue looked scared for her life. But meanwhile in the front seat, Grimmjow was grinning and Ulquiorra looked…bored, the only sign that showed his discomfort was the fact that he would leave nail marks on the arms of his seat.

And then they saw it, half way out of town, on the highline, a river below them, it was a blue car speeding ahead of theirs. Grimmjow slammed his hand on the horn. They saw two heads turn and the car drove faster. "Yeah that's it, run you little shits."

The highline turned into a mountain trail, Ulquiorra was sure Grimmjow's car would run out of gas before long. Kyoshiro was now looking out the window. "Who are those guys…?" he asked, staring out the window. "Sit down, Kyoshiro." Blue said. The car went left. Kyoshiro was slammed into the window. Blue and Weed winced. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked over their shoulders at him. Kyoshiro's face slowly slid down the glass with a squeaking sound.

"Oh my god, you killed Kyoshiro!" Weed said. "Bastard." Blue said, looking bored. "I'm not dead…" Kyoshiro said his voice odd.

Grimmjow was looking out the window at the railing that separated the road from the woods, they were rather high up. He seemed to be contemplating something. "Ulquiorra, get into the backseat."

Ulquiorra looked at him questioningly. "What are you planning?"

"Something _really_ crazy." Grimmjow replied.

Ulquiorra watched him, half nervous half curious. "Get in the backseat unless you want to get caught up in it." Ulquiorra climbed into the backseat, squeezing between Blue and Weed. Kyoshiro looked very worried. "Grimmjow…" he said in a nervous voice.

"Kyoshiro, Weed, take your human forms."

They did so, watching Grimmjow carefully. "Now, you see that blanket on the sill behind you, hold onto it, tightly. You too." He said, addressing Blue and Ulquiorra. Blue and Ulquiorra held onto the corner of the blanket. "Secure yourselves."

Blue wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra's waist and Weed took hold of Kyoshiro's waist as well. "Don't let go of that blanket for a second. Ready….now!" and Grimmjow slammed his thumb onto a button. The roof opened and the wind blew into the blanket, Ulquiorra realized what was happening and latched onto the blanket with both hands for dear life, horrified. Kyoshiro caught on fast and did the same, Weed screamed and Blue gasped in horror and they both tightened their hold on Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro.

The blanket blew back and Grimmjow put on a fresh burst of speed and Ulquiorra and the other four were blown right out of the car.

Grimmjow smirked and continued to drive insanely fast. He was now level with the other car, the two inside looked at him and their jaws dropped in horror. Grimmjow grinned and showed them his middle finger. And then he swerved right out in front of their car. The car turned and smashed right into the railing. Grimmjow unbuckled and made to scramble right out of the back of the car.

Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were flying through the air. "I am going to kill him!" Ulquiorra growled. Kyoshiro and Weed were screaming bloody murder and Blue was holding onto Ulquiorra's middle so tight it hurt. There was a horrible crash in the distance and a series of loud bangs. "Grimmjow…!" Ulquiorra gasped. "Oh no!" Blue exclaimed. "HELP, HOW DO WE LAND THIS THIIIIIING?" Kyoshiro bellowed, his eyes popping, his hair blowing fiercely in the wind. Ulquiorra looked around and said. "No problem with that."

The blanket caught in a tree, the two sides of the blanket twirled around the tree and Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra and Blue were tangled together, then the blanket untangled and began spinning and tangled again. "Oh god…I'm gonna be sick!" Kyoshiro gagged and then he slipped out of the blanket, his leg got tangled and he spun all the way out of the blanket and fell on his side. Ulquiorra jumped out, then Blue and Weed jumped out. "Hurry!" Ulquiorra and they jumped over Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro sat up and Blue's foot accidentally struck him in the chin. "Oops, sorry, Kyoshiro!" she said and she ran off.

Kyoshiro sat up and made to follow, the blanket fell on him. "Hey!" Kyoshiro yelled, and then he untangled himself from the blanket, he now held each fold and he ran off, attempting to fold it as he ran. And then the wind blew from behind as he appeared on the road. He looked down. The blanket was being blown forward. "Oh crap." He groaned. And then he was blown forward, sliding on his face on the ground. "Stop, stupid blanket stop it!"

Meanwhile…

Ulquiorra, Blue and Weed stopped at the scene of the disaster. Two cars lay at the bottom of a rocky hill, both on fire, the railing was smashed, and the smell of burning metal was horrible.

"Oh my god…he'll never have survived that!" Blue said her hand over her mouth. Weed was shaking from cold and fear. "No, he's fine!" he exclaimed, terrified. "Why did I let him do that?" Ulquiorra moaned. "Grimmjow!" he called. The other two began calling as well, looking around. Weed began to run down hill. Blue followed, walking carefully to avoid slipping. Ulquiorra just stood there, unable to move. "Why did I let him do that…how could I let him do that?" Ulquiorra shook his head. "If you died, I…" what would he do?

Blue came back up. "We can't even get close to the wreckage!"

Weed was sniffling. "He's not dead, though, right?" Ulquiorra didn't respond he simply stood there, like a lost child. The three of them continued to look down below at the wreckage. Then Grimmjow staggered up to Ulquiorra's left side, breathing heavily and sporting a badly scratched arm, looking down below. "Whoa…" he panted. Ulquiorra nodded. "Yeah." He said solemnly, glancing over at Grimmjow. And then he did a double take.

"Grimmjow!" he gasped. Blue and Weed turned and the both of them grinned broadly. "Grimmjow!" they both said. Ulquiorra gaped at him for a second. Grimmjow grinned tiredly. "Hey, Ulqui…" WHAM!

Ulquiorra punched Grimmjow in the face. "Hey!" Grimmjow bellowed. Ulquiorra grabbed him by the shoulders and said. "What the hell were you thinking? You village idiot! You…what were you thinking?" he almost yelled. "I had to do it, okay! It was the only way that they'd be able to stop anyhow! I'm okay aren't I? Yes, I am, so stop yelling at me!"

"How did you survive, though?" Blue asked, hugging him. "I jumped out the window." Grimmjow said, as if everyone these days went around jumping out of cars moving at the speed of light. "That was crazy…but incredible!" Blue said, shaking her head. Weed was nuzzling Grimmjow's leg. "I'm so, so, glad your okay, Grimmjow!"

"Me too." Grimmjow admitted. Ulquiorra was still glaring at him. Grimmjow glared back. They glared at each other. "I hate you." Ulquiorra said. "Wow, so do _I_!" Grimmjow growled. Ulquiorra shook his head and sighed. "Don't do that again, alright."

"Yeah, because jumping out a moving car was _so much fun_, I'm going to do it all over aga—!"

Ulquiorra kissed him. Grimmjow's eyes widened. Weed blinked. "Wow." He said. Blue rolled her eyes, half amused. And then they heard something. Grimmjow jumped away from Ulquiorra.

Two men emerged from the side of the road. Ulquiorra and the others watched. "You are going to pay for that!" said one of the men. They wore typical burglar masks. Grimmjow stepped forward, standing beside his friends, Weed began to growl fiercely. Blue stepped forward, her fists balled at her side.

Grimmjow stepped forward and said. "Why did you do this, you bastards?"

One of the two stepped forward and said. "Not telling you."

"Tell me!" Grimmjow bellowed. "Or I'll hit you so hard you won't be able to tell your—!"

"You sure you want to do that…?" the voice came from behind them. The four jumped and turned around. Nothing there, they were concealed in the trees. "Who is that?" Grimmjow yelled. "Who's there?" Weed began shaking. "Who…who is that…?" he asked, shaking.

"You want to know why they did it?" said a voice somewhere to the left. "Fine, we'll tell you. Because he deserved it."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he turned to stare at the boys, their hoods were down. "Who are you?" he whispered, sensing they were familiar. "Why, we're from your class, Schiffer." Then Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "I recognize you. You are from the college, you sit behind me."

"Yes, _finally_!" the man growled, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Is there any reason why you've done this?" Blue asked her tone dangerous.

The man stared. "Why we've done this…why else but for fun! He deserved it, the sick bastard." Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "_Excuse me_?"

"I never liked him anyway and it's even worse when he's with you and you both are off holding hands and making out every opportunity you get! Guys shouldn't do that disgusting shit. Seriously what little freaks! I should have just burned your house down to show you what I think of your gay crap!" The boy let out a yell as Grimmjow's fist slammed into his face, there was a crunch as his nose broke. "You bastard! And that 'make out' was a fucking kiss on the _cheek_, you dick! And even if we did, it ain't anyone's business but _ours_!" Grimmjow snarled, throwing the younger man to the ground.

Blue made to go forward but then there was a scream. She turned. Kyoshiro was sliding towards them, the blanket blowing him forward. "Kyoshiro?" Grimmjow yelled, turning his head. Kyoshiro was flying towards the railing. "Kyoshiro, let go!"

"Kyoshiro!"

"Let go!"

And then Kyoshiro flew head long into the railing, with a crash, the blanket flew into the other boy's face and Blue grabbed him, pining him down. Grimmjow sighed with relief. Ulquiorra had closed his eyes. "Are you okay?" Ulquiorra asked, opening his eyes. Kyoshiro removed his face from a bent in the railing and said. "Yeah…I'm okay!" and then the railing tipped over and fell on him.

Silence.

"I'm okay….!"

* * *

Two weeks passed. The boys were taken to jail for a year, perhaps they were safe there, especially since Grimmjow had been hell-bent on killing them. Monday morning, Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed went over to Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's house, there something interesting happened.

Blue was sitting on the couch and Ulquiorra was staring at Grimmjow's injured arm for the tenth time this week. "Don't worry," Weed said happily. "At least you're both alright. It could be worse."

Grimmjow drained his orange juice and said. "Yeah, you could be Kyoshiro." Kyoshiro was sitting on the couch next to Blue and in between Grimmjow, his muzzle was bandaged and his eye was black.

"Shut up, Jagger-jerk." He snarled. Grimmjow grinned. Ulquiorra sighed and said. "I'm sorry you guys had to get involved in that."

Weed shook his head. "No problem at all! For you we're always ready, you're our friend, Ulquiorra!" said the pup, his tail wagging. Blue nodded. "You're worth it." Ulquiorra blinked. "Exactly." Kyoshiro said bitterly, rubbing his muzzle with his white paw.

"You're always worth it…" said a new voice. Grimmjow jumped and looked around. The voice had come from the hallway. "Who is that?"

Kyoshiro asked squeakily, crouching low. "Who am I? That is up for you to decide…" said the voice and it was now right next to the table. Weed gasped and hid under the coffee table, his paws over his eyes. Blue sat up and said. "Show yourself!" she order boldly.

"I cannot…I am nether body nor spirit."

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow exchanged horrified glances. "Anyway…" and the voice was right next to Ulquiorra and he jumped away from the spot. "You already know me."

"What?" Kyoshiro gasped. "No! Leave me alone! I'm too young to die! Forgive me for whatever wrong I've done!" Kyoshiro hid his face in his paws like Weed and dove under the coffee table. "My name is…" and then Grimmjow spoke. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques."

And everyone in the room wheeled around to stare at him. "WHAT?" Kyoshiro bellowed, his eyes bulging. Weed stared at him. "How did you do that?" he gasped, amazed. "Grimmjow…" Blue murmured. "You show off!" she smacked him on the knee. "Yeah, sure, give me a heart attack!" Kyoshiro yelled, crossing his arms over his chest. Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and shook his head. "Grimmjow, you caught on pretty fast to my suspicions. But how you learned so fast is beyond me."

Grimmjow grinned and said. "After our little adventure I began to wonder just how many boys there had been in the trees, Ulquiorra believed that those brats were throwing their voices around the woods so we would be afraid to attack them, of course it didn't work." Grimmjow said, refilling his glass of orange juice, "It was easy to learn, some people can master it faster than others if they pay close attention to the instructions and everything. I have been practicing for a week, looking for the perfect opportunity to test it and voila!" Grimmjow grinned and prepared to drink his juice when Kyoshiro said. "And what was this thing you were practicing?"

Grimmjow smirked and said. "Ventriloquism." And he drained the glass of juice in one.

* * *

I rewrote most of this chapter. I had a bit of a problem with the way it was written because it was written in a hurry so some things felt sloppy. :)


	2. Adventure 2

**Adventure #2**

**Dog fights**

The impossible had finally happened. Grimmjow had seen the impossible…something that shouldn't exist but did. But then again, he is an Espada, so impossible happened along time ago when the world was suddenly full of Shinigami and other beings of the dead.

He had seen it briefly and then he had gotten a full view of it, for only a few seconds. A great black rectangle! Grimmjow had gaped at it for a moment and then all the birds fluttered down to stare at it and Grimmjow felt the oddest urge to touch it. It drew him, but he did not go. Instead he did something sensible. He ran off, fearing that the world had finally come to an end and that the sky was about to turn black. He had never given dying much though, but he did not know what it would be like to actually die. He had someone to live for now and was not quite in a hurry to die yet, thank you very much.

Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were in the middle of lunch at a pizza parlor when the door flew open and Grimmjow burst in, yelling.

Ulquiorra's eyes went from his slice of pizza to Grimmjow and was about to speak when Grimmjow hurried over. "The world! What is happening to it? The sky is going to turn black! It's over, the end of civilization… oh shit! We're all going to die!" Weed gave a shriek and dove under the table. Kyoshiro and Blue and Ulquiorra merely stared at the panicked blue haired Espada. "What's going on?" Blue asked, cocking her head. Ulquiorra blinked at Grimmjow. "It's…I've seen it! It's…a thing!" Grimmjow said, clearly fighting for the right word.

"Oh how terrifying." Kyoshiro said, smirking. Normally it was Grimmjow's turn to say that, so their roles were reversed. "You, shut up!" Grimmjow snapped, throwing Kyoshiro an angered look. "What did you see?" Ulquiorra asked him, taking a bite of his pizza. Grimmjow stared. "I don't even know what the hell it was! And why are sitting on your ass, eating pizza, when the world could come crashing too an end at any fucking moment?" Grimmjow snarled, Ulquiorra stared, bored-looking, and said. "How about we figure out what it was that you saw before we go diving under tables?" he said, looking down at Weed's tail, which was emerging from under the table cloth hanging from the table. "Good idea." Kyoshiro said, grabbing Weed's tail and pulling him out from underneath the table. Weed grinned sheepishly and said. "Okay…"

Grimmjow just nodded, pacing violently. Blue snapped her fingers in front of his face and Grimmjow glared at her. "Well, how about you show us what you saw?"

* * *

They reached the park, by the lake. Grimmjow looked around a bit and sighed. "I thought as much. Damn!"

Kyoshiro grinned. "What are you imagining things, Grimmy-tan?"

Grimmjow aimed a hard kick at him, looking very pissed off. "What exactly did you see anyway?" Weed asked curiously, tilting his head. "I told you!" Grimmjow half yelled. "A black rectangle!"

Ulquiorra stared at him. Grimmjow glared. "What, you don't believe me?" Grimmjow asked, exasperated. Ulquiorra had his chin in his hand; a thoughtful look came into his emerald eyes. "I believe you. It's impossible not to, seeing how dramatic you were back at the pizza place."

"Thank you!" Grimmjow said, relieved that at least one person didn't think he was hallucinating. Blue looked over. "It seems deserted here, Grimmjow." Then she added hastily. "It's not that I think your lying! I'm just stating a fact."

The blue haired Espada sighed heavily and put his hands in his pockets. "Ah fuck it."

Weed was sniffing by the bushes. Kyoshiro was looking by the lake. Ulquiorra was staring at the sky thoughtfully and Blue was standing near Grimmjow. Kyoshiro sighed and sat down near the lake and took to staring at the reflection of the moon. A shadow fell upon him. He blinked. Weed looked at Grimmjow and said, in an attempt to cheer him up. "Don't worry! I'm sure you're…." He struggled for the right word. "Sane?" Grimmjow asked bitterly.

"Yeah!" Weed said his tail wagging. "I highly doubt that what you saw was a hallucination or a trick of your mind." Ulquiorra said thoughtfully. "I think that what you saw was a thing called…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All four of them jumped and turned around. "What the…?" Blue gasped. Weed gaped. Ulquiorra stared. Grimmjow said. "HEY! That's it!"

Kyoshiro was running towards them, his eyes wide and terrified. "What the hell is it?" Kyoshiro yelled, reaching them and ducking behind Blue.

"A monolith…" Ulquiorra whispered, finishing his previous sentence. Kyoshiro stared at him. "Heh n-no way! It's-it's…"

"A huge immovable block of stone." Grimmjow said, glaring at Kyoshiro. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry for doubting you!" Kyoshiro said, looking from Grimmjow to the monolith standing beside the lake. It cast a shadow across the water, the moonlight shone down upon it.

Hesitantly, Weed approached it. "Oi! Don't go near that!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. "It isn't off this earth!"

"Then again, neither are Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, really." Blue said. "I mean when you think about Shinigami and Espada shouldn't really exist." Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at her. Blue stepped forward slowly. "It doesn't have legs or weapons guys, c'mon." she said in an almost exasperated tone. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro followed Weed and Blue towards it. Now they stood directly in front of it, right in front of the lake.

Kyoshiro was the last to approach it, very slowly. Ulquiorra reached out a hand, Grimmjow grabbed his pale wrist. "Dude!" Ulquiorra raised his other hand and placed it on the smooth surface of the rectangle. Nothing happened. "What on earth is it doing here?" Blue whispered. Ulquiorra shook his head slowly. "I don't like this…" Kyoshiro said, backing away. Weed however stared at the monolith in wonder. "It's interesting. It has an interesting aura about it." Weed walked over and Kyoshiro said, hurriedly. "Weedy! What the hell are you doing?"

"I just want to touch it." Weed said, looking around at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro shook his head, breathing in deeply. "No…dude, no…!"

Then, slowly, Weed raised his paw and touched the smooth surface of the monolith. "See, Kyoshiro!" Weed said happily. "Nothing happened!"

"What do we do with it?" Grimmjow growled, glaring at the monolith. "How did it get here?"

"Aliens." Kyoshiro said. Grimmjow snorted. "Actually, who says aliens don't exist. This thing shouldn't even be here anyway." Ulquiorra murmured. "Maybe it'll go away…" Grimmjow said. "I doubt it." Blue said. "It has come here for a reason….but why?"

"Let me touch it…" Kyoshiro murmured, walking forward. "Hey, I don't think that's a good idea!" Blue said suddenly, looking very nervous. "Ah, what's the worst that could happen?" Kyoshiro said carelessly. And he touched it. A black hole appeared in the ground right under their feet. They fell right into it, screaming and yelling in terror. The monolith vanished as they fell, images suddenly appeared everywhere. Flashes of different time periods around the world appeared before them, they saw a volcano erupting, land forming, they saw soldiers marching everywhere, battlefields, they saw Adolf Hitler giving a speech, his voice was clearly audible, the Japanese were also giving a speech, and then suddenly they saw ground below them. They all smashed onto the ground with loud thuds and tumbled everywhere.

Ulquiorra was clutching his ribs a little ways away form Grimmjow, Blue was lying face down on the ground, Grimmjow was lying with his legs over his head and Kyoshiro had fallen on top of Weed. Grimmjow pushed himself up, breathing hard and Ulquiorra and the others did the same. "And to think, the guy who sent us here landed on something soft!" Grimmjow snarled, aiming a kick at Kyoshiro, who missed. Weed was in agony a little to Grimmjow's left and Ulquiorra was helping Blue to her feet. "Where the hell are we?" Grimmjow asked loudly. Blue shook her head. "No idea…"

Ulquiorra walked over to Grimmjow and Weed hobbled over to stand next to Grimmjow's feet. "Kyoshiro." Ulquiorra growled, turning on him. "Dude! It wasn't me! The monolith was gonna do that anyway!"

"No it wasn't!" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra snapped at him. "Never do that again!" Ulquiorra said, smacking Kyoshiro upside the head. "Now we don't know where we are, or how to get back home." Ulquiorra said, his eyes narrowing. Blue and Grimmjow looked at him. "What do you mean 'back home?" Grimmjow asked him. "Well," Blue said quickly. "Obviously we are not in the present."

Grimmjow's jaw fell open.

"No…" he whispered. "You mean we've…"

Ulquiorra nodded. "We've gone back in time."

Weed gasped and looked around wildly. "Are you serious? We've gone back in time! But to what time and where?"

And then Ulquiorra spoke somewhere behind Grimmjow. "Germany."

"How'd you figure that out?" Grimmjow asked, turning around. "Oh shit." Men were running towards them, men dressed in the uniforms worn by German soldiers. "German soldiers..." Blue murmured. "Nazis!" Kyoshiro gasped. "If we're caught, we'll be killed!"

"Something tells me they aren't Nazis, but mere German soldiers…" Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow grabbed him by the shoulders. "Who the fuck cares?" he bellowed and all five of them raced away.

Then a bullet was fired at the dirt in front of Grimmjow and they all looked up. More German soldiers were coming from the front. "Shit! We're cornered!" Grimmjow gasped, freezing on the spot. The Germans closed in around the five friends, blocking their path. They began murmuring amongst themselves, probably deciding what to do with them, Grimmjow thought. "G-guys….what do we do?" Weed gasped, shaking behind Blue's legs. Kyoshiro swallowed hard and Ulquiorra said. "Hope that they will decide we're worthless and leave…but that is very unlikely. We look very suspicious."

"Crap!" Weed gasped, putting his paws over his eyes.

And then Kyoshiro said. "I've studied German…perhaps I can let us off the hook." Grimmjow nodded fervently. "Get your ass up there, now!" and he shoved Kyoshiro towards the Germans. Weed glared at him and said. "Why don't we all go up front?"

"Rather him than me." Grimmjow replied, shrugging. Weed glared harder at him. 'Okay, why don't you go and get your ass handed to you by angry German soldiers?"

Weed didn't move. Grimmjow smirked. "Thought so."

Ulquiorra stepped up to Kyoshiro's side. Grimmjow looked incredibly nervous and slowly stepped after him, Blue and Weed followed. Kyoshiro looked at them appreciatively.

He spoke German to them. Very rusty German. Ulquiorra's face fell into a deeper frown and Grimmjow and Blue looked at one another. Weed's ears flattened.

The Germans laughed and Kyoshiro joined in nervously. And then the leader of the squad starting yelling. Grimmjow and Blue gasped and Ulquiorra's eyes widened and Weed's jaw dropped. Kyoshiro backed away hastily. "What did you say to them?"

Ulquiorra asked in a–would-be-calm voice. "I…I just told them how wonderful they looked!" Kyoshiro gasped, his voice shaking with fear. "In their little uniforms and their caps….and their nice pretty machine guns!" Ulquiorra face palmed and Grimmjow was about to wring Kyoshiro's neck when something worse happened.

The apparent leader of the squad made violent hand gestures and, yelling in German all the while, pointed to his soldiers and they immediately made to grab hold of Grimmjow and his group. None of them understood a word the squad leader said, but they all got the message.

They were in a deep shit.

* * *

The situation was bad. Very, very, bad! They were currently walking through the German's camp, or that's what it sounded like. Grimmjow and his friends had been blind-folded and were being escorted by the Germans. The blind folds were removed and they found themselves standing in the middle of the German base. They were all seated on a bench with two armed German's flanking them while the leader of the squad went off to do something. Had it not been for the fact that his arms were bound and the place was locked up tight as a screw, Grimmjow would have been running as if he were being shot at. The others obviously felt the same because Blue was attempting to break the ropes that bound her hands. Kyoshiro's hands were bound as well; if he had been in his dog form when speaking to the Germans he would have had his paws bound like Weed's. Speaking of Weed, the pup had been dragged in the dirt by the Germans, his paws bound and his muzzle tied shut. So perhaps it was a good thing Kyoshiro had been in his human form.

Ulquiorra was seated in between Blue and Grimmjow, his eyes closed, probably trying to think of a way out of their situation. Grimmjow sighed and said. "You okay?" Ulquiorra shook his head. "None of us are. Dammit…" he mumbled the last word as he again attempted to break the ropes. Grimmjow attempted to break his as well but Ulquiorra nudged him in the shoulder. "What are you going to do after you break the ropes, Grimmjow? If you run you'll be shot down. But it might not make a difference. We're probably all going to be shot." Grimmjow shuddered. "This fucking sucks!" he glared at Kyoshiro. "It's all his fault!"

The white haired boy glared at Grimmjow. "No…yes…it is my fault. Guy's look…" Kyoshiro's bound hands came undone and Grimmjow gasped. "I'll cause a distraction and you guys can get away."

"Thanks," Blue said. "But I'd rather die than abandon one of you."

Kyoshiro blushed and looked at the ground. Weed nodded, his eyes wide, but unable to speak because of his bound muzzle. "Anyway," Ulquiorra said. "How would we get out of here? Running around would not do us any good…"

And then suddenly Ulquiorra gasped and looked up, Grimmjow turned to look at him, thinking that Ulquiorra's clever brain might just have come up with a plan. "What? Don't tell me…you've got an idea for our freedom!" Ulquiorra looked at him and said. "Sorry, Grimmjow."

"Fuck!" Grimmjow spat, glaring into his lap.

"Look, at that man over there." Ulquiorra whispered excitedly, jerking his head over to the left. A German soldier stood there. "Yeah, so what?" Grimmjow spat, rubbing his ropes against the wall. "That's…that's Adolf Hitler." And Grimmjow looked up. "Really?" Blue said, looking over at him. Her face turned into one of disgust. "You're right. God, he was such a bastard."

Weed began to growl, his eyes narrowing. Kyoshiro glared at Hitler who stood mere feet from them. "Hang on, isn't he leader?" Grimmjow asked Ulquiorra. The pale man shook his head. "No. We've gone back to 1914."

Grimmjow sighed. "Yeah?"

Ulquiorra stared at him. "He was a mere soldier back then. A nobody. He became ruler sometime before world war II."

"Hey…he's a nobody right?" Kyoshiro said suddenly, a gleam in his eyes. "Right now, yes." Ulquiorra responded.

"So…if I were to grab the gun next to the bench and shoot him, would it matter?" Kyoshiro asked, grinning. Every one of his friends stared at him. "Don't temp me." Blue said, struggling harder against her bonds. Grimmjow stared. "Don't do it." He said simply. Blue looked at him. "Why not, Grimmjow?" she asked him. "He was a terrible person, it won't matter if we kill him now—!"

"Yeah it will. How is Kyoshiro, the only one who can use his hands by the way, going to get over to the guns over there without being shot? How are we going to be able to protect him if we are bound? And, anyway, the damage is still done! Back in the present the damage is still done, even if no one ever will remember him, the damage will still have been done!" Grimmjow protested.

"He has a point." Ulquiorra said.

"Mmm mot mth mm!" Weed tired to say "it's not worth it" but the gag made it impossible.

"And anyway, he dies later on." Grimmjow said.

"Yeah, after doing a lot of damage!" Kyoshiro spat.

"But what's the point of shooting him, and possibly failing, if he shoots himself later on?" Grimmjow asked.

"Let's shoot him!" Kyoshiro said.

"What's the point?" Grimmjow asked.

"It would save the world a lot of bother!" Kyoshiro said.

And then suddenly, before they could decide the two German soldiers motioned for them to get up. They all stood and began to walk slowly towards their destination. Weed was still attempting to get the rope out of his mouth and Grimmjow was grumbled and attempting to break his ropes but every time he moved something was rammed into his spine and he winced.

They were lead into a grassy field and stood there alone, just them and the Germans. "Hey…" Kyoshiro murmured hopefully. "They…I think they're letting us go…!"

Grimmjow looked around as Ulquiorra sighed. "No they aren't."

"Yippee!" Kyoshiro cried happily.

"Yes! We're going to live!" Grimmjow yelled, grinning. And then five guns were pointed at them.

All of them gasped. "I guess not…" Blue whispered. Grimmjow and Kyoshiro looked at each other. "In the next life…I am going to murder you, Kyoshiro." Grimmjow snarled, kicking the dirt. "Well…I for one am not going to be shot down!"

"Führen Sie sie durch." said the captain of the patrol.

"Hey…" Ulquiorra whispered. "Where is Weed?"

The answer came immediately, in more ways than one.

The German's caps were pulled down over their eyes one by one. A bullet was fired and it whizzed between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. They both ran forward and rammed the Germans and Blue and Kyoshiro did the same.

"Thanks a lot Weed!" Grimmjow said, punching a German. "I almost got shot!" he said, pointing to his side. Weed growled and said. "Be lucky that you didn't actually get shot!" and he bit their ropes one by one and the five friends ran off towards the trees.

The patrol captain sat up and snarled. "Bekommen Sie sie! Bekommen Sie sie, lassen Sie sie nicht flüchten! Ich will ihre Köpfe!"

Grimmjow and the others raced through the trees so fast they were almost blurs as they ran past trees. Kyoshiro was attempting to catch up with Grimmjow, who was in the lead, when suddenly he smashed head first into a tree. Blue turned around and ran back for him, Weed followed.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra ran from the trees and stopped, Ulquiorra grabbed Grimmjow by the sleeve and dragged him behind a tree and said. "Watch it, there could be Germans." The two peered out from behind a tree and listened and watched. Nothing could be seen or heard and the two crept out of the trees. Grimmjow saw something and turned his head, his eyes widened. A plane was standing tall and proud looking in the grass, and now a plan was forming in Grimmjow's head. Ulquiorra was staring ahead. "Grimmjow…I confess I can't see a—"

And then Grimmjow tapped him on the shoulder, both noticed the plane and Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. The man beside him had a large grin forming on his face. "Oh no." Ulquiorra said.

"Grimmjow, this is risky. You don't even know how to fly a plane! And for another thing, if we keep running we could just…" and then they heard yells. "Okay, never mind." Ulquiorra said calmly, walking towards the plane. Grimmjow jumped into it and stared at the odd set of controls before. Ulquiorra was still on the ground. Grimmjow stared at him and then smirked and held out his hand. "Need help, Ulqui-chan?" Ulquiorra smacked his hand and Grimmjow winced.

Grimmjow pulled him into the backseat and stared at the controls again and said. "Okay…let's see…does this light switch do anything?" and he flicked it upwards. The roar of the engine startled them both slightly and Grimmjow grinned and strapped some goggles onto his eyes and said. "Excellent!"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and tried to resist the urge to bolt form the plane. He really could not trust Grimmjow with this. And then his eyes snapped open. "Grimmjow! Kyoshiro and Blue…Weed! They'll be left behind!"

"Oops…" Grimmjow said. And then the Germans appeared and ran towards the plane. "Get us up!" Ulquiorra ordered. "I'm trying, I'm trying…" and Grimmjow pressed a button, the plane began spinning rapidly. "Whoa!" Grimmjow yelled, pressing another button, the plane began spinning in the opposite direction. Grimmjow cursed and pressed another button. The plane moved forward very fast and then Ulquiorra gasped, they were heading for a set of trees! He instinctively covered his eyes. Then came the sensation of going upwards and Ulquiorra opened his eyes. They were flying! And he breathed a sigh of relief.

The German patrol leader snarled and said. "Scheißen Sie!"

Meanwhile in the trees, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were hiding behind a tree, when the Germans had come running they had had no choice but to hide. Blue sighed and closed her eyes before slowly moving through the trees. The other two followed her. "I hope Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are alright…" Blue murmured. Weed nodded. They heard an engine and looked up. A plane was flying across the sky. "That's a Bi-Plane." Kyoshiro whispered. "And I have a feeling I know whose inside it." Blue growled, looking annoyed. "They better not have left us here alone!"

Weed gasped and Kyoshiro cursed.

"C'mon," Blue said, and she began heading back towards the campsite. " Blue what the hell?" Kyoshiro yelled. "We just went to the bother of _escaping_ there!"

"I know, Kyoshiro!" Blue called over her shoulder. "I just want to go down to the airport; I need to find a plane."

"Oh," Kyoshiro said. "Okay…wait a minute!" and he ran off after her, he ran out in front of her and said. "Blue, we can't just waltz up into the camp and steal a plane!"

And then Weed spoke up. "Only Germans can do that!"

Blue grinned and said. "I know, Weed…"

And she walked right past him. Kyoshiro swallowed and followed her. Weed looked nervously after them and bounded along behind them. They almost ran into the Germans, but hid in the trees, the Germans were heading towards the airport. Blue grabbed a stone and threw it.

The stone hit a German right in the back of the neck, and he fell to the ground. A German turned around and stared at the body. "Was zum Teufel?"

Kyoshiro stared at Blue and she said. "Grab him."

"What?"

"Do it!"

"He, Kerle, fiel Nicky gerade!" the German said, sounding distressed. Kyoshiro pounced on him. The other three turned and Weed knocked into a man's legs, knocking him over. The Patrol captain walked ahead still. "Here," Kyoshiro said, picking up a rock and swinging it around. "Because I don't like him!" and he threw the rock right into the back of the captain's head, he didn't even wince, instead he turned around and bellowed.

"Was die Scheißhölle? Sie verdammen Bengel! Ich werde Sie töten!"

"Oops…!" Kyoshiro whispered. Blue rolled her eyes. "I'll take care of him!" Weed said and he ran into the trees as the captain approached. Weed ran out of the trees and knocked into the side of his head. The other two Germans ran at Weed but Blue and Kyoshiro tackled them.

"Alright…so…" Kyoshiro panted. "What's your plan…?"

* * *

Meanwhile.

Grimmjow was soaring through the air very fast, Ulquiorra clinging to the backseat. Grimmjow grinned and said. "This is fucking cool!" he yelled. Ulquiorra sighed and yelled. "What about the others?"

"They'll find a way out, knowing Blue she's fine!" Grimmjow called.

Grimmjow meanwhile was having difficulties; he was pondering which button to press. He looked at a red button and then at a green one and did moved his finger from one to the other, and then he shrugged and reached down and grabbed the joystick. They hurtled towards the ground at top speed.

Grimmjow's blue eyes widened. "Shit…shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit! Shit, shit!" he yelled as the plane hurtled towards the ground. "Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra yelled over the wind. "Move aside!" Grimmjow didn't hear him. Ulquiorra made to grab the stick and Grimmjow suddenly yelled. "HANG ON, I GOT IT!" And he pulled the joystick back up, the plane skimmed the ground and they only narrowly avoided a collision with the earth. Ulquiorra smacked the back of Grimmjow's head. "Grimmjow! When you are driving something you've never driven before, you do not—!"

"Flying."

"What?"

"When you are _'flying'_ somethin—"

"Sorry, my mistake… The first thing you do not do is—"

"Press random buttons." Grimmjow said, cutting him off. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

Ulquiorra leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. If he survived this he was going to murder Grimmjow.

And then the roaring of another motor was heard. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and so did Ulquiorra. It was a Fokker , flying through the air towards them. Grimmjow grinned upon spotting the driver. "Yo, Blue—!" and then he screamed. "Weed?"

Weed grinned and waved from where he was piloting the plane. "Hi, Grimmjow!" he mouthed. Grimmjow saw Blue knock him out of the seat and sit back down. "Grimmjow, they are wearing German uniforms." Ulquiorra pointed out. Grimmjow stared hard and let out a bark of laughter. "Wow!" he put his elbow on the dashboard. "True that, wish I had one now! Ha!"

And then they suddenly began flying downward.

Blue watched from where she sat and gasped. "What the hell? Are they falling?"

And sure enough, the plane ahead of them fell right out of the sky. "HOLY SHIT!" Kyoshiro screamed, his paws gripping his face. Weed gasped and ran forward, standing in Blue's lap. "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra!" he called out, horrified.

The two in the plane meanwhile were slightly panicked. Grimmjow reached down and pressed the 'light switch' and the plane was flying smoothly towards the ground. The engine was slightly louder this time though. Grimmjow stared and said. "That's…oh my fucking god!"

Ulquiorra looked around and gasped. The plane was only inches from the ground and they were flying towards a farm house! Grimmjow was then pulled from the plane, which swerved before crashing into the barn, rather than the house. Grimmjow smashed to the floor and he winced in pain. Ulquiorra was underneath him, his arms around Grimmjow's chest. Grimmjow heard him sigh in relief. "Thanks for that I guess…" Grimmjow panted, slightly disappointed from the loss of his plane.

He felt Ulquiorra nod and the two staggered to their feet. Ulquiorra dusted his uniform and said. "What now?"

And Grimmjow shrugged. "Blue and the other two noticed our crash; they'll come and get us…" Ulquiorra frowned and said. "Fokker's are not very big seating wise…we won't all fit."

Grimmjow kicked the ground and spat. "Just fucking great!" and then there was a distant roar and they looked up. Planes of different varieties flew across the sky. "Germans…and they are chasing Blue." Ulquiorra murmured. "We're stuck."

Grimmjow sighed and kicked the ground again. "Sorry, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra looked over. "What for…? Oh, for crashing the plane and landing us here. It's…" but Ulquiorra couldn't say 'It's alright" because really, it wasn't.

"No, if I hadn't noticed that stupid monolith, this wouldn't have freaking happened! Now we're stuck in Germany and we're being hunted down by the crazy Germans!" Grimmjow sat down on a stack of hay and put his face in his hands, ignoring the flaming barn some distance behind them. "How could you _not_ have noticed the monolith?" Ulquiorra reasoned, walking over and standing in front of him. "None of us knew this was going to happen…" Grimmjow continued to not look at him and Ulquiorra sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find a way out…maybe…"

Grimmjow let out a growl and said his voice slightly muffled. "I don't know how this situation could get any worse!"

Then bullets were fired from above. Ulquiorra knocked Grimmjow behind the hay stack and saw a Fokker flying towards the ground. It landed almost near the barn and the pilot ran out, a bloodthirsty grin on his face and Ulquiorra's frown lifted. Grimmjow sat up and snarled. "Alright, buddy, come and get it!"

And then he was grabbed by the arm and dragged towards the plane. The German pilot ran right by them and tripped on the haystack and fell on the ground. "A Fokker E.I." Ulquiorra murmured, examining the machine gun and the rather handsome design. Grimmjow climbed into the pilot's seat and Ulquiorra stared. "Get in." Grimmjow said. "No room." Ulquiorra explained. Grimmjow sighed and then did something weird, he climbed out.

"Get in. It's my fault we're here so…"

And then bullets hit the ground next to them. Ulquiorra sighed and then he climbed into the pilot's seat. The German pilot ran towards them very fast, his machine gun at the ready. Then Grimmjow glanced once at Ulquiorra and climbed right in the plane and sat in front of him, so that Ulquiorra was literally squished behind him.

The plane took to the skies and the German pilot cursed and kicked a pebble into the flaming barn. The entire barn fell over.

Ahead of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, Blue and her two friends were in a tight spot. The German pilots were surrounding them, trapping them. "Damn!" Blue cursed, she pointed the machine gun at several and fired, one was hit in the tail and he spiraled downward. "We're killing people!" Weed exclaimed, closing his eyes. "Right now I don't have much of a choice!" Blue called, firing again. And then the plane on their left was shot down and Blue turned. "It's Grimmjow! And Ulquiorra!" she added, seeing the smaller man crushed into the back seat.

Grimmjow was laughing his head off in the back seat. "C'mon!" he roared. "I'm here, come and get me!" he fired at some more planes and they were shot down. And then a pilot fired at Grimmjow, barely missing him, Grimmjow spiraled his plane down into the clouds.

Blue and the two other dogs gasped. "He was hit!" Weed gasped.

"No he wasn't!" Kyoshiro argued. Blue scanned the clouds. She saw no one.

Meanwhile, below them, Grimmjow was still flying towards the ground, he swerved left and then fly back up towards the battle above them, flashes of orange explosions could be seen the clouds.

Then Grimmjow fired at the belly of a plane. The plane blew up and Grimmjow swerved to avoid the collision and shot right into the air, up above the other planes. Then Grimmjow flew back down towards them, firing and laughing his head off. Ulquiorra watched him, somewhat amazed and frightened for his life. The planes began to swerve and then they fired back. Grimmjow dodged and fired back at his attacker.

Weed and Blue watched, amazed. "Wow…" Weed said, putting his paw on the dashboard. Blue yelled as her plane shot forward and Weed gasped. The plane flew forward and Blue yelled. "Weed! What have you done?" she screamed as they flew right towards Grimmjow's plane in a collision course. Blue saw Ulquiorra yell at Grimmjow, Grimmjow dove underneath them and vanished. Weed looked down at the dashboard and began slamming his paws down on buttons. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he screamed, pressing buttons, their plane shot into the air and then swerved right into some clouds.

Weed was in a state of shock and then he pressed a button, the plane flew towards the ground. They swerved between Grimmjow's plane again and they had a glimpse of the evil grin on Grimmjow's face.

"Weed!" Kyoshiro yelled, squished under the seat. "Stop it!"

Weed suddenly saw a bullet fly past them; another Fokker appeared on the right and began firing at them. Weed's eyes narrowed. "Alright…" the pup whispered. "You are asking for it!"

And he turned the machine gun with his nose and Blue reached over and pulled the trigger. The plane dodged and then moved back into their direction, they were now on a collision course. "Weed, do something!" Blue bellowed, reaching around him to press a button, they went into a dive and the Fokker collided right into another plane, both going in the same direction.

Blue and Weed and Kyoshiro flew towards the ground, the explosion right above their heads reflecting off their plane and then Weed turned, two planes were closing in on them from both directions. Blue and Kyoshiro were screaming and so was Weed but then his eyes narrowed, he turned the gun on the right plane and he took the trigger between his teeth and pulled, it hurt a lot!

The plane was hit in the engine and the plane fell towards the ground.

Weed turned the plane right and he flew in that direction, heading back up towards the battle above. He did the same thing Grimmjow did and fired at the belly of a plane. The plane blew up, but eh didn't swerve! Their plane flew through the fire and shot upward and nearly smashed into another plane. Blue screamed and said. "Weed, you are going to kill us!"

Weed screamed in terror as Grimmjow's plane appeared right in front of them, they almost collided and Grimmjow screamed, waving his fist. "Watch it, you dickhead!"

And then the planes formed a circle, surrounding the two 'enemy' planes. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he cursed. "Shit!"

The Germans all moved in at the same time.

Weed was panicking and he fired at the plane on the right. The plane blew up and, because of the none-existence distance between them; the plane next to it did too! Grimmjow's eyes widened as one by one, the German planes blew up one explosion after another until there was a fiery smoke screen around them.

"Wow…" he whispered eyes wide as dinner plates.

And then Ulquiorra gasped. "Grimmjow, watch it!" A falling plane flew towards them. Grimmjow gasped and swerved right next to a plane which exploded as it was struck by a bullet from Weed. Grimmjow's plane was caught in the explosion.

Weed and the other two screamed in terror.

Grimmjow's Fokker had caught fire at the tail. Grimmjow's eyes widened and he swallowed as more planes exploded because of their too-closeness. "Ulquiorra…we're going down!" Grimmjow yelled as his plane began to lose flight. Grimmjow gulped and reached under his seat and pulled out a parachute and swallowed hard as he strapped it on. "Grab on to me!" he ordered and Ulquiorra seized him in a grip so tight Grimmjow almost couldn't breathe. And he leapt over the edge of the plane just as a shower of bullets hit his plane, blowing it clean out of the sky. "YEEHAAW!"

The two fell towards the ground the wind deafening in their ears.

Grimmjow waited and then he pulled the chute, Ulquiorra almost fell because of the sudden jerk, Grimmjow's arms tightened around him. "Hang in there!" he yelled.

Blue looked over. "Hey, Weed your not that bad…" she murmured. "OH MY GOD!" she screamed. A plane flew at them; he was going to ram them! "There's no other option…!" Blue yelled and she reached under her seat and grabbed her parachute and grabbed her two friends and leapt from the plane.

Kyoshiro and Weed screamed bloody murder as they fell, Blue's arms around them, the parachute had not opened! Blue dropped Weed, but since they were falling so fast he flew a few inches up and Kyoshiro took him by the scruff of his neck. Blue slipped one arm in and pulled the chute. A sudden jerk and then pain in her arm, she dropped Kyoshiro and Weed they both screamed and latched onto her legs.

The pilots began firing. "Good god we are falling and still they fire!" Blue yelled. Kyoshiro yelled something at the Germans. And then suddenly a plane was struck down. Blue gasped and looked around, a Sopwith Pup flew towards them on the breeze, firing at the Germans.

Blue gasped and said. "Guy's were saved!"

"Oh, no we're not! We're dressed like Germans!" Kyoshiro screamed.

Blue looked to the left, several feet below them she could see Grimmjow and Ulquiorra falling towards the ground. A Sopwith Camel spiraled down to meet them, Blue waved at him and yelled. "Help us! We are not Germans!"

The British pilot cocked an eyebrow and then he saw how scared she looked and pulled towards them. He reached out and pulled her and her two others into the plane, she had to sit on his lap though and Kyoshiro and Weed had to sit on the floor.

Grimmjow was watching the proceedings from below along with Ulquiorra. "Well, Ulquiorra, looks like we're saved." And then several bullets hit their parachute. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at each other. "Oh no!" Grimmjow gasped and then they fell towards the earth at an alarming rate, clutching each other.

The German pilot clapped himself and the back. "Oh ja, oh ja! Ich bekam jene Bastarde!" he said happily and then he was blown up by a Sopwith Pup.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra still fell and then suddenly Grimmjow was grabbed by the leg and pulled towards a plane. A British pilot had grabbed his leg, he pulled them towards his plane. They flew towards the ground and the Grimmjow heard his name being called. He looked around; Blue was sitting in the lap of a handsome British pilot waving at him. Grimmjow waved back. Then there was a series of bangs. Grimmjow turned and gasped. It was the German patrol captain, a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he fired at both the planes, two others behind him.

"Damn!" the pilot yelled. "At this rate…we'll be struck down!

Then Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "Not today…" he hissed and then he stood up and ran up the plane and lunged at the patrol captain who screamed.

"Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra yelled. "Bloody fool!" the pilot bellowed. And then Ulquiorra gasped and the pilot yelled in horror as the German captain's plane smashed right into the ground below. "No!" Ulquiorra cried out. Blue and the other two dogs yelled out as well and the planes flew towards the ground, the German planes turned and flew in the opposite direction, heading back to base.

They landed on the ground and the plane hadn't even stopped yet when Ulquiorra jumped onto the ground. Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed climbed out as well and hurried to the wreckage. The plane was on fire.

"Holy shit…" Kyoshiro hissed. Blue had her hands over her mouth. Weed staggered towards Ulquiorra and looked at the wreckage. "Why did he do that…?" Weed murmured. Ulquiorra shook his head and Weed buried his face in Ulquiorra's leg, sniffing.

Then there was a roar over head and they looked around. A German plane flew towards the ground and landed smoothly on the ground. The pilot removed his goggles and jumped out. The British pilot pointed a gun at him and said. "Freeze!"

Then Blue gasped. "Don't shoot!" she yelled, recognizing the pilot at once.

Ulquiorra whirled round and his eyes widened; Grimmjow grinned at him and staggered over to them. Weed cried out in delight and Kyoshiro whooped. "Grimmjow!" Weed yelled, pouncing on him.

Grimmjow smirked and pushed Weed away gently. "Hello, kiddo." He said. Ulquiorra sighed and the smallest of smiles appeared on his face. "You idiot." He muttered. Blue hugged Grimmjow, who looked a little surprised. "Uh…hi…?" he said to Ulquiorra. "Hello." Ulquiorra replied. "You freaking dumbass."

Grimmjow glared. "Shut it."

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking," said the British pilot. "Who are you guys?"

"Yeah," said the other one. "I'd like to know too."

The friends introduced themselves and the British pilot grinned and said. "I am Daniel Fredrick." He said, grinning at Blue. Blue blushed lightly and looked at the floor. "Pleasure to meet you." Blue replied nervously. Grimmjow laughed loudly. Blue glared at him. "Shut it, Jagger-jerk!"

And then Ulquiorra tapped Grimmjow on the shoulder. Grimmjow stiffened and turned around. They were staring at something, a tall black thing, the monolith!

Grimmjow grinned and said. "It's about damn time!"

Weed gasped and said. "Wow…Blue, Kyoshiro…look…" Kyoshiro and Blue smiled and Ulquiorra stepped beside Grimmjow to stare at it. "Something interesting?" Daniel asked, stepping forward. "Can't you see—?" Grimmjow began, but Ulquiorra raised a finger to his lips. And Grimmjow understood, it had come for them, and them alone.

"No," Ulquiorra replied. "Nothing at all…"

Daniel turned back to his plane to inspect the possible damage and so did the other pilot. Ulquiorra looked over at them and then Grimmjow grasped his hand lightly and Ulquiorra looked around and Grimmjow turned his head towards the Monolith.

"Let's go." Grimmjow whispered to him. Ulquiorra nodded. "Of course…" And Blue, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Weed stepped forward and one by one, placed their hands (and paws) against it.

Daniel sighed and said. "All good, George?"

"Excellent."

"Jolly good." Daniel said and he turned. "Miss, we're—"

Daniel stared and then blinked once.

They were gone.

* * *

Translations:

"Führen Sie sie durch."

"Execute them."

"Bekommen Sie sie! Bekommen Sie sie, lassen Sie sie nicht flüchten! Ich will ihre Köpfe!"

"Get them! Get them, do not let them escape! I want their heads!"

"Scheißen Sie!"

"Shit!"

"Was zum Teufel?"

"What the hell?"

"He, Kerle, fiel Nicky gerade!"

"Hey, guys, Nicky just fell over!"

"Was die Scheißhölle? Sie verdammen Bengel! Ich werde Sie töten!"

"What the fucking hell? You damn brats! I'll kill you!"

"Oh ja, oh ja! Ich bekam jene Bastarde!"

"Oh yeah, oh yeah! I got those bastards!"


	3. Adventure 3

**Adventure #3**

**How to Become a Millionaire in a Day!**

The heat from the shower filled the room, misting the mirror and filling the room with very pleasant warmth. Ulquiorra sighed and let the warm droplets run down his skin; it was cold in the house their heater had broken thanks to his roommate, Grimmjow. The man had seen the fifteenth mouse running around and kicked the heater as the mouse climbed up it. Ulquiorra knew, not from personal experience, that his lover could kick very hard, but _that_ hard? Maybe…

Their radiator was not working either, so their last source of heat had died. In other words, the warmth from the shower was welcomed greatly from the cold inhabitants of the house.

Ulquiorra closed his green eyes and began to relax. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and he jumped slightly but relaxed seconds later when he felt the man bury his face in the crook of Ulquiorra's neck. "…'lo Ulquiorra…" he heard Grimmjow whispered, by the sound of his voice he had just woken up. "Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra greeted him, seemingly not surprised by the fact that the other man was naked in the same shower behind him, thought that fact did cause the back of his neck to heat up.

"What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked him, leaning back against him. "Taking a shower." Grimmjow replied. Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I know that but why not wait until after I got out?"

"Why wait? Anyway, I was freezing my nuts off, there's no freaking warmth anywhere! 'Cept here."

Grimmjow's hand angled Ulquiorra's chin and Grimmjow turned his head slightly to the side in order to kiss him gently. "Oh…and there." Grimmjow said smirking as he moved away, his finger tracing Ulquiorra's jaw line. "And certain other places I'd like to be able to have access to in just a minute." Grimmjow whispered seductively, his hand traveling lower. Ulquiorra swallowed. "G-Grimmjow…"

"Hm?"

"The doorbell's ringing…"

"Let it ring." Grimmjow responded, kissing the side of Ulquiorra's neck, one of his canines nipped at Ulquiorra's neck hard and he gasped lightly causing Grimmjow to give a low chuckle. "Your adorable." He muttered, licking at the small bite mark on Ulquiorra's flawless skin.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and turned his head slightly, placing his lips against Grimmjow's, therefore shutting him up. Not able to get satisfaction from this, Grimmjow pulled him onto the floor gently and placed his mouth hard against Ulquiorra's, his hand curling in Ulquiorra's soft, wet hair.

He heard Ulquiorra moan softly against his lips, his hands cupping Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow moved back and stared at him, a fond look in his eyes, he kissed him on the cheek, his hand sliding across Ulquiorra's pale cheek. The ring of the doorbell ruined the moment. Grimmjow snarled and sat up, pulled on a blue robe, and left the bathroom.

He stomped to the door, undid the chain and muttered. "Who's the fucking retard coming to call at this hour?" and he opened the door.

Kyoshiro and Weed stood there. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow.

"What the fuck do you two want?"

"Well…" Kyoshiro opened his mouth. "Uh….umm…"

Grimmjow slammed the door. "Hey, Grimmjow, dammit!"

"Fuck off!" Grimmjow said, stomping back towards the bathroom. The doorbell rang. Grimmjow snarled loudly and opened the door. "What the fuck do you—?!"

It was Blue, her arms crossed over her chest, a frown on her face.

"Um…Hi?"

"Yeah, hi." Blue said, glaring at him. Kyoshiro and Weed stood behind her.

"So, why did you not listen to their invitation?"

"What freaking invitation?" Grimmjow inquired moodily apparently not happy about being disturbed during his time with Ulquiorra. "The three of us came to invite you on a Skiing trip."

Grimmjow stared. "Really?"

"Yeah," Weed said happily. "It's in the mountains, with all these nice little cabins and everything! We know you two have been busy lately getting jobs and everything, but will you two join us, please? It won't be much fun without you two!" Weed said, his tail wagging very fast.

Grimmjow glared. "Skiing trip, mountains…? I refuse."

Weed's smile fell. "Why not?" Weed asked, sadly.

"Grimmjow, do you realize what you're going to be missing?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Yeah, I do. Freezing cold! I am freaking cold enough as it is!"

"Then we'll switch locations!" Weed said quickly.

'No, we can't." Kyoshiro growled. "We already have the reservations."

Weed look sad. "Grimmjow, please…"

"No. I said 'no', I mean no."

"Forget it, Weed." Kyoshiro growled. "You don't have to be upset over him. He's not worth it. C'mon, we'll go have a great time, he can sit and sulk when he hears how much fun we had."

Grimmjow let out a "Tch!" and leaned against the door. Blue sighed and said. "What about you Ulquiorra?"

Grimmjow turned and saw Ulquiorra in the doorway, a green bathrobe on. "I…did you get five reservations?"

"Yes, we did." Blue said.

"I'll go." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow choked. "W-what?!"

"Alright," Blue answered cheerfully. "Excellent. We leave tomorrow." She turned to Grimmjow and said. "See you, Grimmjow. I hope you might change your mind, if you don't that's perfectly fine though." And she walked after Kyoshiro and Weed.

Grimmjow turned and glared at Ulquiorra, feeling pissed. "What the hell?! Why can't you stay?!"

Ulquiorra smirked. "Going to miss me?"

"Shut up! What the…you…! Argh!" Grimmjow stomped back into the bathroom and Ulquiorra followed him. "What the-fucking-hell? You're not going!"

"I'm not?" Ulquiorra said, leaning against the table, slight smirk in place. "Because then that means that I have to follow you! And I don't want to!"

Ulquiorra blinked. "What do you think I'm going to do, jump off a cliff?"

"No!" Grimmjow yelled, glaring at him. "I'm…" he took a deep breath, his fingers curling at his side. "Imgoingtomissyoudammit!" he yelled, very fast. Ulquiorra stared, eyes slightly wide. "What?"

"I didn't say anything." Grimmjow spat.

Ulquiorra walked forward slowly and stood in front of him. "Grimmjow, you can tell me."

Grimmjow closed his eyes and looked away as he spoke. "I said 'I'm going to…miss you…dammit.'" He said, face reddening slightly. Ulquiorra's eyes softened slightly and the corner of his mouth turned up. Grimmjow blinked and swallowed, his hand scratching the back of his blue hair. "What? You got a problem with what I just said? Don't let it get to you!" Ulquiorra cut him off by placing a gentle kiss to his lips.

"And I you Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra murmured, his hand resting against Grimmjow's cheek.

The doorbell rang. "Shit." Grimmjow growled, moving away. Ulquiorra watched him leave and sighed softly.

Grimmjow wrenched open the door and snapped. "What is it Kyoshiro?!" he yelled and then blinked. "Huh?" he was staring at a mailman, grinning sheepishly at him. "Hi." said the mailman, looking incredibly nervous. "Package. Bye." And he ran back to his cart and pushed it away.

Grimmjow stared at the box and muttered something about weird mailmen and picked up the box. It was very heavy! He was surprised that such a small box could have such weight! He heaved it onto the table and set it down on the table and began to open it. Ulquiorra was about to finish his shower and head just entered the bathroom when suddenly Grimmjow gave a scream of "OH MY FUCKING GOD!" and Ulquiorra jumped and raced over to him. "What is it?" he asked. What he saw made his mouth fall open. Money! Lots and lots of money, all of them labeled with '100' written on the corner. "Wow…" Ulquiorra whispered green eyes wide. Grimmjow reached into the box and hesitantly pulled out the money and stared in awe. "Jesus Christ… just look at this stuff! All of them are one hundred dollar bills! This is too fucking cool!" Grimmjow exclaimed, grinning widely.

Ulquiorra too stared in wonder at the green paper before saying. "This is all…for you?"

"No, I'll share half with you." Grimmjow said, thumping him on the back.

Ulquiorra winced slightly. "No, I mean…did you ask for this?"

"No! But I'm not complaining am I?" Grimmjow said happily, pulling out more money and setting it down on the table. "I didn't ask if you were complaining. Grimmjow, where did this come from?"

"Who the hell knows?"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly and he frowned. "C'mon, Ulqui, lighten up, man!" Grimmjow said, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"Think what we could _do_ with this shit! We could…we could…" Grimmjow's happiness momentarily vanished. "You're…you're troubled, aren't'cha?"

Ulquiorra was in thought. "Grimmjow, I don't mean to rain on your parade of joy but I am afraid I'll have too here, this money isn't ours, and it isn't mine and it isn't yours. I don't know how it came to be in your possession but it cannot stay with us. And, yes, I am well aware of what we could accomplish with this, but…"

"What are we gonna do? Give it back? Give this stuff back?! Are you fucking _joking_, Ulquiorra? We could stop living in this cold small apartment, we could live elsewhere!"

Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes, running a hand through his soft hair. "We don't need it. Give it back."

"Maybe not now, but we could later!"

"No, we will not need it, put it back in the box and send it back to the rightful owner. Grimmjow, we—"

"Ah come off it, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at him. "Don't say 'we'! You just don't want to try living differently! You're thinking of yourself, _as usual_!" Ulquiorra wouldn't say it out loud but that stung. "I don't think that way. We can't just use someone else's' money, plus, being rich isn't all it's cut out to be, trust me, you wouldn't like it. You'd have to live differently, eat differently, maybe even have people running your life for you, Grimmjow, you'd hate that."

Grimmjow seemed to consider this for a moment then he sighed and said. "No, trust me Ulquiorra, I don't think I'd quite mind living like a King. And you know what?" Grimmjow growled, starting to get angry again. "Every time I bring something up about leaving or changing the way I live you're always like 'No, don't be stupid' or 'Sounds foolish, I wouldn't do it' and you know what, maybe I don't give a fuck about what you want to do, maybe I am damn sick of hearing about what you think! You are always turning me down, _all the fucking time!_"

"Fine, do what you want, see if I care." Ulquiorra said, starting to get tired of the whole thing. "Just don't complain about how dull it was. Don't complain when none of us come to visit you because we were all so disbelieved that you'd choose money over—"

"You know what, dammit, I won't give a shit whether you come to see me or not!" Grimmjow interrupted, his fists clenching. "And at this rate I won't be coming to see you _at all_, in fact," Ulquiorra growled, eyes narrowing. "I'm happy that I decided to go with Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed and that you didn't, because I don't think I could stand to be around you."

"Then get the fuck out of here!" Grimmjow bellowed. "If you can't stand me such much, _you_ get out; this was my house first anyway. Oh wait, I forgot, you're already leaving." Ulquiorra spat.

"So, grab that shit over there and leave."

"Great, I'm glad I'm leaving!!" Grimmjow bellowed at him. "Because you know what Ulquiorra, that means I won't see you and your stupid face ever again!" and he grabbed the money and stomped to the door and threw it open, only to freeze as he remembered he was still in his robe.

Grimmjow snarled and stomped back inside pushing past Ulquiorra, who stumbled. Grimmjow dressed, packed the money and some clothes and began to leave. While packing the money he had seen a note on the bottom of the package giving a list of the directions he would take to get there, it was a four mile drive north. He stopped in the process of buttoning his shirt and looked at the bedside table, he growled and stomped over to it and quickly wrote on a notepad the directions to the place. He didn't even know why he did it but he did.

Grimmjow put the now taped up box of money of the table for a moment to pull on his shoes. He didn't care what Ulquiorra said, he could miss out on some fun and new life and Ulquiorra could sit on his little ass and mope about it all he wanted!

Grimmjow sat up and turned around to see Ulquiorra staring at the box. Grimmjow moved in front of him to get it and crammed it into his bag and walked towards the door. He could feel Ulquiorra's eyes on him and he stopped and was about to look over his shoulder but stopped himself.

He really was too angry to care about whether or not he hurt Ulquiorra's feelings in anyway, but at the same time he had a bad feeling about leaving things the way they were between them.

Grimmjow swallowed hard and grabbed the door knob, turned it and walked outside.

Ulquiorra watched him leave and then sat down in the chair. He would be back any second now. A second passed, fifteen seconds, a minute and then two minutes. And then Ulquiorra put the side of his face in his hand, he closed his eyes. Grimmjow really had meant it, he had probably already knew that and yet the shock that he was actually gone wouldn't leave him alone.

That was it. He, Ulquiorra Shiffer, hated Grimmjow right now.

* * *

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Yes?"

"He is here, sir."

The man behind the desk gave a low chuckle, his face hidden in shadow. "Bring him inside, Michael."

"With pleasure, sir." said the servant evilly and he left. The man behind the desk grinned and he said. "Finally after a year, and a half, of planning, my ingenious plan will be put to the test! No one can stop me, no one, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!" he broke off in a hysteric coughing fit.

Outside the huge mansion, Grimmjow's car parked outside it and he looked up. "Wow, holy shit." He said, admiring the place. The mansion was white, some pats were black, like the railings and the large Iron Gate, and it looked like it was made of marble, and it probably was. Grimmjow licked his lips. "Ha, you don't know what you're missing, Ulquiorra." He said hungrily, taking in the sight before him. Grimmjow stared at the grass, from what he could see there was a pool outside too… that was awesome!

Grimmjow drove closer and finally reached the gate. He pushed open his car door and stepped out just as two men appeared from the large doors. One of the men had his eyes closed and a stupid grin on his rather plump face, he was much taller than the other man, who seemed to be almost a midget. The other man had very long hair that went over his eyes and a too-long nose that was hooked. _If I were to pick the head butler dude, _Grimmjow thought, _It would be the fat guy._

"AH my dear—!" the voice broke off. Grimmjow and the man with the hair all over his eyes stared at each other both in shock.

_He's the head around here?! _Grimmjow thought in horror!

_WHO THE HECK IS HE?!?!?!? ALL MY INGENIOUS PLANNING GONE TO WASTE?!?!?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!!!!!_

"Uh, who the heck are you?" Grimmjow inquired, pointing at the guy with the hair. "I? I…I'm the head of staff! Are you are master?" he asked, grinning. The man approached him and Grimmjow had to fight the urge to back way away.

"Hmmm, yes….no…you do not dress properly for a young master…well, assuming your from the city this is the proper attire, but not for here, no-soirée! We'll' have to fix that!"

"No thanks." Grimmjow said, moving away from him very fast. "Where is your luggage, master?" asked the plump man. "In my car." Grimmjow said, still glaring at the hairy man who attempted to approach him. "Young master, we shall properly clothe you, but before that, how about a tour?!"

"Uh, sure, why not?"

"Good! The last two masters got lost the first time, the second one we still cannot seem to find!"

"You're joking!"

"No! He disappeared a year ago and since then, no masters." Said the plump servant sadly, shaking his head. Grimmjow stared. "People got lost on this property? How far goes it stretch, to Timbuktu?"

"Oh! Do you want to go to Timbuktu master?" said the plump servant enthusiastically. "No!" Grimmjow snapped. "Oh…" said the servant sadly.

Grimmjow looked up at the mansion and sighed before beginning to walk towards it, then, he placed his hand on the door and gave it a hard push. It didn't open. "What the hell?" he murmured, pushing harder.

"Oh, sir!" said the plump man, running forward. "You need to pull!"

Just then the door opened from the inside and Grimmjow almost fell down the stairs.

The plump servant hurried to catch him but tripped on his way too long coat-tails. "Some help these guys will be in a pinch." Grimmjow muttered, clinging to the doorknob for dear life before stepping around the doors and starting to walk through them.

* * *

The following morning.

Ulquiorra woke early and heard the clock buzzing. He groaned and murmured. "Grimmjow…shut it off…" the buzzing continued, Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. _Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz._

His emerald eyes flew open and he sat up. Grimmjow was not here.

Oh that's right. He left yesterday. Ulquiorra punched his pillow and the disappointment he felt almost overwhelmed him. Ulquiorra kicked off his blankets and left the room.

He had just closed the bedroom door and went into the bathroom and turned on the warm bathwater when suddenly, from the living room, the phone rang. Ulquiorra jumped and turned around. He crossed and picked it up and so was his belief that it was Grimmjow calling that he actually said. "Grimmjow, look, about yesterday, I'm…"

"Ulquiorra, this isn't Grimmjow, it's Blue."

And for the first time in his life, Ulquiorra wasn't glad to hear her voice. "Blue…? Right, what is it?"

"We're leaving for the ski trip in an hour, alright? Just calling to remind you, b—"

"Blue wait!" Ulquiorra said suddenly. "What?" Blue's response was slightly hesitant. Ulquiorra sighed and said. "Something's happened…I…"

Blue listened carefully, leaning against the side of the couch. "I'm afraid that I can't go."

Blue's eyes widened. "What?"

Ulquiorra held the phone away from his ear as she almost yelled. "You don't have to yell…" he mumbled. "Grimmjow is making you say this isn't he?" Blue's voice was annoyed. "Let me talk to him, I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

"Blue, Grimmjow isn't here." Ulquiorra murmured.

"He isn't? He's out this early? Well, if he doesn't come back for a while, write a note, here, copy down what I am about to say onto the note."

"Blue, he's not—" Ulquiorra began but then he heard splashing and turned around, his eyes widened. The water in the bathtub was over flowing. "Blue, I have to go." Ulquiorra murmured, putting the phone down and crossing over to the tub, and immediately turning off the water. He closed his eyes and sighed.

So what if Grimmjow never came back? It didn't matter.

* * *

Grimmjow let out a soft sigh as he lay down on the very soft, somewhat squishy couch. The living room was nice and it was Grimmjow's favorite part of the house, it was quiet. There were very tall windows and a huge widescreen television right in the middle of the room against the wall. It was too big really.

Grimmjow put his hands behind his head and closed his blue eyes. The servants had given him separate outfits to wear; one was white western style pants without a shirt but a jaguar skin vest. Grimmjow quite liked that one, amongst others he had also like the one he was wearing now which consisted of a black shirt and white pants, not western style though. He had also been given a black jacket with thick fur lining and a periwinkle shirt with jeans and also to complete the outfit a bunch of rings for the fingers.

The man with the hair in his face Grimmjow learned was called by Joe. He had been serving here for two whole years; this year however was his third. The staffing was quite alright, but the girls here were incredibly annoying. One girl with pink hair especially annoyed him. She was so creepy and her voice was way too deep! He learned that her name was Shiza. She stalked him everywhere! The only reason they kept her was because she had a good choice of clothing and cleaned well. The rest of the girls were nice to him, way too nice. That sort of annoyed him; actually it annoyed him a lot!

Grimmjow sighed and put his feet on the marble coffee table in front of him. This place was very comfortable, quiet; relaxing…the house was big too. The dining room was enormous and the bedrooms were too, the beds especially were very big. Grimmjow smirked and said. "Ulquiorra, you _really_ don't know what your missing!"

The only thing Grimmjow could complain about was that the house had a strange feeling about it.

Grimmjow shrugged it off however and decided to stretch his legs and left the mansion. The outdoor air as very good today, Grimmjow went for a walk around the mansion, admiring the pool and the nice warmth from the sun. And then suddenly an umbrella was opened up over his head. Grimmjow jumped and looked around. It was the plump servant, whose name was actually Walter. "Begging your pardon, master, but you'll catch your death of heat!"

"Don't be retarded!" Grimmjow snapped, moving the umbrella away. "It's not even that hot outside, piss off." And Grimmjow lay down on a chair near the pool closing his eyes and stretching out. "No, sir, really, it is frightfully hot!" said Walter, putting the umbrella over Grimmjow's head. "Wallet, whatever your name is, I don't need an umbrella, wouldn't mind some food though."

"I will alert the staff!" said Walter and he buzzed off. Grimmjow had to admit, Walter annoyed him a lot, but he was happy just o be able to lie around and to take a break form doing stuff for once, just not to worry.

He still could not shake off this strange feeling.

* * *

Night had fallen, Ulquiorra had got back from a job interview and he really thought he had done horribly on it. He sighed and grabbed the phone, feeling incredibly hungry. He called a place he knew very well, he'd been ordering from them for the past year when either he or Grimmjow weren't in the mood to cook.

"Yes, sir, how may we help you?"

"I'd like two Monte cristo panini."

"Right, anything else?"

"No…Grimmjow, anything else—?" and then Ulquiorra cursed under his breath, something he did not do very often. "Just one Monte Cristo panini." Ulquiorra murmured.

"Okay, nothing else?"

"No."

"Okay, bye."

Ulquiorra slammed the phone down and was tempted to throw it across the room and revel in the smashing sound. Why had he so easily forgotten Grimmjow wasn't here?!

Ulquiorra put his face in his hands for a moment. He truly had not realized what a grip Grimmjow's existence had had on him until now, he had gotten so used to being around Grimmjow that now he found it hard to see his own future without him, and that was true because now Ulquiorra's future which used to be clear in his mind was a blur, a distant haze. Grimmjow had ruined his life, he'd come in with his trashy existence and completely messed everything up, he had made Ulquiorra care, he had made Ulquiorra feel things he never had felt before and want more of it, he had made Ulquiorra enjoy life.

And only now did Ulquiorra realize that Grimmjow had not just been a part of his life, he had been his other half. They'd grown used to each other and came to enjoy each other's presence, no matter how they argued they'd make up some way. One way or another Ulquiorra realized that he did need Grimmjow in his life, right now was very proof of it, but did he need Grimmjow this much?

But obviously Grimmjow did not feel the same right now, he was not calling, he was not coming home. "Stupid Grimmjow." Ulquiorra hissed, listening to the soft pattering of the rain outside. _Maybe we really were not supposed to be together…from the very beginning we were different, very different, too different…and once both people stop contacting one another, doesn't that signal the end of the relationship?_

An almost bitter smile appeared on Ulquiorra's lips. _The silence is probably the answer. He didn't tell me how to contact him, it's over. Just accept it and move on with your life, you don't need him. You have Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed…forget him._

Ulquiorra no longer felt hunger, in fact, he felt sick. It was Grimmjow's fault. His fault, all of it. "Stop controlling me…" Ulquiorra hissed, his nails digging into his forehead.

The doorbell rang and Ulquiorra's head jerked upright. He crossed over to the door and opened it. It was his food. He paid the man and then he left. Ulquiorra took his seat at the table and sighed.

"Get used to it." He whispered to himself.

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning.

Grimmjow was unable to sleep. The bed felt empty, more like cold, too roomy. Dammit, he wasn't about to admit to himself that maybe he missed Ulquiorra, not at all! There was some possibility that Ulquiorra had seen the note Grimmjow left him, giving him directions to the mansion, and if he had and he simply wasn't contacting Grimmjow than he was probably sore about yesterday. _Like I care…_

_He pretty much brought it on, not my fault if he's…dammit! _Grimmjow pulled the pillow over his head. _Dammit! I do not want to think about him right now, not at all! Go away, stupid Ulquiorra!_

_If he hasn't bothered to contact me why should I care?_

But as he straightened up to open the window just to let a draft in a question popped into his head. _Does this mean that it's over?_

_Does his silence mean that he is through with me? After all this time?_

_After all this time has he just put up with me…well…probably…_

Grimmjow knew that, compared to most people out there, he wasn't very nice, to Ulquiorra, to Kyoshiro, to Weed and even Blue he always showed some sign of either annoyance or arrogance or both. He wasn't that nasty to them because they were his friends, but…was Ulquiorra sick of him? Had he always treated him, Ulquiorra, like a lesser being and just not known it?

"Ah fuck it." Grimmjow murmured, kicking the bedside table only to yelp as he realized how hard it was. It had not even fallen over! Upon closer inspection Grimmjow realized that it, along with several other household items in this room had been nailed to the floor!

And by the looks of it, so had the telephone and the other unimportant stuff on the bedside table...

Wait a minute, the telephone!

Grimmjow's hand made to snatch it but he stopped himself. What would Ulquiorra's answer be, what would he say to Grimmjow if he picked up the line? And Grimmjow realized he was afraid of what would happen if he picked it up and then he sighed and sat down on the bed. Ulquiorra had finally succeeded in getting inside his head, Grimmjow had been trying to keep his mind away from him but Ulquiorra had succeeded in climbing over his inner walls and getting in his thoughts. Just like he always did.

Grimmjow cursed. "Dammit…"

He didn't understand how Ulquiorra could have such a hold over him, he made Grimmjow feel different, act different, nicer even. Grimmjow could remember Weed pointing out changes in his behavior the longer he was around Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra had changed him, made him different. Grimmjow knew Ulquiorra to be nicer than him, but would he really just forgive Grimmjow just like that?

_He was angry…I heard it in his tone; saw it in his eyes…that's probably the first time I've seen him angry…_

Grimmjow sighed loudly, pinching his nose with his thumb and fore finger. If Ulquiorra had gotten that angry that he actually cursed and nearly yelled then…was he really going to forgive Grimmjow?

_Come to think of it…maybe he did have a reason to be angry?_

Grimmjow snarled and put his head against the window pane.

_Tch, whatever, why should it matter?! He doesn't know what he's missing…does he?_

Grimmjow tried to ignore the fact that his mind had just spoken to himself in a way that made him sound like he was attempting to sound enthusiastic about the mansion. "God dammit! He's ruining everything." Grimmjow spat kicking the wall lightly with his toe. The feeling he had gotten earlier came back again as he curled up in his bed, he didn't know what it was, but he had a feeling Ulquiorra was behind it.

* * *

Ulquiorra himself had just got out of his bath, his hair wet and his eyes somewhat tired looking. He crossed the room; shirtless and dressed in a nothing but blue jeans, and removed the towel, which he had draped around his shoulders and set it down on the table and then closed his eyes.

_I am not going to admit that I might actually be missing that buffoon! He brought this on himself anyway, why should I miss him? He's the one who should miss me, it shouldn't be like this. He's the one who made the mistake, why am I the one to suffer for it?!_

Ulquiorra slammed his fist onto the table and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against his closed fist, eyes tightly closed. _But this feeling of loneliness…it won't leave me alone…_

"What has he done to me…?" Ulquiorra whispered, eyes opening.

The door bell rang and Ulquiorra looked up, his eyes widening. _Could it be…? No…_Ulquiorra didn't dare believe it, not one bit. Grimmjow didn't come back, he wasn't coming back! Ulquiorra stared at the door, unable to quiet his heart's pounding.

His—foolish, at least to him—belief, that he tried to quell, was so strong that he actually could see Grimmjow in his mind, and so strong was his belief that it was indeed Grimmjow that when he opened the door and saw Blue instead of Grimmjow, that he actually leaned against the door, his eyes closing, inwardly cursing himself for believing so deeply that it had been Grimmjow.

"Hello, Ulquiorra." Blue said, looking at him, her eyebrows knitting together. "Are you okay?"

Ulquiorra nodded and said. "Yes." Blue nodded as well. "Okay, good."

And then Ulquiorra blinked and said. "What are you doing here? I thought you went to the Ski Resort."

"I did go to the Ski Resort, but when I heard your call and I realized how distressed you sounded, curiosity overwhelmed me and I told Kyoshiro and Weed, well, I left them a note, and I came down here. I would have brought them with me but I really didn't want to upset them because they seemed in such a good mood that I—what happened?" Blue asked, walking inside.

Ulquiorra sighed and said. "It's…" Blue waited. Ulquiorra's emerald gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.

"…Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra murmured.

* * *

Elsewhere, Grimmjow had taken a stroll about the mansion to clear his head; he had enjoyed his breakfast, at least until he found a single pink hair in his mouth. He had fired Shiza after that; she never really did much anyway.

Grimmjow looked up at the sky, the sun shone down brightly and the feeling of its warm rays against his skin made him feel slightly at peace.

He passed an open window and then froze. He heard angry voices coming from inside, he leaned against the door and listened.

"—an outrage, an _absolute_ outrage!"

It was Joe.

"I can't believe it! After all my years of clever planning, getting this mansion from my stupid father, after all that, it failed because it fell into the hands of that blue-haired freaking weirdo!!!!" he screeched, loud enough for people in London to hear!

_Who's the moron here?! _Grimmjow thought angrily.

"Sir, sir, I understand you perfectly, but your screaming loud enough for people even in London to hear you!"

That was Walter.

"Silence!!!"

Grimmjow dug his finger in his ear to rid himself of the ear ache he just got form the screaming. "Dumbass." He muttered. Now he was curious.

"I just can't believe it! I can't believe it, not at all!" Joe bellowed.

Seriously, if he was going to scream, at least close the window! Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"We'll have to get my brother here somehow, I'll have to! I'll not have my plan ruined by some bumble-brained buffoon!"

Grimmjow fought off the urge to thrown a stone in through the window, if _he_ was so _stupid_ who's so called ingenious plan _failed?!_ Not his.

"Anyway, my brother is just the type of person to choose money and riches over his former life, he'll leave her and she'll get upset and chose me!"

So Joe was trying to lure his brother here to take his girlfriend from him? Talk about over-dramatic! His brother sounded like a weirdo, to chose money over his life, what a loser!

Grimmjow sneered. _But then again, didn't I do the same thing?_

Grimmjow froze where he was, blue eyes widening. _Didn't I choose money over my friends? Come to think of it, I did turn Kyoshiro and Weed down…but then again, that happened before the money…and when I interrupted Ulquiorra, was he going to say that Blue and the others would be upset because I chose money over them…and….I did, didn't I?_

Grimmjow stood there, frozen. "I did…" he whispered. "No wonder he was so angry with me, I literally said that money was more important to me than him…" Grimmjow whispered, eyes narrowing.

And then there was a splitting pain at the top of his head and then there was the sensation of falling down a long, dark, tunnel…

* * *

"So that's what happened…" Blue whispered chin in hand. Ulquiorra simply nodded, his green eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm going to kick him in the nuts." Blue said simply, standing up. She seemed to think of something for a moment before she said. "No, I am not…Ulquiorra, get up."

Ulquiorra looked up curiously. "What?"

"Get up!" Blue said, grabbing his arm. "Ulquiorra, we need to go get him and shake sense into him! Enough sitting around moping!"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. "Who's moping?"

Blue rolled her eyes. "Ulquiorra, look at you! You are sitting here half naked, you look dead, and plus your dishes are not clean, this all tells me that your upset, and I know why."

"I am _not_ upset that that pig-head left." Ulquiorra said, his tone annoyed. Blue glared at him.

"I know that's a lie."

Ulquiorra did not meet her gaze instead he looked at the floor. "When I rang the doorbell, you answered and I just know that you were disappointed! I saw your face, Ulquiorra, you miss him."

"I do not miss him. Why should I miss him because he made a stupid mistake?"

Blue let out a growl and slammed her hand down on the table. "Stop lying, dammit, Ulquiorra! We all know how you feel towards him, we know you love him!"

Ulquiorra swallowed hard and turned to look at the floor. "I do not."

"Hell yes you do! That's why your sitting here looking miserable, that's why you sounded so lonely and alone when you called me, that's why you looked so disappointed when you saw it was me at the door instead of him! But fine, if you want to sit on your butt and be in denial and possibly let the one you love slip away be my guest, you can live your life miserable!" Blue yelled. Ulquiorra blinked, his gaze turning to the ground. He had never heard her get angry before.

Her words were all true, every one of them. He didn't want to admit it but he did miss Grimmjow, he missed him so much it hurt, he missed lying next to him when they fell asleep together, missed the sound of him blaring his loud music that Ulquiorra himself constantly ordered him to turn down, he missed his voice, scent, touch, he missed all of him, he even missed his yelling. And he despised Grimmjow for making him need him this much, for making him feel so incomplete without him…

Ulquiorra had not noticed his fist clenching on the table until Blue placed her hand on his pale one. "Let's go then, alright? I know he misses you too," she said, smiling. "Let's go."

Ulquiorra didn't need telling twice. He already knew what he wanted to do. And as he entered his bedroom he saw it, lying half hidden under a book. Ulquiorra gently removed the Sherlock Holmes book from the bedside table and stared at the piece of paper on the table. "Grimmjow…" he whispered, shaking his head. "For once you've used your head properly, idiot."

Speaking of head….

"Ow, shit!" Grimmjow yelled, sitting up right, clutching his head in agony. "What the _fucking shit_ happened to my _fucking_ head, _dammit!_ OW!" he yelled, his head feeling as if it were about to fall apart.

And then his eyes widened. He had been knocked out…why?

He then noticed upon sitting up that the room was dark and full of boxes, he was in a storage room…who had put him here anyway? And why?

And then he remembered the conversation he had heard between Joe and Walter and Grimmjow gnashed his teeth together hard as he fought off a vicious snarl. He crossed the room and kicked the door, hard. He grabbed the knob and pulled and then pushed hard, but nothing happened. Grimmjow flung himself against it and kicked it some more, but nothing whatsoever happened!

And in this situation, three words came to mind. He. Was. Screwed.

And in this situation, four words escaped his lips.

"Son of a bitch."

* * *

The mansion was easy enough to find.

Breaking in however, was going to be an entirely different matter, Ulquiorra thought during the drive, he kept thinking how they could do it, it was difficult to think though because he had never seen the manor and therefore could not think of how to properly break in. They parked the car in the trees when they realized how close they were and walked quietly on foot from there.

"Wow…" Blue whispered beside him, looking at the white mansion. "It's really big…Grimmjow could be anywhere, now that I think about it, but, knowing him, he's probably asleep just like half of the world right now." Ulquiorra just nodded, right his insides were turning over violently in his stomach and he felt nervous. If Grimmjow was still angry, would he refuse to come back? That was highly possible.

Ulquiorra frowned, his eyes narrowing. He could always drag Grimmjow out by force if he wanted too right, but then—

"Ulquiorra, I'll take out the guards; you get in there and find him, alright?" Blue said her eye narrowing. "I'll search the place too after taking out as many as I can."

"Right, that's fine." Ulquiorra murmured somewhat distractedly.

"I didn't ask you if it was fine." Blue said.

"I know." was the answer. Blue sighed and kicked open the gate and they both proceeded through.

They walked quietly through the grass together, eyes alert and ears listening for approaching feet. Then they heard it, a soft banging. Ulquiorra froze. Blue froze.

"What the hell?" Blue said, looking around. All the lights in the house were off; there was no sound except for the banging. Oh wait, one light was on, Blue noticed, form one of the upstairs windows, her blue eyes narrowed and she approached the window. "Ulquiorra, I am going to check out this window, if I don't come back—Ulquiorra?"

She looked over her shoulder and saw him kneeling by a door in the grass. A cellar door Blue realized.

"It's coming from down here," he murmured softly, standing up and staring down below. "Yes, but Grimmjow wouldn't be in the cellar!" Blue said, hurrying over to the balcony of ivy and thinking of how to climb it to the window. There was a bang and she gasped and turned around, Ulquiorra had kicked the door, hard and she heard a crack come from the door. "What are you doing?!" Blue exclaimed quietly, running over to him. "Breaking in, you're free to check out that window," Ulquiorra said, glancing at the window then back at the cellar door, whose lock he had broken. "I'm going into the cellar."

"Um, alright," Blue said, gripping several vines of ivy at the same time and climbing. "That's, uh, fine…" she panted, climbing higher.

And Ulquiorra slunk into the cellar.

It was a wine cellar, lots of wine sat in neat little rows and Ulquiorra noticed a door ahead of him. He walked quietly towards the door, grabbing a bottle of wine as he did so, he approached the door and grabbed the knob, unlocking it and then he burst through the doors, wine bottle in hand, only to freeze as he recognized the familiar figure before him, slamming himself against the door ahead of him.

The man froze and turned around and his eyes widened in shock, his jaw even slipped open. "Ulquiorra?"

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra greeted, setting the bottle down on the ground softly. The two stared at each other and at that moment they were both thinking the same thing; what can I say?

The air was now thick with heavy tension, neither spoke, simply stared and that is perhaps what made it awkward. Grimmjow cleared his throat and settled down on a box. "You took you damn time, didn't you," Grimmjow said coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ulquiorra."

"What happened to you?" Ulquiorra inquired, putting his shaking hands in his pockets. "Tch, glad you asked." Grimmjow growled. "That bastard locked me in here, wait, Joe, he locked me in here! I heard him talking about…he was planning to lure his brother here." Grimmjow added.

"Lure?" Ulquiorra said.

"Yeah, the guy stole his girlfriend or somethin' and Joe got pissed and wanted to lure him here and ship him off somewhere, maybe even kill him…and instead I turned up." Grimmjow gave a humorless chuckle. His tone and nervous laugh suggested to Ulquiorra that he was realizing Ulquiorra had been right, and it was probably annoying him.

"I guess it's safe to say I was right." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow didn't respond, he simply glared at the floor, not saying a word. Ulquiorra stared at him, taking him in. He really had to admit he was glad to see him, but getting him to come back, would he do it? Of course he had no intention of staying here, but what if he came back to Japan and left to go somewhere else? He took in a silent breath and said. "Come back with me, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow looked up and stared at him. "Ah, good, I was afraid you came to boast in my face about how you were right." Grimmjow said sarcastically. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't sound like you were afraid I'd say no or some shit like that, Ulquiorra! Like I'd do anything else, this place kind of sucks anyway."

Ulquiorra wasn't aware that he had sounded worried, Grimmjow had merely seen right through him, like he almost always did.

Then Grimmjow grinned widely. "Alright, I admit, it's—" but whatever 'it's' was Ulquiorra didn't find out because Blue came in, dragging someone with her. "Blue?!" Grimmjow exclaimed, sitting up. "Hello, Grimmjow." She said, but her voice was falsely sweet, Grimmjow froze, his eyes popping. Even Ulquiorra felt the sudden urge to edge away from her; he moved a step away and froze. Blue advanced on Grimmjow, smiling innocently. "Uh…Blue…Uh…hi?" Grimmjow said, attempting to move away from the crates he was sitting on.

"Grimmjow, I am very glad you're alright, even if you are in the cellar, but really, I have one thing to tell you and I'd appreciate it if you listened carefully for a moment, please?" Blue said.

Grimmjow looked like he'd rather be swallowed by a whale. "W-what…?" he said squeakily, staring into the face of his doom.

A fist flew right into his face. "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!" Blue bellowed, proceeding to give him a 'I am glad to see you' beating.

Ulquiorra looked away, feeling the slight urge to run from the room and then he took notice of the man on the floor. The first impression Ulquiorra got of him from what he could see of his face was that of a scrawny sheepdog. "Blue, who is this guy?" Ulquiorra asked. "And why did you bring him along." Blue looked over, holding Grimmjow by the shirt. "Oh, him? He was writing this." She pulled out a letter form her pocket. "T-that's Joe." Grimmjow croaked, raising his head to look at the man on the floor. "Who asked you?" Blue spat and Grimmjow recoiled over to Ulquiorra's side immediately.

"Apparently he was writing to a friend tog et him down here, I know no one who would work this late at night on a letter, so I brought him along."

"Good thing you grabbed him, because he threw me down here, with help from that stupid Walter." Grimmjow said, rubbing his eye.

And right on cue, Walter burst into the room, out of breath along with several others. "Master, are you alright?" Walter gasped, running over to Grimmjow. "Yeah, I'm dandy." Grimmjow sneered. "Listen, master, I had nothing to do with that! You know I had no right to tell Master Joe otherwise! Oh, and I wasn't the one who knocked you out, it was also Joe!"

"Sure." Grimmjow said, walking over to him.

"No, master, please believe me!" Walter begged, getting on his knees. Ulquiorra meanwhile was calling the police on his phone. "Grimmjow, I want to talk to Joe." Grimmjow grabbed Joe by the collar and pulled him up at once. "Guuuuh, I can't breathe!" Joe gasped, coughing. Grimmjow only tightened his hold.

"Alright, why have you done this?" Ulquiorra asked. "Why do you lure people down here and—?"

"I don't lure people down here! I attempted to lure my brother here! Somehow that money ended up in your hands, I honestly don't know why! That letter," he gagged, pointing to Blue. "Is to my brother!"

"Why?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Because he stole the one I loved!! I hate him!" Ulquiorra's stare hardened. "I can understand that," he whispered. "_You also stole the one I love, Joe," _he whispered, his voice barely audible. _"And guess what, I hate you." _and he drew back his fist and punched him right in the face. Grimmjow, who had not heard what Ulquiorra said, blinked.

"Alright. Walter, I do not think we can blame you for this." Blue said, walking over. "No! Blame him!" Grimmjow snapped. "No, he smells honest, he looks honest…" Blue inspected. "He doesn't have any weapons in his room, Master." said one of the servants. "We can check if you wish though."

"Psh, forget it, send him to jail anyway." Grimmjow growled.

"No, Master, please," Walter begged.

"W-Walter, is innocent…" Joe gasped, still in a death grasp by Grimmjow and with a bloody nose. "He was stupid and never wanted to do this anyway, he is loyal to you, Jaegerjaques and this stupid, fat, smelly, ugly, dumb, shitty—!"

Grimmjow punched him in the face to shut him up.

"….mansion…." and Joe passed out with a wheeze.

* * *

A week later, Grimmjow returned home and left the, in the words of Joe, 'stupid, fat, smelly, ugly, dumb, shitty' mansion behind him. However he did bring some of the clothes he had been given because some of them his two friends actually liked.

And the day Grimmjow and Ulquiorra got to their home, just as they left Blue outside, the doorbell rang. "What the fucking hell?" Grimmjow snarled, stomping over to the door, Ulquiorra stopped him from answering and opened the door himself. It was Kyoshiro and Weed!

"Ulquiorra? Hey! Where's—?"

Grimmjow reached over Ulquiorra's head and slammed the door. "GOD DAMMIT!!" Kyoshiro screamed from the other end. Grimmjow chuckled and began to walk away from the door. Ulquiorra could hear Blue explaining to a very angry Kyoshiro and a very confused Weed what had happened to Grimmjow and how they had rescued him. Though, Grimmjow did not like to use the word 'rescue' because he thought it sounded 'too much like I was a fucking damsel in distress, plus it's just stupid'.

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow himself, the man was taking in his surroundings. "Good to be back?" Ulquiorra asked as he walked by. Grimmjow started slightly and said. 'Uh…what the hell…yeah…um…" Grimmjow opened the bathroom door and went inside while Ulquiorra resided on the couch. He felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Everything felt back to normal, well, except the tension between he and Grimmjow was still there. But the emptiness in the house was finally starting to go away.

He had missed Grimmjow more than he thought.

"Oi, give me your opinion on this, will ya?" Grimmjow's irritated voice snapped. Ulquiorra looked up, his eyes widened slightly. Grimmjow was wearing a pair of white pants, jeans by the looks of, that fit rather snugly, he was also wearing a jaguar skin vest that was unbuttoned.

In Ulquiorra' honest opinion, he looked like a sex god right now.

Ulquiorra couldn't speak, he simply stared. Grimmjow smirked. "Glad you like it so much, Ulqui-chan." Grimmjow said a wide smirk on his face. Ulquiorra glared at the ground. Grimmjow stared at him for a moment and then sighed heavily and leaned against the edge of the couch, his arms crossed over the arm of the end of the couch. "You missed me didn't you?"

Ulquiorra swallowed and said. "No, Blue just wanted you back that's all." Grimmjow's stare hardened, with those blue eyes staring into his Ulquiorra couldn't speak, he felt like he was being X-rayed, Ulquiorra knew at this moment that Grimmjow was coming up with conclusions in his head. He smirked. "You know that ain't true, Ulquiorra. You haven't been busy the past few days, yeah I can tell, the dirty dishes in the sink, the laundry is hanging around… what have you been doing, sulking?"

"Absolutely not, who'd sulk over you?" Ulquiorra added, trying to calm his urge to touch the man in front of him, to feel him. Grimmjow stared; he smirked hugely and then did something weird. He leaned right across the arm of the couch, invading Ulquiorra's personal space he was so close he saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen by a fraction, heard his breathing stop, both his arms on either side of Ulquiorra's shoulders; his legs still up on the arm of the couch. "You're quiet, Ulquiorra." He whispered.

Ulquiorra gulped softly, he could feel Grimmjow's breath near his ear, feel his heat, hear him. He felt Grimmjow take his chin in his hand. "to be perfectly honest," Grimmjow murmured, his thumb stroking Ulquiorra's cheek. Grimmjow lifted Ulquiorra's face and leaned in, capturing his lips in a deep kiss. Ulquiorra felt his heart beat exhilarate wildly, god he had missed that too, how did Grimmjow know that so well? Ulquiorra's arms slowly slid up to wrap around Grimmjow's shoulders, pulling him closer, Grimmjow's hand slid around his shoulders and Ulquiorra closed his eyes slowly, responding by sitting up and wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's neck. Grimmjow's arms tightened around him, Ulquiorra felt shielded, safe.

He felt Grimmjow lean down, pressing them closer together, his hands now cupping Ulquiorra's face, he legs slid from the arm of the couch, ensuring that every part of their body made contact, keeping them closer together. Ulquiorra opened his eyes as Grimmjow drew back, his hand stroking is cheek and the man smirked. "You were saying?" he whispered, grinning. Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes, Grimmjow silenced him by kissing him again and the passion in his kiss was obvious, he had missed this too.

"Alright, I admit it, what's the point in hiding it," Grimmjow growled, looking down at Ulquiorra. "I missed you, dammit." Ulquiorra blinked. "You…?" Ulquiorra began.

"Yes, I missed you, alright!" Grimmjow growled, scratching the back of his head. "I just realized what that stupid feeling was back at the mansion…and…" Grimmjow looked away, mumbling. "I…think I missed you, no…I know it, because only _you_ could make me feel _that _fucked up." Grimmjow added quickly as if to clear away his embarrassment. Ulquiorra blinked at this. "I…make you feel fucked up?"

"Yes, dammit! You do a damn good job of it!" Grimmjow snapped, his face slightly flushed, Ulquiorra stared in surprise. "The day I ever thought I'd see you blush—"

"Oh shut up! I am not blushing, that's girly shit!" Grimmjow yelled, looking away. Ulquiorra shook his head, taking Grimmjow's face gently in his hands. Grimmjow went silent the instant Ulquiorra looked in his eyes. Grimmjow stared and blinked. "Hey… what—?" Grimmjow began.

Ulquiorra moved, closing the distance between them in seconds. Grimmjow blinked when he felt Ulquiorra kiss him gently, Grimmjow went completely limp in Ulquiorra's arms, and Ulquiorra smirked against Grimmjow's lips, sliding his finger into soft teal hair, pulling him closer than before. Grimmjow felt as if he forgot how to breathe properly. Ulquiorra was one to _be_ kissed not to kiss; this was so rare of Ulquiorra that Grimmjow was left speechless as to why he did it.

Ulquiorra leaned his forehead against Grimmjow's. Grimmjow's eyes were wide as dinner plates. Ulquiorra allowed himself a smirk. "Problem, Grimmjow?" Grimmjow simply stared. Ulquiorra sighed and poked him in both the eyes. Grimmjow yelped. "Oi!" he yelled, clutching his eyes. "What the…?" Grimmjow snarled. "You're hopeless," Ulquiorra murmured, closing his eyes. "I'd hoped I wouldn't have to tell you this directly, it's awkward…but since you're such a dummy, I have no choice. I…I missed you, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow stared, eyes wide. "Seriously…? You freaking missed me?!" Grimmjow exclaimed. "I seriously freaking missed you," Ulquiorra said sounding bored, but it was easy to tell he was embarrassed. Grimmjow just stared and then a huge grin spread across his face and he flung his arms around Ulquiorra, burying his face in his chest. Ulquiorra's eyes softened slightly. "Stupid." He muttered. "Hey, you're the stupid—!" Grimmjow began, glaring at him.

"Ahem." The two men jumped and looked around. Blue was standing there with a flustered looking Kyoshiro and a happy Weed behind her. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stared and then they both said.

"What are you doing here?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"You left your keys in the door, Grimmers." Kyoshiro said, smirking, but a slight flush to his face. "How long have you been here?" Ulquiorra asked, not sure if he wanted to know. "Since you both came in."

"We watched form the door way." Weed explained happily. "We just wanted to tell you that the Ski Resort is still open for taking." He said, looking nervous. "Grimmjow, are you going this time?" Weed asked.

Grimmjow simply stared at them like they were aliens from another planet, still on top of Ulquiorra who looked embarrassed to be caught in such a position. "Uh…" Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra. "I am still going, yes." Ulquiorra said simply, pushing Grimmjow in the chest. Grimmjow didn't budge, he was in thought.

The three waited for Grimmjow's response. "I'm not…" Grimmjow glared. "I just got home, man!" Grimmjow spat, seemingly arguing with himself. "And…I really…don't…want…too….FINE!" Grimmjow yelled. Weed grinned and Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. "Such freaking drama Grimm-kitty, really, you'd think we were asking you to jump off a cliff."

Blue grinned. "Excellent."

"By the way," Weed said suddenly. "Bleu told us about the money Grimmjow…how did it get to you?"

"I can explain that." Ulquiorra said wiggling out from underneath Grimmjow who growled in annoyance. "On further inspection on the box when it arrived, I noticed that it had been poorly packaged, it had not been forced but just badly packaged. I think what happened was this; the mail man is pushing his cart up the street, he bumps something or something happens to dislodge the box, that mailman constantly delivers here and I noticed that he always keeps certain mail at the top of his box, according to what house he is taking it to, in other words, he plans he deliveries and stacks the mail in the order of the houses he delivers it to, follow me? Anyway, the box falls out and the money scatters on the floor, he is afraid of being robbed on the spot and takes it to the house nearest himself, which was ours."

"Wow, that's clever…and it makes freaking sense too, the money was in some disarray when I opened the box." Grimmjow said. "Stupid fucking mailman, so it's his fault!" he snarled. "I'm going to kill him."

"Actually," Kyoshiro said. 'You still took the money."

Grimmjow glared. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I made a mistake, the end!"

"Oh well, everyone makes mistakes." Weed said, grinning.

"Yeah, you just made a big one." Kyoshiro said.

Grimmjow aimed a kick at him.

"So we leave tomorrow?" Weed said quickly, stepping between Grimmjow and Kyoshiro. "Sure." They both growled. "There, alls well that ends well." Weed said. "No more fighting." He added hastily.

"Yeah, alls well that ends well." Grimmjow said bitterly, sitting down on the couch.

The doorbell rang. Ulquiorra made to get it but Blue said. "No, I got it." The door was answered. "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, mail!" she called.

And then something terribly happened, Grimmjow's face split into an evil grin and Ulquiorra's face darkened.

"Coming right away." They both said and their tones clearly spoke of evil intentions to the poor unsuspecting mailman and they walked towards the door.

* * *

Uh oh, what's gonna happen to the mailman???!?! O.O *is going to write a chapter about the mailman, not really* jk

Anyway, this was mostly a chapter centered around Grimm&Ulqui because...I luffles them.

The next chapter is centered around lil Weedy and of course his friends so....I hope like the single person who read this story enjoys it. xD


	4. Adventure 4

**Adventure #4**

**Dog-napped**

It was a drizzly day, slightly cold, and it was a good day to be in doors. Well, Weed and Kyoshiro couldn't be in doors. Why? Because they had to get food. Three of their friends were of course near by; in fact they were in a store just across the street from the butcher's. Kyoshiro was gnawing down on a nice slab of beef and Weed was eating some chicken pieces.

"Oi, Weedy, Kyoiy, get over here!" Grimmjow called, waving a bag. "We're done!" Weed got up, some chicken still in his mouth and Kyoshiro picked up the beef and crossed the street together to their three friends. "Jesus, I've robbed myself, dammit." Grimmjow muttered. "Don't complain," said Blue. "We'll reimburse you."

Grimmjow had paid for the meat for the two dogs and then for two of his friends, Ulquiorra and Blue because to repay them for something last week. "Alright, alright, it better be a heck of a lot of money though." Grimmjow growled. "Sure, sure." Blue said lightly.

"Why do you need money so bad?" Kyoshiro said through his food. "I thought you said you weren't poor, Grimmers." Grimmjow glared at him. "Lose the nickname, Kyoiy."

"Lose mine."

"Fine!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at the Kishu Inu who was currently eating too much of the meat. "At least you aren't like your partner." Ulquiorra joined in calmly, pale hands in his jean pockets.

"Tch." Grimmjow scratched behind his head, looking away.

"What about his partner?" Weed asked curiously, looking at Ulquiorra. "I haven't met him," Ulquiorra replied. "Grimmjow told me that he doesn't get paid properly and it really annoys him. He keeps complaining that he needs more money and it drives Grimmjow crazy."

"What's your job again?" Weed asked Grimmjow, cocking his furry head. "Architect."

"Wow, really?" Weed gasped.

"No!" Grimmjow snapped and Weed winced. "Oh…but really, what is it?"

"Working at a storage house…for now…I don't like it, I'll probably switch jobs." Grimmjow grumbled.

"Maybe you can work at the pizza place we always go to?" Weed suggested. Grimmjow shook his head. "No, an Espada cannot work in a pizza place, Weed!" he snapped.

"Well, an Espada is not even supposed to be here!" Kyoshiro retorted reasonably. "Whatever." Grimmjow growled, walking ahead

Weed sighed and watched Grimmjow walk ahead of them, his hands in his pockets. _He puts on that angry and mean façade, but we all know what he's really like, _Weed thought, _I wonder why he wants to hide it. _

Weed hurried to catch up with the others. Across the street however, someone was watching Weed with interested gleaming eyes, the eyes narrowed and he smirked. "That's the one…right there…" he whispered, giving a low chuckle before he disappeared from sight.

Weed yawned, curling his paws on the ground. "Tha-that was a good movie…" he said, still stretching. "Thanks for taking us, Blue."

"No problem." Blue said, smiling at him and then she frowned. "You look really tired." She pointed out. "I am." Weed replied honestly.

The movie they had gone to see was called It's Complicated. Weed had closed his eyes at some of the parts, against his will.

"It was…alright." Grimmjow said. "I really wanted to see The Crazies though."

"What?!" Weed exclaimed. "That scary movie about the mentally ill people and the army attacking people, you want to see that?!" and then he added. "So do me!"

Kyoshiro face palmed.

"Hell yeah I want to see it!" Grimmjow exclaimed excitedly. "Think I'll go tomorrow."

Ulquiorra simply closed his eyes. "You'll be scared of anyone who looks a bit loopy, Grimmjow."

"Will not!" Grimmjow retorted.

"Yes you will."

"I will, fucking, not!"

"Yes you will."

"Will not!!"

Blue rolled her eyes. They were so bothersome sometimes, but for some reasons she didn't care all that much when they argued, unless it was really bad. Outside they merely had light arguments, inside however was a different matter, perhaps. She didn't live with them anyway.

On the way home Weed and Kyoshiro discussed the movie and which parts the either found funny or stupid, which was what they always did. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra continued to argue about The Crazies and Grimmjow kept trying to persuade Ulquiorra to see it with him, the man refused. He thought horror movies were trash, not even worth seeing. Blue happened to agree when he finally said. "Grimmjow, go by yourself. I just fail to see the point in putting those images in your mind; anyway it just looks like a waste of money."

"Fine, be that way." Grimmjow growled, lightly punching his shoulder. "You're just scared to go!"

Ulquiorra stopped walking and Grimmjow bumped into him. "Scared? To see that?"

"Yeah, you just said 'what's the point of putting images of that in your mind?', so therefore—!"

"I am not scared. I just don't want to, now shut up."

"Guys," Weed cried, running to them. "Stop fighting alright, it's really annoying! Here, let's go….eat something!"

"Popcorn." Grimmjow said, pointing back to the movies. "We had some there, dummy."

Weed's ears drooped. "Oh yeah…well, I didn't! I'll find something." He said enthusiastic. "What-flipping-ever." Grimmjow muttered, dragging a hand through his hair.

"I'd like to go home." Ulquiorra said, lightly stretching, Grimmjow imitated him behind his back and said, stiffness in his voice. "I'd like to as well."

Blue nodded and said. "On the way home we'll stop and get something, okay, Kyoshiro, Weed?"

"He can get somethin', I'm not hungry." Kyoshiro said, and he began to walk away. "Bye you two!" Kyoshiro yelled over his shoulder. The other two waved and walked away.

Weed was walking beside his friends, they entered a grocery store to purchase some stuff. They got watermelons, some sushi, popcorn, and ect. "Well," Blue said, holding two grocery bags under her arms. "Now we won't go hungry for a while…but I think I'm robbing myself."

Weed and Kyoshiro and Blue all lived in an abandon movie theatre, they'd bought some home furniture…which was a computer, not that that was furniture anyway, and a few blankets. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had given them money to use; Weed felt a little bad about that, using their money.

"Yeah…" Weed said, thinking about a future home that they hopefully might have one day. "Oh!" he exclaimed, the other two jumped. "What?!" Kyoshiro snapped. "We forgot to get milk!"

"Oh crap." Kyoshiro groaned.

"Well, it's a good thing we haven't gone far from the store…" Blue muttered, walking forward, but Weed ran out in front of them.

"No, guys, it's alright! I'll go back and get some, don't worry, I have some money so I could spend it on the milk, you guys can go home and eat, I'll catch you up!" the pup said. "Yeah, just don't forget to take your human form when you go into the store." Blue said hastily. Kyoshiro, who had done that, was in his human form, carrying the groceries under his arm, merely sighed. "No, I'll go back…I was planning to get some anyway…"

"No, really, I don't do very much so, I'll go!" Weed protested. Kyoshiro blinked in surprise. "Alright, if you feel so strongly about it then…"

"Weed, you do—" Blue began, but Weed was already racing away. Blue frowned. _Have we ever made him feel…like he is unhelpful? _She thought.

Blue stared after the pup once and then sighed and opened her cell phone. "Hey, Grimmjow, do you ever make Weed feel like he's is useless?"

Elsewhere, Weed was running up the street at a fast pace he took his human form at the corner and walked into the grocery store, the store was pretty much empty because it was late at night and the street outside was practically deserted too.

Weed browsed amongst the milk cartons and found 2% milk and purchased it at the counter. He then left and, upon leaving the store, took his dog form and walked with the milk on his back, grinning. Then he faltered. "Oh, maybe I should have got them some ice cream too?" he pondered aloud, his blue eyes downcast. "Oh well, we can't always have what we want."

He walked in the direction of his home, sniffing the air. The smell of warm grass was everywhere and it just smelled really great out today, the air also smelled of moister which warned him of more possible rain. He suddenly walked past something large and he froze where he stood and looked around. It was a van, the 'large thing' he had seen was the van's tires.

Weed sighed and was about to continue walking when the door opened and a man stepped out. One smell immediately told Weed that this man wasn't nice. _Oh no…what do I do? I'm alone…all alone…calm down, maybe he hasn't even come for me, he'd probably just angry…_

Weed began to walk away calmly, trying to calm his beating heart and he felt his fears increase when the man began following him. _Crap! What do I do? Run yes, but he'll no doubt catch me…calm down…calm down…remember what Grimmjow told me…!_

"_Alright, you lose your cool and piss yourself you are immediately screwed, got it? And I don't mean when you actually piss yourself because that—"_

_No, skip ahead, memory! _Weed thought.

"_Stay calm in a bad situation, alright?"_

"_He can talk."_

"_Shut up, Ulqui! Keep your cool and don't do anything I wouldn't do."_

"_Again, you're one to talk."_

"_Ulquiorra damn it!"_

Weed looked over his furry shoulder and smiled when he realized that the man was no longer following him, "Now that I think about it…he might not have been following me at all!" Weed muttered happily to himself, smiling. "He might have—"

But then without warning a pair of strong arms seized him around the middle, Weed gave a loud bark of fear and started scrabbling madly, trying to escape the man's grip but his arms only tightened around Weed. Weed began kicking and biting, growling loudly and tearing at the man's arms. "Stop it, you stupid dog!" the man snarled, hitting him hard on the head, Weed immediately attacked his hand, biting down hard. The man yelled and dropped him and Weed tore away up the street. The man reached behind his coat for something and Weed looked over his shoulder and saw the man pull out a gun.

Terror gripped Weed and he was about to run behind an alley wall when there was pain in his shoulder and he fell over. He looked at his shoulder, expecting to see a bullet wound but instead saw a dart in his shoulder. Weed's eyes widened and he attempted to stand up, his vision began to swirl and his whole body felt heavy and before he knew it he was passing into darkness.

_Someone…anyone…help me…please…_

_

* * *

_

"Blue, if he doesn't come home soon I am going to find him and pummel him!" Kyoshiro growled, pacing up and down before her. Blue was sitting on a seat, eating a cookie from a large box. "Kyoshiro, the worst that's happened is that he's lost or maybe eh wants time away from us…but if it were the latter he would have told us. He hates to make us worry about him…"

"He's lost right?" Kyoshiro growled, his gray eyes narrowing. "Oh, I don't know, Kyoshiro! Here, let's go and look for him."

"And in the mean time, I'll call Grimmers and Ulqui." Kyoshiro said, picking up his cell-phone (with his suddenly opposable) paw. "Cause if he is lost, we're gonna need as many people as we can."

* * *

Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Blue were walking around near the place they'd sent Weed in, the grocery store. "Excuse me." Ulquiorra said, entering the store and seeing the old lady at the register. "Did you see a d—young boy come in here? Blue/silver hair, blue eyes? White pants and blue and white striped shirt?"

"Oh yes, I did. He purchased some milk and left. Why? Are you stalkers?" Grimmjow growled and made to respond, but Ulquiorra grabbed his wrist. "We're his friends." They both said at the same time and they left the store.

"I don't understand where he might be." Blue said, sniffing the air. "He's probably dead!" Kyoshiro growled, kicked a garbage can, causing it and its contents to fall over. "No…hey, hold on! I've got his scent!" Blue said suddenly, hurrying up the street, Grimmjow and the two others followed her, blue suddenly stopped and groaned loudly. "No, there have been other dogs here, I can't tell where on earth it goes…"

"There have been other dogs here alright." Kyoshiro growled, looking over towards a huge pile of dog poop at the end of the street. Ugh, that's fucking disgusting." Grimmjow said pinching his nose as the smell got to him.

Ulquiorra knelt down next to Blue to examine the ground where she said the dog scents mingled. "What's this?" he murmured, staring at the ground and beginning to walk, very close to the ground. "What is it?" Grimmjow asked him as Ulquiorra past him by. "It would appear Weed has stepped in a puddle of water, he's running, running, running…and…" Ulquiorra stopped and looked down. The wet tracks stopped near a turn off in an alley.

"Interesting…he didn't run through so…what's this…?" he looked down and saw something on the ground. Several silver hairs. "Weed's been here and, by the looks of it, gone."

Grimmjow reached him and looked down at the hairs, Blue and Kyoshiro standing behind him. "Yeah but where has he gone? That's what I'd like to know." Grimmjow growled. Kyoshiro sniffed and began walking back towards the grocery store. Ulquiorra seemed to be thinking. "I have a theory."

"What?" Grimmjow and Blue asked him.

"Guys, is this blood?!" the three hurried back to Kyoshiro who was staring down at something on the ground. It was something red. "Blood?" Blue murmured. "Perhaps he's in bigger trouble than I thought…"

"Ah, shit." Kyoshiro whispered.

Ulquiorra knelt down and pressed his finger to it, green eyes narrowing. "It's not blood. Unless I'm much mistaken…" Ulquiorra held up his finger and sniffed it. "Nail polish."

"What?!" Grimmjow said. "What the fuck is nail polish doing here?"

"It's not wet and by the looks of it, it was scrapped off of someone's nail when that person bent down to retrieve something. He must have scrapped his hand across the floor with a lot of force then…"

"Ulquiorra, are you implying what I think your implying?" Grimmjow growled, eyes narrowing. "Yes."

"Then Weed was…Weed was skilled by a guy wearing nail polish!" Grimmjow yelled. Ulquiorra stared at him like he was an idiot and Kyoshiro and Blue exchanged glances.

"Close enough Grimmjow." Ulquiorra murmured softly.

"Oh."

"My theory was not murder, but something not very far from it. Kidnap."

Kyoshiro's eyes widened. "W-what? Weed's been kidnapped? But why, when, where?!" Kyoshiro gasped, starting to panic. "I'll rip him to pieces!"

"Dude, it was obviously a girl that kidnapped him, no guy wears nail-polish!" Grimmjow said. "Whatever! Who the hell cares? Weed's in danger, probably worse than we think and we don't know where the hell he is!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, pacing up and down on the spot.

"Unless Mr. Sherlock Holmes can figure it out." Blue said, looking over at Ulquiorra who was still kneeling on the ground. Ulquiorra looked up; eyes slightly wide and he lured his head, the corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"He's obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, so calling him Holmes," Grimmjow murmured to Blue. "Is the greatest compliment we can give him." Blue laughed softly and then her eyes narrowed. She was fighting back fear for Weed at this point; she tried not to imagine what was happening to him.

"Guys, why are we sitting around talking about Sherlock Holmes?!" Kyoshiro snapped, Grimmjow and Blue looked over at him as he spoke. "Weed is in danger, we have to go now!"

"Go where? We might as well sit on our asses and do nothing if we haven't got a lead." Grimmjow growled, glaring at him. "But he could be—!" Kyoshiro began furiously. "Ulquiorra will figure something out." Grimmjow said suddenly. "I know he will."

"Truth be told, I am so confident he will that I'm not worried at all. Anyway, seems like they've captured Weed for a reason, they aren't going to kill him just like that." Grimmjow said.

"By the way, you hear that, Sherlock?" Grimmjow called to Ulquiorra, the man looked up. "That's the only time I'll ever, _ever_, say that I believe in your powers of…whatever it is…not deduction…brain-work."

Ulquiorra nodded.

_Grimmjow has a point. Weed definitely was captured for a reason, but the question is, why?_

_I don't see what anyone would want with him…he has no enemies from what I've heard from him. He doesn't talk to anyone in Japan except us, he doesn't seem to have done anything to cause someone to kidnap him…then again they could simply hold him for ransom, capture him, return him later…but he doesn't even know how to contact us…contact…he'll wait for us to put up Wanted posters and then return him and seeing that we're already suspicious that would be the first way to capture him. In fact I'm tempted to do that now…_

_But aside from ransom…why else would he want to kidnap Weed…maybe for his looks, he is quite a good looking example of his breed, mix-breed or not. He looks more like an Akita than a Kishu and could easily pass for a pure bred Akita Inu…so with his looks in mind… they captured him so his looks…? No this is not making much sense now, it seems more likely that they are holding him ransom…in which case the only chance we have of getting him back is to put up reward posters and then successfully get him and hopefully the dog-napper…_

His three other friends were watching him, Ulquiorra straightened himself up and said. "I have reason to believe that they are holding him ransom."

"So then…how the hell—?" Kyoshiro began.

"Reward posters, we offer a large amount of money and we get Weed back and hopefully capture the criminal. Most likely he'll wait a few days before handing him in to us, other wise if he brings him to us right away it will be as good as a confession."

"I'm not giving that bastard money; I'll give him an ass kicking." Grimmjow growled his hand fisting.

"Same here!" Blue said.

"Is that the conclusion you've come up with?" Kyoshiro asked and when Ulquiorra nodded Kyoshiro said loudly. "What if your wrong?!"

"I have a feeling that I am not wrong. This man is either in need of money or he just wants more of it. I'm hoping his is in need of it because I'd personally like to send him to jail even more unsatisfied—Grimmjow chuckled at that—but he doesn't seem to be so poor that he can't afford a tranquilizer."

"What?!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. Ulquiorra pointed towards the alley. "If you check behind the nearest dumpster you'll find a single tranquilizing dart. Weed must have put up a fight."

"Good for him then!" Grimmjow said, kicking the alley wall. "I hope he really bit hard." Kyoshiro and Blue checked the alley for further clues while Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked by the roadside, crossed the street and entered the grocery store. "Women?" Ulquiorra addressed the women behind the counter; she was apparently getting ready to leave. "Did you hear the sounds of a struggle a block down from where you are?"

"Well, I heard a bark once or twice."

"And you didn't think to investigate?" Grimmjow snarled loudly.

"Should I have? There's nothing unusual about a dog barking, sweetie." she said and Grimmjow blanched. "Yes _sweetie_." Ulquiorra said, and Grimmjow glared at him. "Shut up."

"Another question, did you see any cars that were there two hours ago that aren't there now?"

The old lady looked outside and stared at the street for a few seconds, in thought. "Well…there was a blue van a little ways to the left, honey-buns."

_She's doing that on purpose!! _Grimmjow thought, a vein pulsing in his temple. Ulquiorra fought back the urge to gap at the nickname. "I see. Thank you." and he left the store, Grimmjow at his heels. "So, got any new thoughts, _Honey-buns_?" Grimmjow asked him. Ulquiorra shivered. "That is a disgusting name; don't call me that, unless you want me to—"

"Okay, honey-buns." Grimmjow said, sniggering.

"Silence, _sweetie_."

Grimmjow choked, his face turning red. "Dude, what the hell, that's not manly."

"Well, neither is 'honey-buns'." Ulquiorra said, making the name 'honey-buns' sound like a name that sent terror into the hearts of men.

"Oh well, I'll just call you Ulqui-chan then." Grimmjow said, knowing that this would get on his nerves. "Shut up, sweetie!" Ulquiorra snapped his face slightly red. "And don't call me 'chan' in public, it's stu—"

"Okay, I'll call you it when we're at home, then!"

"I'll kill you, sweetie." Ulquiorra said, his eye-row twitching.

"WHAT?!"

They both turned and saw Kyoshiro and Blue gaping at them.

"Sweetie?" Blue said.

"Honey-buns?" Kyoshiro said Blue smacked him. "You two have been there, how long?" Ulquiorra asked, not wanting to know the answer. "Since you two left the store, we hung back because we didn't want to miss the sweet name calling." Kyoshiro said, holding back his laughter.

"Honey-buns…" Blue said, giggling. "SHUT UP!" both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra said.

"Really, you two could join the circus. Be in the clown act!" Kyoshiro said, laughing. "Yeah we'll let you join the Moronic Dog Show!" Grimmjow snapped, aiming a kick at him. Ulquiorra suddenly blinked, he put his chin in his hand and looked at the ground for a moment.

"Grimmjow?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know if there is going to be a dog show anytime soon?"

"What the hell? No."

"Yes in about three days actually." Blue said.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he even gave a small smirk. "Excellent."

"Ulqui, what are you planning?" Grimmjow asked him.

"Oh, I get it!" Kyoshiro said, grinning widely. "I get it!"

"What?" Grimmjow snapped.

"We're going to a dog show in three days time, in the mean time I will run over a list of possible suspects in my head."

"Dude, you hardly know anyone except us!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

"But I do. And I'll tell you them after I have caught our dog-napper." Ulquiorra said, and a gleam came into his eyes.

* * *

So the day of the dog show came around, but some panic attacks happened during the two days that passed, such as Kyoshiro worrying about Weed and yelling that they were stupid to wait when he got really emotional, but other than that the days passed by quickly.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow left their apartment on the third day, met Blue and Kyoshiro and began to head towards the dog show. On the way there, Ulquiorra called up the police to tell them of his suspicions and told them about his plan to capture the dog-napper and after that they made their way towards the show.

Ulquiorra seemed to be in a good mood, though he didn't show it, Grimmjow could see a light in his eyes and even a small bounce in his step, he was obviously feeling a little excited and Grimmjow couldn't blame him, he too had 'butterflies' in his stomach. Blue and Kyoshiro, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra boarded the Keiyo Line, the police with them. After a Twenty-nine minute ride they got off at the Kaihin Makuhari station.

"God, that took _way_ too long." Grimmjow said, stretching widely.

"Yeah well, at least we'll see Weed again." said Kyoshiro and he began to walk ahead. "Now c'mon, we got to move fast!"

"Kyoshiro, do you even know where you're going?" Grimmjow asked.

Kyoshiro stopped. "Not really."

"Then c'mon and follow us, smartass." Grimmjow said, putting his hands in his pockets and starting to walk.

Blue admired the city around her and she noticed the others do so as well, except Ulquiorra who was intent on his thoughts.

"I've never been to Chiba before…" Grimmjow murmured. "I feel…small."

"You _small?_ Well, don't try to imagine how I feel." Kyoshiro said, he had of course taken his human form so he could talk without being asked 'zomg why is a dog talking, ZOMG!!'

"Look there!" Blue said, pointing towards a large building to their right.

It was the Makuhari Messe!

"Wow, looks pretty important." Kyoshiro noted. "Nice wording." Grimmjow said, Kyoshiro disregarded this and walked ahead.

"I hear dogs." Blue said, softly so that she could hear.

"If I can hear 'em out here I don't want to imagine how fucking noisy it's going to be inside." Grimmjow said, sighing.

Ulquiorra fell into step beside Grimmjow and they pushed open the doors and walked inside. On the second floor they entered a room where people were starting to sit down in chairs to watch the show. "We have five minutes before the show starts." Ulquiorra notified them, checking his watched. "To pass the time we look for Weed." Ulquiorra said. "Uh, by the way," Grimmjow said, looking over at the four police men with them. "Are you guys alright?"

Ulquiorra suddenly understood why he asked this. The four police men hadn't said a word since they began traveling. Not a single word. They were all built the same way, big, burly, all mustached and silent and stood stiffly like soldiers, but at Grimmjow's question one of them gave him the thumbs up. Grimmjow sighed. "Fine, be that way."

"Let's go." Ulquiorra said and he began to walk with two of the police men and Grimmjow at his heel. The two other police men stood with Blue, she sighed.

"Let's go—Kyoshiro? Kyoshiro?" Blue looked around wildly, searching for the white haired teen, but there was no sign of him. "Oh man!" she said, throwing up her arms. "Why can't anything ever be simple!" then she calmed down and said.

"Oh well…He'll just have to stay freaking lost!" And she walked off. The two other policemen shifted for a moment and then began to waddle away after her like two very human penguins.

Elsewhere, Kyoshiro's nose was working frantically, even in his human form his sense of smell was better than most. _I can smell him…he's been here, and recently! He's alright! Damn you Weed, I am going to beat you up when I see you for making me worry this much, stupid kid!_

Kyoshiro reached a door and threw it open and his excited air dulled a bit when he saw what room he had entered. He had barged in on a tea party by the looks of it, for several elderly women were in the room sitting around a plastic table in front of one of the large glass windows, sitting tea from perfect china cups. "Oh, hello there, Sweetums!" said a fat old women in a pink dress. "Won't you come in?"

"No." Kyoshiro began but a hand fell upon his shoulder, Kyoshiro jumped and turned around and saw a man in a tux standing behind him. "Ah, this is the young gentleman I spoke of to you, ladies. He's going to be looking after you while I'm away on my date!" he said happily with a very wide grin.

"Oh how marvelous!" said a women in green.

"Hey, man what the hell?!" Kyoshiro exclaimed in a whisper. "_Shhh!_" the man hissed, his gloved hand tightening on Kyoshiro's shoulder.

"Just between you and me, I don't have anywhere to go…it's just…when you're here with them all day—no, half the day it's too much!! They never stop! Never!

'Want a biscuit, sweetie?'

'Want a cookie or some tea, pumpkins?'

'Do you want to hear about my Uncle Catfish and his too-loose pants again, honey-bunny-boombox?'

Just so it doesn't feel too much like I am walking out on my job, you'll look after them won't you, sir?"

"I—uh—N—!"

"Thanks!" and the tearful man slammed the door. Kyoshiro stood there, frozen, staring at the door which, by the sound of it, had just locked from the outside. _Calm down…calm down…see, it's nice and quiet, Kyoshiro! They aren't really as bad as you think! Their just sweet, nice, old dears…! _

"Excuse me, sugarplum, would you like a crumpet and a cup of tea?"

"My, my, isn't he just cute? I haven't seen a boy as cute as him for a while, not counting our guardian angel Baldric. Too bad he just left!"

Then a plump woman dressed in pink spread her arms and said. "Please do sit down and join us….forever….!"

And Kyoshiro's eyes popped out of his sockets and his jaw dropped. _Why?! _Tears streamed down his face. _Why me? Of all dogs here…why did I get stuck with a bunch of old women who act like their fourteen years old?! WHY?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!??_

Moving along.

Grimmjow and his two friends and the four stoic, silent, burly mustached, bushy eye browed police men walked together. "We should ask for directions," Blue said, beating Ulquiorra to it. "I mean, walking around opening doors is not going to get us very far."

"You're right." Ulquiorra walked over to a name-tagged man with too-big front teeth and closed eyes and said. "Excuse me sir, where can we find the grooming room?"

The man grinned hugely and moved his arm like a robot over to a door directly behind him. Feeling slightly unnerved by the sight Ulquiorra murmured hasty thanks and made to walk towards the door but was stopped. "I think…only people who are in the show can enter?" Ulquiorra asked him. The grinning, freaky, man nodded frantically. The police men stepped forward in unison and showed him their IDs. The man, not even opening his eyes, nodded and moved his arm from Ulquiorra's chest.

Upon entering the room they were all greeted by the sounds of yipping and barking. "Where to now?" Grimmjow asked, looking amongst the see of dogs being groomed. "It'll take forever to find him in this." Grimmjow said, scanning the crowed. "I'll sniff him out." Blue said, sniffing.

"Good luck with that," Grimmjow said, scratching the back of his head. "I'll just look around a bit and—" but Blue grabbed his arm as he made to walk away. "No, I've got it!" and she walked away very fast, and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and the police men had to jog (or in the policemen's case waddle very fast) after her, through the sea of people.

Blue stopped suddenly and looked around. "His scent is close…but where is Weed?" she looked around. Grimmjow went to check behind some boxes of dog food near another door, Ulquiorra checked by the window. And then Blue was tapped on the shoulder by one of the policemen and he pointed underneath a grooming table. There was a crate underneath the table and inside the crate was—

"Yo, Weedy!" Grimmjow yelled, racing over to the crate. Weed immediately let out a cry of joy and delight and began pawing at the crate, his tail wagging so fast it was a blur. Ulquiorra and Blue were by Grimmjow in an instant and Grimmjow opened the crate door and Weed raced out into their arms. Grimmjow fell backwards with the force Weed flew into him and Grimmjow was being licked all over the face. "Oh, Weed, hey, yeah—oof—knock it off, kiddo! Okay, okay, I get it!" Grimmjow said, grinning widely, he pushed Weed in the chest to get Weed's tongue away from him. Weed was whimpering with delight, his entire bottom moving with his happy tail. Weed put his paws on Ulquiorra's chest and started to lick his face happily. Ulquiorra stroked the dog's ears and Blue hugged the puppy tightly.

"We missed you so much Weed," Blue murmured, squeezing Weed very tightly so hard they heard him squeak. Grimmjow laughed and ruffled Weed's thick fur, they were all in a little embrace, Grimmjow on the left, Blue in the middle and Ulquiorra on the right and Weed in the heart of it all, all of them fondly greeting their friend warmly. "Oh, guys, I thought I'd never see any of you again! I'm so, so, so, so, so, so happy, guys!" Weed whimpered, nuzzling Blue's cheek.

Ulquiorra gently scratched the top of Weed's furry head. "Good to see you again, Weed."

"Yeah, stupid." Grimmjow said fondly, thumping Weed on the back. "Ow…" Weed whined. "But guys, what about Kyoshiro?" Weed asked, his tail stopped wagging and he frowned. "He's dead." Grimmjow said Ulquiorra elbowed him. "Oi…" Grimmjow said gruffly, putting an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders pulling him close, making sure to knock Ulquiorra's head against his shoulder.

"He's wondering around the center. But I don't understand what he thinks he's doing since your in here and—" Ulquiorra began, but Weed hastily said. "He's not wondering without a purpose, before I was taken in here I managed to escape into a room full of old people." Weed grinned sheepishly. "They scared me." He said happily, a silly doggy grin on his face.

"Can you tell us what exactly happen, we have pretty much guessed, but we want to hear it from your prospective." Blue said.

Weed took a deep breath. "Okay…I went to the store to get some milk, I came out with it and then I walked past a van. Some guy got out and I knew immedialty that he wasn't very nice, he smelled really mad and sort of...he sort of smelled like the type of person who would do bad things to anyone just to prove he could."

"Like Grimmjow." Blue said. Grimmjow put his hand on her head and pushed her head down. "Oi, in the room here." Blue knocked his hand off so that his hand flew around Ulquiorra's chest.

"Anyway," Weed continued quickly. "I began to walk, and he followed me, I forced myself to calm down and relax and that he probably wasn't really following me, so I was really relieved when I looked over my shoulder and saw that he wasn't there, but he must have either been behind a car or something because he grabbed me around the waist and I bit him, he dropped me, I ran for it and he pulled out a tranquilizer and hit me in the shoulder."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't sound like he hurt you too badly."

"He didn't, but the needle hurt a bit…" Weed admitted. "Continue." Ulquiorra pressed.

After that I woke up and found myself in the back of a van, I couldn't see outside but then he took me out of the van and we got on a train and headed down here. Then he took me to his hideout. It's a small apartment near here, a little ways north. And, guys guess what! This is really interesting, I was taken into the basement and do you know what I saw? Dogs! Lots of them, many of them, all locked up in cages."

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra shift in his arms and lean closer to Weed. "He must be hoping to make money off of them," Ulquiorra murmured softly. "This guy either really, really, needs money or he's just greedy."

"Fucking rat." Grimmjow growled.

"Continue, Weed." Blue insisted, putting her chin on his hand.

"Okay. He threw me in a cage and locked it up and I talked to the other dogs there, some of them say they've been there for a year or two, their really sad. They miss their families and want to go home, but they can't. I don't understand why he's keeping them so long, you obviously think it's for ransom but…why keep them fro so long even after the reward posters turn up, Ulquiorra?"

"Because he's waiting for the prices to rise. We're dealing with a desperate guy here, people will do anything to make money, continue."

"There's not much after that, guys. Because the day after that we came down here for a day and I spent the day being groomed and trained, which actually wasn't so bad, I mean I didn't enjoy it!" he added from a strange look from Grimmjow. "But it was better than being locked up all day! And then today I woke up in a cage, the one you found me in and I spent a few hours in there before you guys found me!" Weed said happily, looking at them with glowing eyes. "All I could ask for now is for Kyoshiro to come down here, I missed him a lot."

"After we catch your mysterious man, Weed, we'll look for him." Ulquiorra said, removing Grimmjow's arm from his shoulder as he looked around the room. "Alright, my plan is simple but effective. Two of the police men will stand near the door and the other two will stand by the window, I will position my self directly behind the door, which will be open. Grimmjow you will guard the door we came in through and Blue will guard the outside in case he escapes, so we have him completely trapped.

"What can I do?" Weed asked. "Go stand with Grimmjow, you've been through enough so you don't need to do much." Ulquiorra said quickly, walking after towards Grimmjow. "Don't get shot." Grimmjow said calmly, slipping his hands into his pockets, looking over his shoulder at Ulquiorra. "If he has a gun, I'll shoot whichever hand he carries in it. Look after yourself."

"Never said I was worried. But when you're dealing with criminals, you can't be too careful, right?"

"Idiot." Ulquiorra looked over at him. "I live with one, get to your post."

"Sure, sure." And Grimmjow walked off after Weed and Blue.

One of the police men threw Ulquiorra his gun while the other three got people to evacuate the building by spreading word around through the workers.

"What will you use for a weapon?" Ulquiorra asked him. The man flexed his muscles and his shirt ripped itself in half. "Okay." Ulquiorra said, and he walked over to Weed's cage and pulled a notepad from his pocket and hastily wrote something on it before he walked away from the crate and pressed his back against the door, opened it and lay behind it, his back pressing into some crates. The room was silent as the grave, no one spoke or moved.

And then they heard footsteps coming towards their room. A man entered the room and looked around; taking in the empty room before proceeding towards the cage that he had left Weed in. He gave a loud gasp of astonishment and staggered back. "Oh shit…where's that damn dog?!" he snarled, kicking the table with such force it fell over with a resounding crash.

Then he looked back into the cage and saw something that caught his interest, he bent down and opened the cage and pulled out the paper. "What the hell is this? What joke is this? This is insane!"

And then Ulquiorra slammed the door behind him and stepped into the center of the room and said. "Hands up." The man gave a start and looked around, his eyes wide. He was a man who had the appearance of one whom has not taken care of himself. His face was worn and gray; his eyes blood shot and black bags formed under his eyes, showing the events of many sleepless nights, he also had a thin face and stubble on his chin and cheeks. His dust colored coat was dirty and his jeans were ripped slightly.

"Who are you to pull a stun like this, you hooligan?" the man growled.

"It is not a stunt." And the police popped up from the boxes they were concealed behind, or three of them did. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. _Three police men, where's the fourth? _

Meanwhile the policeman, who was situated by the window, was kneeling behind the boxes' looking down curiously at his shoe lace which was stuck in a part of the box, he stared at it and then gave it an experimental tug and began to tug lamely. His fellow tapped him on the shoulder and looked down as well.

"We are arresting you for stealing dogs and holding them ransom."

"Me, steal dogs? Hold them ransom? Me? I love dogs, I adore them, really!" but the man was acting nervous, his voice was nervous, he was twitching and Ulquiorra could see him shaking.

"Don't try to lie, one of my friends is a dog, he was the one in that cage, we got him out and—Hold it!" Ulquiorra suddenly raised the gun and pointed it at the man as he bolted towards the door that Grimmjow stood behind. Grimmjow must have heard Ulquiorra because he threw open the door and lunged for the man in front of him. The man turned and ran for the door Ulquiorra blocked. Ulquiorra ran at him and leapt for him.

The man swerved and ran towards the window and stepped on the back of the kneeling police man. Bullets were fired at the same time, but they all missed. "Shit." Ulquiorra hissed. Grimmjow ran towards the window, but Ulquiorra stopped him. "Let's go, now!" Ulquiorra snapped and he and Grimmjow and Weed raced form the room, the police men waddling after them. Blue leapt out of the window after the man and ran after him, fast as lightening.

The man turned around just as Blue almost grabbed him and smacked her in the face with his arm. Blue fell on her back, clutching her face. "Stop!" she yelled, standing up and trying to run after him. She staggered; she heard footsteps and instantly heard Grimmjow yell. "Oi! You okay!?"

"I am fine!" Blue yelled thickly, her nose pouring blood into her mouth. "Catch him!" she screamed, running towards them. Ulquiorra raced towards a black police car and wrenched open the door and climbed into the driver's seat, Grimmjow threw himself in beside him while Blue and Weed climbed in the back.

"Let me drive." Grimmjow said as Ulquiorra started the engine. "No."

"C'mon, Ulqui!"

"No." the car began to move and then it began to drive away from the Convention Center. And then out of nowhere a car swerved out directly in front of them, almost colliding with them. The car took off at top speed up the street and Ulquiorra put on a burst of speed and the car drove off in pursuit. "We left the police!" Weed called from the backseat.

"They were useless, who the fuck cares?!" Grimmjow yelled, gripping his seat tightly, pressing himself into it. "You get your crazy driving form me don't you?"

"No, not at all!" Ulquiorra said, nearly colliding with a building a she turned the car so violently the car almost skidded into a building on the opposite street.

Then the window shield exploded as a bullet hit it. Weed and Blue screamed. Grimmjow grabbed Ulquiorra's gun and fired out of his window at the car's tires ahead of them, grinning wildly. "Hey this is just like in one of those movies, awesome!" he yelled, firing more shots at the car ahead of them. A bullet hit the side of the car right next to his head. Grimmjow whistled and fired at the tires. The red car jolted a bit and picked up speed, the busted tire screeching worse.

The car swerved around a corner and Grimmjow and the other's car followed at top speed, Grimmjow firing more shots and receiving more from the enemy car. And then the red car smashed into railing and the driver almost fell through the window and landed on the train tacks. They had reached the station.

Ulquiorra threw open the car door and walked towards the car, Grimmjow and the others behind him. They surrounded the car and looked inside. There was no one there.

"What the hell?" Blue said, eyes narrowing. "Oh, he's dead." Grimmjow said shrugging. And then a bullet was fired right through the car door into Ulquiorra's shoulder. Ulquiorra gave a gasp of pain and clutched his bloody shoulder. "Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow exclaimed. Weed and Blue also yelled out and in the panic the left door of the car opened and the man pelted away. "After him, after him, don't worry about me!" Ulquiorra snapped, pushing Grimmjow away with his good arm.

"You son of a bitch!" Grimmjow yelled, firing bullets at the retreating man, Weed chased him, grabbing onto his pant leg but he received a sharp kick, Blue sprung at him and tackled him. Or she almost did. But the man had run towards the train track just as the sound of an approaching train was heard and in the instant the train grew near and Ulquiorra and the others ran at him, the man, his back to them, reached out and leapt in through the open conductors window with incredible speed and timing.

"Dammit!" Grimmjow snarled. Weed looked up. "After him!" he said, running towards the train which because of the conductor's surprise, hadn't stopped! Weed jumped onto the back of the train. "C'mon!" he yelled. Ulquiorra raced by and was suddenly seized by Grimmjow and thrown over his shoulder. "Hey!" Ulquiorra yelped. Grimmjow raced towards the end of the train and leapt, Ulquiorra landed on the edge, but Grimmjow wasn't as lucky, he seized the railing on the back but half hung off of the train, his legs dragging.

Ulquiorra made to seized him, but Grimmjow's leg snagged in one of the tracks and with a yell of pain he vanished from sight. Blue was still running up the platform towards them. She slowed down as Grimmjow fell and leapt onto the tracks and fell beside him. "Are you okay?!" she exclaimed. "Fuck no." Grimmjow gasped. "I think my leg's broken…oh shit…" he hissed, unable to speak without clenching his teeth. "God fucking dammit, shit!" he snarled, glaring ahead of them. Blue followed his gaze and saw him looking at Ulquiorra's quickly retreating figure.

Blue looked down and suddenly said. "We'll catch them up, just wait." And she reached down and heaved Grimmjow's arm over her shoulder, heaving him up in the process. "Let's go…" and she climbed onto the platform and they both waited for the next train to come.

Ulquiorra and Weed meanwhile were climbing on top of the train. "Careful!" Ulquiorra yelled over the wind and he began to run up the train, jumping form car to car, Weed followed him, almost being blown away as he leapt by the force of the wind. They had just reached the first car, out of breath, when Ulquiorra gave a gasp of pain, his hand flying to his shoulder. "Ulquiorra!" Weed gasped.

"I'm fine…don't worry…" and then someone flipped himself onto the top of the train. It was the man they were chasing. Weed immediately snarled and advanced on him. The man grinned, his tongue flicking up to lick his upper-lip. "This, gentlemen, is the last stop for you. Not me. And it will either be a wuick detah or a painful one. I'll be damned if I get thrown in jail after all this time!" and he lunged at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra leapt at him and elbowed him in the side and both of them fell over as he train went over a bump in the track.

Weed ran forward, snarling, and attacked the man, biting into his arm. The man yelled and began beating Weed over the head. Ulquiorra lunged at him and attack the man, punching him in the face. The man threw Weed off of him and smashed his elbow into the side of Ulquiorra's head. Ulquiorra fell onto the silver top of the train. The man advanced, Weed's teeth dug deep into his leg. The man stepped on Weed's head and Weed cried out in pain, struggling to get out from underneath the man's foot. Ulquiorra struck the man in the abdomen, throwing him backwards; he fell on the ground with a metallic thud.

Weed was kicked aside and he advanced on Ulquiorra who sat up, his eyes burning. The man screamed and threw himself at Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra made to attack but the man's hand seized Ulquiorra' shoulder, digging his nails into the wound. Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he smashed his knee into the man's ribs, making him yell out. Ulquiorra staggered backwards and then the train swerved around a corner and all or them were thrown to the side, the man chose this moment to strike. He threw himself into Ulquiorra, sending him flying backwards. Ulquiorra would have fallen over the edge of the train if he hadn't grabbed onto the edge and held on for dear life, for falling promised nothing more than a long painful death by the roaring wheels of the train.

Ulquiorra struggled to regain his foothold s the man advanced on him. Below them, Ulquiorra could see the water of a pond they were driving over, very far below. Ulquiorra swallowed. If he could somehow angle his fall…but no, he was doomed.

And then Weed flung himself at the man and bit into the back of his neck, he screamed and grabbed onto Weed trying to pull himself off but failed as Weed's claws and teeth ripped at him, his blue eyes wide and made with rage. Ulquiorra watched amazed by Weed's actions. Ulquiorra began struggling to climb back up and then seized the man's leg.

He lost his footing and fell, Weed let go as the man slid towards the edge of the train, unable to get a proper foot hold because of the round surface of the side of the train. Weed hurried over and grabbed Ulquiorra's sleeve, shivering as he realized that Ulquiorra was holding on with his injured hand as well. The man managed to get foothold on the conductor's window and was pulling himself up. Weed spun round and Ulquiorra pulled himself up behind Weed.

The man walked towards them, his face made with rage and pain form his wounds. "I'll kill you, you brats!" he yelled, running towards them.

"Don't worry, Ulquiorra…" Weed said. "I'll protect you…you rest!" Weed said. "I don't need—" Ulquiorra began. "Trust me, please." Weed coaxed, looking over at Ulquiorra, smiling.

Weed let out a yell and ran at the man and attacked, he was struck with a fist, but instead he clung to the fist, biting down for all he was worth, the man tugged him off and screamed in agony as he ripped a large piece of his own flesh off in the process. Weed's claw slashed across the man's forehead and eye.

And then Ulquiorra sat up shakily, his vision blurring from loss of blood. Ulquiorra raced towards the man who threw Weed at him, knocking him both backwards. Ulquiorra immediately sat up and he and Weed ran at him then Weed lunged to the left and Ulquiorra attack from the right, his arm hooking around the man's neck, slamming him to the ground.

Weed was thrown off of his arm and he almost fell over the edge of the train, he cried out his claws scrabbling madly as he fought to maintain his grip on the train, but he was sliding over the edge. Ulquiorra looked around in panic and blocked the fist aimed for his face. Ulquiorra slammed his fist into the man's face, and heard the cracking of his nose, Ulquiorra flung out his foot and Weed bit his leg and succeeded in pulling himself up and then it happened. The man flew at Ulquiorra and knocked him flat on his bed, so that Ulquiorra was half hanging over the edge. "Just die!" he screamed and then just before Ulquiorra could plant his feet in the man's stomach there was a bang. The man screamed in agony as a bullet hit him in the shoulder. "Look," Weed cried, looking behind them. "Grimmjow, Blue!"

Ulquiorra turned his head. Grimmjow and Blue were standing on top on a train behind them, Grimmjow supporting himself on Blue's shoulder, a gun in his hand. Ulquiorra felt light headed with relief. Ulquiorra heaved himself away from the edge of the train, almost falling as he stood up. The man was snarling on the floor. "Ulquiorra? You okay?" Grimmjow bellowed from the other train. Ulquiorra raised a hand and then turned to glare back down at the man. "It's over. Give up and we won't kill you. Think about it, it is more than you deserve you piece of trash." Ulquiorra said coldly.

And then the train swerved to the left and Ulquiorra and the man both acted at once, the man sprung up towards him and Ulquiorra saw this and collided with him, both struggling to remain on the moving train and then the train swerved again and both lost their footing.

Grimmjow's voice could be heard, bullets firing, Weed's scream of terror, but the rest was a blur as both Ulquiorra and the unknown man fell over the edge of the moving train, smashing onto rocks below as they fell before falling with a crash into the river.

"NO!" Grimmjow bellowed his eyes wide with horror. "Ulquiorra!" Blue screamed. Blue stomped on top of the train. "Stop the train, conductor!" she yelled. But Grimmjow didn't even wait before it had stop, he sprung off of the train and landed in a heap on the grass, miraculously missing the sheer fall and began to crawl on the grass, struggling to get to his feet. Weed leapt of his train as well, making sure he was away from the edge of the cliff before he jumped so that he wouldn't fall. Blue landed beside Grimmjow and the three of them looked down below. The water was still, some rocks still tumbled down the rocky hill, pebbles aroused form their places. Blue helped Grimmjow to his feet and they both looked down below.

Grimmjow couldn't speak, he seemed to be in a state of shock, he didn't even seem to be blinking or breathing but Blue could feel his heart thumping madly in his chest. Weed hurried over to them and looked down below, whimpering.

"Ulquiorra!" Weed called, his voice shaking. Blue's eyes were wide as she scanned the area below. Nothing. And that was the worse thing of all, she couldn't bear the thought of losing one of her friends, but to be faced with the reality that one of them might actually be dead…was too terribly to comprehend.

Blue's arm slid from Grimmjow's and she heard the man fall to his knees in the grass. "He's…" Weed murmured, tears in his big blue eyes. "He's…not…"

Grimmjow didn't seem to be able to speak and when he did his voice was quick sounding and had almost no tone to it. "No, he's not."

"Grimmjow…" Blue whispered, Grimmjow head snapped around to look at her and this time he yelled it at her. "He's not dead, dammit! You got that?! Ulquiorra _wouldn't_ die like that; he's too much of a stuck of bastard to die like that! You understand me?!" Grimmjow yelled his voice shaking and angry.

"And if he…if he has, I'll kill him again." Grimmjow hissed, his hand shaking. "I'll kill him again…and again…I'll never forgive him for dying like such a fucking weakling, I'm going to…I'm going to…"

Grimmjow's hands were digging into the grass and his whole body seemed to be shaking. Grimmjow's teeth were gritting together. "ULQUIORRA!! GET YOUR ASS UP HERE! ULQUIORRA!" Grimmjow screamed, Weed began crying softly beside him and Blue bit her lip, fighting back sobs.

"YOU CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS! ULQUIORRA!" Grimmjow called and called. Grimmjow could feel his fear overwhelming him and he snarled at the ground. "Dammit…dammit…god dammit…you…you stupid idiot…" Grimmjow hissed, feeling a burning in his eyes he didn't know he could feel. "Ulquiorra…you fucked up piece of…" Grimmjow could feel sobs choking him and he swallowed hard. "Now look at what you're doing to me, dammit…if you leave me like this I'll never forgive you…you idiot…" Grimmjow gasped, closing his eyes tightly.

Then Grimmjow's eyes flew open as he heard scrabbling of rocks and they all looked down below. Weed let out a cry of delight and Blue almost started crying with relief.

Ulquiorra was staggering up the rocks towards them, dripping wet, carrying the body of the man they'd been chasing over his shoulder. Blue and Weed hastened to help him.

And Grimmjow just sat there, eyes wide, too amazed to speak. Ulquiorra reached the top of the cliff and sat down on the rocks, dripping wet and bloodied, Weed and Blue both embraced him happily. "He's not dead," Ulquiorra murmured glaring at the body. "Just knocked out…wish he was though…" Ulquiorra panted, lying down next to Grimmjow who didn't look at him.

"Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked, tilting his head. Grimmjow turned his head and made to punch him, Ulquiorra blocked, wincing as the fist made contact with his bruised body. "You son of—Where the hell were—what the fuck were you think, dammit?!" Grimmjow screamed, shaking Ulquiorra by the front of his collar. "You're taking advantage of the fact that I have a broken leg to go throwing yourself over cliffs and shit!"

"Nothing I did was intentional." Ulquiorra said, looking at him in a bored way. "Don't fucking look at me like that, show some response, you freaking—THING!!!" Grimmjow screamed, eyes popping. Ulquiorra suddenly blinked and a rare look of surprise crossed his face. "Were you crying?" Ulquiorra asked, poking his cheek. Grimmjow's eyes widened. "What the fuck, no!" Grimmjow said quickly, wiping his face. "Sweat, it's hot out here! What the hell is your problem anyway, dammit! Stop looking at me like that, okay!" Grimmjow snapped angrily, his face red. "Men don't cry, okay, they don't! And it's not like anyone would cry over you anyway—not that I was of course!"

But Grimmjow was silenced when Ulquiorra pulled him into a hug, pressing Grimmjow's face against his shoulder, both of his arms wrapped tightly around him. He felt Grimmjow respond to the hug clumsily, his arms shaking. "Liar." Ulquiorra muttered, kissing him on the cheek. "I-I wasn't lying…I don't—"

"So, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques cares enough about my life to cry when he thinks I might have lost it?"

"No! I don't give a damn about you, stupid!"

"Grimmjow you're not really convincing anyone here." Blue said, pulling out a camera.

"I'm happy." Grimmjow stiffened when he heard those words and if he had moved back he might have seen the tender smile on Ulquiorra's face. Grimmjow sniffed and hit him hard on the back.

"You sadist…" he whined. Ulquiorra patted him comfortingly on the shoulder before he removed himself from Grimmjow. "Now, Grimmjow. Let your reaction show if my suspicions were correct." And Ulquiorra turned the man over onto his face and Grimmjow let out a yell of shock. "You never saw his face throughout then?"

"Holy crap…" Grimmjow whispered. "it's Garou Takayashi! My partner…the one who always helped me at the storage place…but why the fuck…?" Grimmjow just stared and then the shock melted off of his face. "Whatever…it's not like I knew him personally…and look, he even wears nail-polish, can't believe I never noticed when I saw him at work…" Grimmjow said, tapping the man's hand with his finger. "That's low, man."

"Ulquiorra? You suspected him?" Blue said. "Yes, I did. I suspected him ever since the day after Weed was dog-napped. I remembered Grimmjow saying that he always complained that he didn't have enough money at his job and so I suspected him."

"And, you're other suspects?" Grimmjow asked him, smirking.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat and stood up. "We need to get to the hospital." One of the conductors grinned and said. "No problem, we just need to find a way back, it'll take some time but we can do it!"

And with that all of them began to board the train.

Elsewhere…several distances back.

Kyoshiro didn't know what hell was like, in fact he wasn't a very religious person at all, but he was sure now that this was as close to hell as anything could get. He was currently dressed in a pink bonnet decorated in flowers sitting at the table drinking tea and listening to the ladies blabbering about shit he didn't care about.

_Where are they?! Where are my fucking saviors?! HELP ME!!!_

"Here, Kyoshiro-tan, have a biscuit!" and the lady shoved the biscuit down his throat. She laughed and the others joined in. _They are fucking sadists…sadists! Demons living in the bodies of old women, horrible, foul, ugly—!_

And the door banged open and Kyoshiro turned around. A golden light seemed to fill the room and in stepped Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue and Weed. Kyoshiro's eyes widened as they stared at him. Ulquiorra with a bandage around his arm and band aids on his face and Grimmjow who was in a wheel chair, Weed who also had several band-aids as well as Blue. And then Grimmjow broke out laughing. "What the fuck Kyoshiro? We came here to save you from this?!"

"Guys!!!" Kyoshiro cried, getting on his hands and knees and crawling towards them. "Where have you been?" Kyoshiro sobbed, tugging on Ulquiorra's pants. "Why did you desert me…Why—?" Kyoshiro broke off upon seeing Weed and he gave an exclamation of delight and Weed cried out in joy and they both hugged each other, Kyoshiro turning into a dog as he did so, making the old ladies gasp and ohh and ahh in amazement.

"Weed!!"

"Kyoshiro!!" they both said, hugging each other tighter. Ulquiorra and Blue looked in at the old women. "We'll be taking him from you." Ulquiorra said.

"Take Kyo-chan?! But we were just going to—!" but Kyoshiro kicked the door shut. And they all hastily left.

"Seems like they were the only ones who didn't leave the building." Grimmjow grunted, his chair moving with help from Ulquiorra while Weed told his story to Kyoshiro, who was removing the bonnet. Ulquiorra nodded and looked over at Kyoshiro and Weed. "So, Weed's told me his story, also that you guys caught the guy who did it and handed him over to the police…but what the freak happened to you lot?! You look like you guys got run over by a train."

"Funny you should say that, actually." Blue said. 'But luckily we got our injuries fixed shortly before we came to pick you up, Grimmjow's leg will need proper care though once we get home, we didn't have time to treat it because we were in such a hurry to get here."

"Oh, the guy!" Grimmjow exclaimed. "Do you know who he was?! He was... he was my fucking partner!"

Kyoshiro choked. "What?!

"My partner! His name is Garou Takayashi, he didn't tell us exactly why he didn't it but I think we can pretty much piece that together ourselves," Grimmjow said proudly, tapping his head. "Knowing our new methods of brain-work."

Kyoshiro blinked. "Cool…"

"Takayashi needed money to pay his rent, he told us that much but I already put that part together myself," Ulquiorra explained. "So he got money by stealing dogs from people and then returning them, if he didn't get the exact amount he wanted, he'd keep them until the prices changed on the reward posters. Weed was his final hope for ever getting a large amount of money, he wanted to enter him in the dog show and win to get the money he needed and then, perhaps, once he returned, he would return the other dogs. And as for the dogs, Weed will lead us to the place he was taken when we get home and we'll send them home from there." Ulquiorra added and Weed nodded enthusiastically.

Kyoshiro gaped. "Now that I mention it, Grimmjow you did mention something about your partner needing money…? So…he definitely wore nail-polish?" he asked, sniggering. "I saw it once we turned him over onto his face after I climbed out of the river." Ulquiorra replied.

"Guys what the fuck have I missed?!" Kyoshiro asked. "I am so damn confused here! Weed, you didn't mention something about a river, you sort of just skimmed through your story, missing the details!"

"You missed a hell of a lot, actually…but I am not going to miss this wheel-chair, it makes me feel freaking old!" Grimmjow complained, crossing his arms. Ulquiorra ruffled his hair and Blue grinned at him. "You'll get used to it." She said. "And now you both are like an old married couple!" Grimmjow shoved her. "Oi…" he whined.

Kyoshiro looked at Weed, confused.

"We'll tell you all about it…or I will." Weed said, grinning at Kyoshiro.

And, now with Weed at their side, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue and Kyoshiro started the long, but highly anticipated, journey home.

* * *

This is the longest chapter ever. It's 31 pages in Word Document, thought it's not that long ebcause normally the chapters are 29. I write too much! lol

I hope you enjoyed.


	5. Adventure 5

**Adventure #5**

**Puppy-sitting**

They were at it again.

Blue groaned and fought off the urge to either kick a bench or smile at their stupid argument. They were not currently in Japan, in fact, they were in New York City, walking along the Hudson River. And it was currently 65 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was pretty warm, too warm in fact. Ulquiorra had expressed an interest in New York and so they all went. One of them however was not very happy. Grimmjow.

By the sound of it, he missed his home, though he wouldn't admit it, his attitude said so. Though right now he wasn't arguing about home related topics, he was arguing with none other than Ulquiorra. It was the day after Easter and they were arguing over a chocolate egg, the last one they had. Kyoshiro and Weed were walking ahead in their dog forms, simply enjoying themselves and Blue was trying to block out the argument behind her.

"It's just a fucking egg, man!" Grimmjow retorted, reaching over Ulquiorra's shoulder to snatch the small chocolate egg covered in a crunchy shell. Ulquiorra put it in his pocket. "It's my 'fucking' egg." Ulquiorra said calmly, sending a glare over his shoulder.

"And if it is just an egg, why do you want it?" he inquired.

"I don't want it…you know what, screw it!" Grimmjow snapped, reaching into Ulquiorra pocket to retrieve the egg. Ulquiorra seized his wrist and they both had a struggle over the egg, which at this rate was going to get squashed, and tumbled into the grass. Passersby started laughing and some shook their heads and looked away.

"Hey, guys, c'mon!" Kyoshiro called. "We're wasting daylight, stop fighting over a stupid egg!" he called. Kyoshiro looked annoyed. Weed however looked amused. "Their funny." He said, smiling. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. "Annoying…" he muttered watching the two rolling around in the grass. "Give me a camera." Weed ran over to Blue to look in her bag for one.

Grimmjow meanwhile was getting annoyed. "Come on dammit! What is it with you and chocolate!?" he snapped pining Ulquiorra in the grass beneath him, the both of them slightly out of breath. "I…don't know. It's just…chocolaty." Ulquiorra said almost matter of fact, looking somewhat in thought as he said this, trying to think of why he really did like chocolate.

Grimmjow stared, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You fucking adorable moron." Ulquiorra blinked, looking away. Grimmjow took this moment to reach into Ulquiorra's pocket, only to have his wrist grabbed by Ulquiorra's pale hand. Grimmjow opened his mouth to say something only to have Ulquiorra kiss him. Grimmjow was left speechless for a moment and then realized what had happened. Ulquiorra had removed Grimmjow's hand. Before Grimmjow could stop him, Ulquiorra moved back, tossed the egg into his mouth and gave Grimmjow a small smirk as if saying 'I win, hahaha.'

"You little…" Grimmjow growled, eyebrow twitching. "If you don't spit that out, you know what I'm going to do, don't you?" he growled, leaning in. Ulquiorra simply stared. And then before Grimmjow could stop him, Ulquiorra swallowed it. Whole.

Grimmjow stared as Ulquiorra blinked several times, swallowed again and frowned. "You damn idiot!" Grimmjow growled. "I hope you choke."

Ulquiorra swallowed again and his eyes narrowed. "What is it stuck?" Grimmjow sneered. Ulquiorra nodded and pointed to the base of his throat where, if he was an Espada now, there would have been his hollow hole. Grimmjow burst out laughing.

Blue sat down in the grass beside them and Kyoshiro and Weed did the same.

"Poor Ulqui." Kyoshiro said smirking. "Sadly I don't know CPR so…"

"I hope your intestines won't get blocked up." Weed said worriedly. Ulquiorra thumped himself on the chest and then suddenly he lay back on the grass. "It's gone." He said simply. "You didn't even chew it." Grimmjow muttered bitterly, lying down beside him.

Blue sighed. They'd fight and then it would all be back to normal. That was weird but good at the same time, she had yet to see them both get into a serious fight, and maybe they had. But if this was how they were outside she didn't really want to imagine how they were inside…or maybe she did.

"I ain't gonna pay for money for your surgery when they have to sift through your intestines to remove that thing!" Grimmjow snapped.

Ulquiorra cringed. "That's disgusting."

"It's your fault!" Grimmjow snarled, putting his hands behind his head.

"You made me. If you hadn't tried to eat it—" Ulquiorra began.

"Oh it's my fault huh?! I didn't make you swallow the thing whole, damn you!"

"But if you hadn't been trying to—"

"Oh shut up! I did _not_ make you swallow that shit!" Grimmjow yelled, getting in Ulquiorra's face.

"Here, I'll explain it to you," Ulquiorra began, closing his emerald eyes. "First of all, it was mine to start with so I wanted to eat it. Second, I knew that eating it was the only way to shut you up, but I couldn't because you were pestering me and trying to take the egg from me, so since I couldn't even try to chew it without you annoying me, I had no choice but to swallow it."

"Fuck you." Grimmjow growled, glaring at him. "There's a flaw in your 'oh, poor, poor, me, evil Grimmjow' thing. Everything is a choice, so therefore, you chose to swallow—!"

"Yes, everything we do is a choice." Ulquiorra said, holding up one finger in front of his pale, handsome, face. "But…it is still your fault I swallowed it. As I said, I couldn't chew with you around and I had to swallow it. The end."

Grimmjow growled and said. "But I still—!"

"And also, I knew what would happen if I had not chewed it. You would use that crude habit you have gotten into of shoving your tongue into my mouth to get the egg. I know you, so that's—"

"Oh you _didn't_ want that? But you _like_ having things shoved down your—" Grimmjow began, cocky grin in place, Ulquiorra shoved him in the chest and Grimmjow tumbled head over heels onto the concrete. Kyoshiro and Blue laughed at Grimmjow's expression, he looked flustered and angry at the same time, lying with his legs over his head some few feet from them. "Don't move…I am going to kill you…" he hissed, standing up and walking towards Ulquiorra.

"All the more reason not to stand still." Ulquiorra said calmly, sitting up, Grimmjow ran at him. Ulquiorra leapt to the right and Grimmjow nearly smashed into a tree. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra raced away, Grimmjow tearing up the street, Ulquiorra in a sort of jog and yet still faster than him. Blue knew it wouldn't be long before Grimmjow caught him though, he was almost as fast as Blue herself and she dared say she was the fastest in the group.

"So…" Kyoshiro said, smirking. "Anyone want to bet what else Grimmjow shoves down Ulquiorra's—?"

"NO!!!" Weed yelled, red in the face, he ran after the two others. Blue merely shook her head before following Weed and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

Upon reaching the two men, Blue and the two others saw that Ulquiorra had managed to pin Grimmjow against the railing and was currently trying to remove something from his hands. "What now, guys?" Weed asked reaching them. "He took my watch…" Ulquiorra hissed. "Grimmjow, c'mon, give it back." Weed said calmly, approaching them. "Nah ah!" Grimmjow said, smirking, his blue gaze glaring down at Ulquiorra, but his voice slightly strained from Ulquiorra's efforts.

"Ulquiorra, there's something on your shirt!" Grimmjow said, Ulquiorra's green gaze glanced down at his chest and Grimmjow shoved him backwards, causing him to almost fall over. Grimmjow laughed. "Works every time, sucker!" and, laughing harder, he tore away. Ulquiorra shook his head and ran after him.

"Man, they never stop arguing…" Kyoshiro said, gazing after them.

"I think they're both having fun." Weed said. "I can sort of tell when Ulquiorra's happy, even if he doesn't show it, I can smell it."

"Show _what_?" Kyoshiro asked, smirking.

"Ah, no, _not that_…Kyoshiro, stop twisting everything I say!" Weed yelled, clearly embarrassed.

"Who said I was twisting everything you say, you could have just interpreted it anyway!" Kyoshiro said.

"But I know you—!" Weed began, but suddenly he stopped talking and looked around. His silver Akita ears were erect and listening. Kyoshiro turned around, panting slightly because of the heat from the sinking sun behind them and the hot weather.

"What, Weed?" he asked, curiously. Weed was staring towards some bushes next to a row of benches. "It's…crying…sounds like someone's crying…_shhh_, here it comes again!"

It was crying. Yipping to be precise, coming from within the bushes Weed was looking towards.

"Sounds like a dog." Blue said, walking towards the bushes, but Kyoshiro rushed forward with sudden speed and reached the set of bushes.

Kyoshiro smelled concerned, both Weed and Blue could smell his concern which he wouldn't show. Kyoshiro had a soft spot for puppies; he had once cared for a large group of puppies that he saved from being abused by their parents. From what Weed had heard from him, Kyoshiro himself had been abused.

Weed approached the bush and bent his muzzle into it, sniffing. He gave a loud yelp and withdrew his face and they saw something clinging to his muzzle. Blue bent down to pull it off when Weed exclaimed softly. "No, no, Blue! I am fine, really! I actually think he's just recognized me as one of his own kind…really!" Weed said, but the black and white thing on his muzzle continued to cling and bite his forehead. "It just hurts a bit…" Weed said, closing his eyes and grinning, apparently fighting off pain.

"It hurts a lot, actually…" Weed murmured, almost comical sounding.

Blue sighed and pulled the thing off. Weed screamed at the top of his lungs.

Seconds later, Weed was running around in the grass, in pain, and Kyoshiro and Blue stood with the black and white thing, which turned out to be a puppy!

The puppy was shorthaired, black and white and incredibly cute. "I wonder what breed he is…" Blue murmured, staring at the puppy. "Well, whatever his breed is, he's a feisty one."

"And his teeth are really sharp!" Weed piped in, popping up from behind Kyoshiro, his forehead bleeding lightly.

"Oi, don't bleed on me…!" Kyoshiro said sternly, looking over at Weed. "And by the way, you could get a concussion."

"AH WHAT?!!?!?!?" Weed screamed, horrified. "No, you can't, especially with light bleeding like that." Blue said. Weed sighed with relief.

"Now, let's go and show Grimmjow and Ulquiorra the little monster." Blue said and she, carrying the puppy in her arms, walked off up the river. Kyoshiro shrugged and walked away, Weed following him.

Elsewhere!

Ulquiorra was out of breath from the run, but he kept moving. Grimmjow was going to pay dearly for this and Ulquiorra was already running over different punishments in his head. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and Ulquiorra saw his large grin on his face as he called. "What's the matter, Ulqui out of breath already?"

"You wish." Ulquiorra called.

Grimmjow gave a cackle of laughter and then without warning fell flat on his face. Ulquiorra walked over to him. "Anything broken?" Ulquiorra inquired.

"I…don't…think…so…." Grimmjow wheezed.

"Oh. That's too bad."

"Oi!" Grimmjow snarled, propping himself up on his elbows.

Ulquiorra seized Grimmjow's wrist and forced his hand open. "Hey…!" Grimmjow snapped. "My watch!" Ulquiorra said eyes wide as he looked at Grimmjow's empty hand. "Where is it?"

"Hell if I know— But I'll find it, okay!" Grimmjow exclaimed at the deadly look in Ulquiorra's eyes.

Grimmjow sat up, rubbing his sore elbows. "It must have flown out of my hand when I fell…"

"Well find it." Ulquiorra snapped, walking away to look as well. After a few minutes of walking around in the grass and pavement, near the railings, looking over the railings, checking under benches and near lampposts, they finally achieved victory.

"FOUND IT!!" Grimmjow bellowed, holding up the watch. Ulquiorra looked over and gave a sigh of relief. "Excellent, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra walked over. Then Grimmjow grinned wickedly and he threw the watch into the distance. Ulquiorra was going to kill him and Grimmjow raced away laughing his head off with a furious Ulquiorra behind him.

"I am going to murder you, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." Ulquiorra called after him.

"Hey, wow that is not something I hear everyday!" Grimmjow called over his shoulder, grinning. "Wow you must really be angry at me then!" Grimmjow said, forcing his legs to move faster and then they both saw a gleam on the ground ahead of them.

Grimmjow would have reached if before Ulquiorra if he hadn't been tripped by…him.

A person had suddenly run out on the path ahead of them and Grimmjow didn't stop until he was right in front of him. Grimmjow smashed into him and they both fell onto the ground in a heap.

"Ow, shit!" Grimmjow gasped, clutching his burning knee. Then he looked down at the person lying on the path right below him, Grimmjow had practically crushed him. "Uh, you down there, you alive?" and he poked the man.

Within seconds the man had sat up and turned to stare at Grimmjow, the man had a huge mouth and bulging eyes and he was very small, but in his anger he seemed to tower above even Grimmjow.

"¿Cómo se ATREVEN?!?!? ¿Es usted ESPANTADO ciegos, BOY?! ¿Cómo se ATREVEN TROPEZAR en mi camino Y KNOCK ME?! Usted podría haber roto MI CUELLO, USTED REPUGNANTE, PIEZA DE PORQUERÍAS!!!" He screamed and Grimmjow backed away, unable to understand a word, but plainly a little taken aback.

"He says," Ulquiorra said, looking amused well as amused as Ulquiorra Shiffer was capable of looking. "How dare you? Are you freaking blind, boy? How dare you stumble onto my path and knock me over? You could have broken my neck, you worthless piece of crap."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "I knocked you over, _I _knocked you over?! _You_ stumbled, clumsily by the way, onto _my_ path and tripped _me,_ you stupid son of a bitch!!"

Grimmjow yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the angry Spanish man.

"¿Qué? Usted inmundicia! Escoria de la Tierra! Que Dios huelga usted se está de pie, usted sucio, inútil, gran!!"

"Translation; 'WHAT? You filth! Scum of the Earth! May God strike you were you stand, you filthy, worthless, mongrel!!'" Ulquiorra said. "_I AM FILTH?!?!?_ You freaking midget! You tripped me, it's not my fault you are too, _fucking, tiny_ to be seen by _normal sized people_, you fucker!!" Grimmjow bellowed, right in the guy's face.

The man's face turned red and he screamed. "Usted PUTO HIJO DE PUTA!! Volver al infierno donde VENÍA, USTED SUCIO, PUTO, PIEZA DE VALOR MIERDA! Espero que quema EN EL INFIERNO DE mil años, COCK-CHUPADOR!!!"

"I am not going to translate that." Ulquiorra said, crossing his arms over his chest. Grimmjow drew back his fist and Ulquiorra intervened fast. He stepped in front of the angry man and said calmly. "Lo siento mucho mi amigo perturbado. Él es un idiota y voy a tratar con él para usted. por favor continúe con su día, sir."

Both men stared, Grimmjow's fist still raised, watching the two men in front of him. "¡gracias!" said the man happily and he kicked Grimmjow in between the legs and tore away.

"CRAZY SPANISH BASTARD!!" Grimmjow screamed after him, waving his fist.

"Mierda!" the man yelled over his shoulder. Ulquiorra shook his head and heaved Grimmjow to his feet, the man snarled. "Let me go and kill that guy, no one's going to miss that piece of shit anyway!" Grimmjow snarled, psychotic grin in place, his whole frame shaking with anger. "No." Ulquiorra replied. "I knew you were going to say that…" Grimmjow snarled through clenched teeth.

"Interesting that he seemed to understand English. It's not everyday I see people who understand English and come to an English country and speak only foreign languages."

"Well open your eyes; we're speaking a foreign language!!" Grimmjow snapped, turning around to glare at the man behind him.

"But perhaps it was a good thing he spoke Spanish. If you knew what I refused to translate, you'd go after him and string him up somewhere by his intestines."

"I'll do that anyway!" Grimmjow snarled. "Here, give me a reason to go and wring his fat neck!! Tell me what he said!!" Grimmjow snarled viciously, his face inches from Ulquiorra's. "No. It's worthless anyway."

"Damn you!" Grimmjow snapped. "Hermoso idiota." Ulquiorra replied calmly. "What did you say?!" Grimmjow snapped, shaking him by the collar. "Nothing that would offend you, amor."

"What did you say? Seriously, switch back!"

"I am using half and half, why should it bother you?"

"I don't know what the fuck your saying, stupid!" Grimmjow snapped, gently smacking him on the head.

"Don't be so paranoid, I am not offending you." Ulquiorra said, brushing his hand off.

"Oh, then why are you using Spanish?!"

"Guys!" Weed had appeared next to Ulquiorra, out of breath. "Why'd you have to run that far?" Weed panted, slumping against the railing, Ulquiorra looked down at him.

"Oh, I hadn't realized we'd run so far. I forgot you were here."

Weed sweat dropped. "You made me feel worse."

Blue and Kyoshiro reached them, slightly tired. "Guys, look what we found." Blue said, holding up the puppy to Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow stared. "What the hell is that shit?"

A knee to the groin seconds later left Grimmjow clutching himself in agony near a bench while Blue explained the situation to Ulquiorra. "So were going to do what with him?" Ulquiorra asked Blue. "I was just thinking that actually…we can't leave him there and by the looks of it he's a stray, maybe he escaped from a pet shop?" Blue suggested. "And in that case there could be millions of places he could have come from."

Ulquiorra looked down at the puppy in his lap, the young dog was currently trying to bite Ulquiorra's thumb and Ulquiorra had to readjust his hands. "True," he said, his hands moving around in his lap causing the puppy greater excitement. "But it sounds to me that, judging from the place you found him from, he was left there. Of course that might not be true," Ulquiorra said, now getting impatient with the puppy and putting his hands across his chest, causing the puppy to bite his sleeve.

"I have a theory!" Weed said excitedly. "He was living in a home with a family whose two children loved him very much! Then one day, tragedy strikes! The puppy is being walked by the father and he drags the elderly father up the street and he hits a pole and suffers from brain damage! And then the mother and the children toss him out before the collar arrives in the mail, they ordered it of course and that's where we find him, in the bush!"

"Sounds far fetched." Grimmjow said.

"Well…maybe." Weed admitted sheepishly. "So, what the fuck are we going to do with him, her, it, or what-the-fucking-ever?" Grimmjow inquired moodily, sitting down on the bench next to Ulquiorra. "I think it would be mean to leave him here all alone." Weed said, looking over at the puppy, which was currently trying to bite Ulquiorra's hand. Ulquiorra picked it up and held it at arms length and stared at it curiously.

The puppy began trying to chew off his thumb. "It's a boy." Ulquiorra said. "What?" Grimmjow looked around and yelled. The puppy, still at arms length, was spraying on Ulquiorra's chest. "Oh fuck!" Grimmjow yelled. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and dropped it; the puppy fell on the ground. Ulquiorra had his eyes closed. "Don't say—" but Ulquiorra was cut off by Grimmjow's muffled snorts of laughter, which broke out into a fit of laughter, Kyoshiro joined in and even Weed was trying not to laugh, Blue had a bitter smile on her face.

"…anything…" Ulquiorra grumbled, standing up. "N-no n-no, Ul-Ulqui, s-sorry, okay, I'm sorry…it's just that—!" Grimmjow said, but his laughter was choking him and he didn't finish and instead proceeded to laugh. Ulquiorra's trademark frown deepened and he picked up the puppy and walked over to Grimmjow, who screamed as the puppy peed on him. "We're even. Funny now?" Ulquiorra asked. Grimmjow scowled. "Yeah, okay, okay…"

"Guys," Kyoshiro interrupted. "What do we do with the kiddo?"

"We throw Mr. Pee-Machine into the Hudson! The frickin' End!" Grimmjow said, crossing his arms. Everyone looked at him.

"What?"

* * *

"Ulquiorra,"

"Grimmjow?"

"How did we get here?"

Currently, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were standing near Chelsea Market, in fact right outside it, with the stupid puppy. They were on their way to Beasty Feast to buy 'the thing' (as Grimmjow called it) food. Kyoshiro and Weed and Blue had gone to purchase different things for themselves and the puppy.

"I don't understand who you and I got stuck with the stupid thing." Grimmjow growled, glaring at the puppy. "I mean, Blue could'a took 'im."

"Yes, she could have…" Ulquiorra murmured, looking at Chelsea Market. "I think she did it on purpose…actually." Grimmjow glared at the ground. "Tch…"

The puppy meanwhile was trying to bite Ulquiorra's thumb, again. Ulquiorra tapped Grimmjow on the shoulder and said. "Take him." And he shoved the puppy into Grimmjow's arms.

"Oi! Don't shove it—!"

"Be quiet, Grimmjow. And don't cause a scene, we're in charge of walking this dog until he goes to the bathroom, and that's it. After that we can meet up with Blue and the other two."

"Why do we have to make it go to 'the bathroom'? It's outside!"

"Grimmjow, you hang around with dogs, you should know what dogs do outside."

"I do, dammit! God…"

"Good, now, let's go."

And the two set off up the street. The puppy was wriggling in Grimmjow's arms and bit his arm. Grimmjow yelled and grabbed his head and began trying to pull him away from his sleeve. Grimmjow wrenched the puppy off of his sleeve and his sleeve ripped. Grimmjow began shaking the puppy, yelling at it. Ulquiorra sighed and threw his bag at Grimmjow.

Later the puppy was set down on the ground and walked around. His tail wagging, he walked up to another dog and they sniffed each other and Grimmjow smirked. "At least he's—"

But then a loud snarl broke out and the puppy attacked the dog. "WHOA!" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra yelled, rushing forward to grab the vicious puppy, which took offense at Grimmjow action's and began biting his hand.

"Ow, dammit, stop it!" Grimmjow snarled, shaking the puppy.

Some passing girls gasped at Grimmjow's behavior and Ulquiorra heard one gasp about 'animal abuse!' Before Ulquiorra could say anything, Grimmjow turned to glare at them and yelled. "Does _this_ look like animal abuse?!" and he held up the puppy, who was clinging to Grimmjow's hand by the teeth, snarling viciously. The girls gasped and moved away as Grimmjow stomped by, Ulquiorra walking calmly behind him. They had just left the street Chelsea Market was on and were walking down towards Hudson River Park.

"Damn it this damn dog will be the death of me—HEY! Get that out of your mouth!" Grimmjow yelled, reaching down and pulling a large wad of bubble gum from the puppy's jaws, only to let out a screech as the puppy bit his hand. Ulquiorra looked over at Grimmjow's finger. "It's bleeding." He remarked, looking closer. Grimmjow however was glaring at the puppy who was glaring up at him. "You…you little—!" he snarled, his voice shaking with rage.

"I am gonna friggin…" and Grimmjow reached down to grab the puppy, before Ulquiorra could stop him however, Grimmjow froze on his own. What Grimmjow was staring at was the puppy sitting on the ground looking up at him with big soulful brown eyes, head tilted slightly to the side and his ears flattened back. Grimmjow stared, gaping, at the sight before him, his hands still out stretched. Ulquiorra made the first move and picked up the puppy.

"He…I can't hit him…" Grimmjow said, looking up at Ulquiorra. "Ulqui—Aw no!" Ulquiorra was holding the adorable puppy close to his chest, his finger gently stroking its soft ear. "Ulquiorra, don't you dare think it's cute!"

Ulquiorra's eyes were gentle as he stared at the puppy. Grimmjow almost felt like he lost his breath looking at them...not the puppy, but Ulquiorra's eyes, how they seemed to turn soft….and shine in the sun. The puppy began to lick his chin and Grimmjow snapped out his daze and glared at the puppy that was fondly licking Ulquiorra's face, Ulquiorra blinked slightly at this, his pale, slender, hand stroking the puppy's head. "Okay, down, stop it." Ulquiorra murmured gently, trying to push the puppy's head away from his face.

_Stop licking him, okay. It's gross, seriously. Why are you licking him anyway?! No! Never mind why the stupid dog is licking him, why is Ulquiorra letting it?! Ulquiorra's it's gross to have someone's tongue like your face, make him stop it! Stupid…now!_

"Grimmjow?" Grimmjow suddenly realized that Ulquiorra was staring at him. Grimmjow blinked. "What?" and he blinked again when he realized that his mouth was turned down in a large frown, his lips pressed tight together, and his fist clenching. The puppy was panting and licking Ulquiorra's hand. "Grimmjow, stop looking at Chibi-san like you want to kill him."

Grimmjow's mouth fell open. "_Please_ don't tell me that's his name, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra nodded. "I've decided to call him Chibi-san, since he probably won't be a very big dog, or at least until I think of something better. I really am not entirely sure why I named him in the first place, but we can't go on calling him 'puppy', or in your case 'stupid', forever."

The fact that Ulquiorra had named him, and then announced it so matter of fact in such a bored tone, made Grimmjow want to smash his head into the nearest mailbox. Wait, make that the puppy's head. He wanted to kill the dog so badly it wasn't funny.

Grimmjow's gaze fell on the happy puppy. _What are you so fucking happy about?! Stop looking at me, just because Ulquiorra's holding you doesn't mean you're special. Just because Ulquiorra has named you doesn't mean you have to look at me in a way that says your better than me! _

Grimmjow's hands were clenching at his side so tightly that his nails were digging into his skin. Ulquiorra stared at him. "Grimmjow, don't tell me—"

"Guys!"

Ulquiorra looked around and saw Blue, waving, Kyoshiro and Weed at her side, both holding bags in their mouths. "Blue." Ulquiorra greeted. "Hi, Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Puppy!" Weed said happily. Kyoshiro nodded his head, not letting go of his bag, unlike Weed.

Ulquiorra held up the puppy and said in a matter-of-fact voice. "This is Chibi-san."

"Aw, you named it?" Weed said. "Hi, Chibi-san!"

"Silly name." Kyoshiro said, through the bag. "Did he do his business?" Blue asked Ulquiorra, scratching behind Chibi-san's ears.

"He peed earlier…on me…and he hasn't—"

"Grimmjow? Are you okay?" Blue suddenly asked, cutting off Ulquiorra, for Grimmjow was glaring at the ground, a very ugly look on his face, he turned his head and the glare he fixed them with made Weed recoil. "I'm just dandy." He said, through gritted teeth.

Everyone stared nervously. "O-okay…" Kyoshiro said, sweat dropping.

"Uh, Grimmjow—?" Blue made to say but Grimmjow began walking off. "I'm going inside the fucking market." He snarled, not looking at them, walking towards the doors. "Have fun with that stupid puppy. Hope he drives you guys up the flippin' wall." And the door slammed.

The four friends stared after their companion in silence before Weed said. "W-what was that about, exactly?"

"Who knows?" Ulquiorra replied smoothly, running his hand through the puppy's smooth hair before walking away. "Let's go."

On the way home it began to rain. Ulquiorra and the others immediately rushed for shelter, meaning their rented house. They were drenched and cold by the time they got home. "Poor Grimmjow, he's going to get all wet!" Weed said, shaking his smooth pelt, scattering glistening droplets everywhere. Ulquiorra removed the puppy from the inside of his coat and set him down, the puppy raced away and began rubbing himself against the couch. Weed gave a gleeful bark and began to play with him and Kyoshiro jumped up on the couch. "Guys, you're still wet!" Blue said, running over with a towel.

"Kyoshiro get off the couch!" Ulquiorra leaned against the door, looking outside the window. Their house nicely furnished. They had two stories in the house, the two bedrooms and two bathrooms were on the second floor and the living room and kitchen were on the bottom. The walls were white and the floor was a hard wooden floor. The house itself was nice looking, it was made of red bricks, with a white door with a brass knocker and a little garden with a black metal fence enclosed it, ivy also grew on the sides of the house and the window sills were painted green.

Ulquiorra really was quite tempted to stop renting and buy it, he thought New York was a good place and, although he was still adjusting, he though it would be nice to live there. But he really didn't know what the others would think about living in New York, Grimmjow especially seemed to dislike it.

Speaking of Grimmjow, where was he? He was probably getting drenched. Ulquiorra looked through the peek-hole in the door and sighed. He heard nearby sirens and saw a police car drive by, spraying water up against the road. One thing he needed to adjust to. It was really very noisy, not that Japan wasn't noisy of course.

Then he heard a pounding on the door and he looked through the peek hole before he threw the door open to reveal a very wet and cold Grimmjow who immediately pushed his way in. "Welcome." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow glanced at him and grunted before walking away towards the bathroom and slamming the door.

Ulquiorra blinked. "Oh…"

Weed was currently getting dried off by Blue and Kyoshiro was waiting outside the bathroom door. Ulquiorra walked into the living room and seated himself on the couch. Chibi-san ran over and began to tug on his pant-leg. Ulquiorra picked him up and allowed the puppy to lick his hands before ruffling the puppy's hair. He was actually pretty cute.

The door banged open and Grimmjow stomped out of the bathroom with his hair all tousled and damp, a towel around his bare shoulders. Ulquiorra looked around to find Grimmjow glaring at him. Ulquiorra stared. Grimmjow sneered and walked away, slamming the door to his room. "I wonder what crawled up _his _ass and died." Kyoshiro said, walking into the bathroom in his human form.

The puppy jumped from Ulquiorra's arms and raced towards Grimmjow's room and began pawing the door. "If you value your life, Chibi-san, don't go in there." Ulquiorra said, the puppy turned to look at him and bounced towards him joyfully. Blue laughed. "Gosh, he's funny. He bounces!"

Weed smiled and followed the puppy and the two of them started playing together.

Ulquiorra looked towards Grimmjow's room. _If he really is actually jealous of a puppy, then he's more child-ish than I ever thought he could be._

_

* * *

  
_

Over the days, three to be precise, it become very obvious, at least to Ulquiorra, that Grimmjow was indeed, jealous of Chibi-san…or as Grimmjow had taken to calling him "Midget."

His mood would change whenever the puppy came into the room or whenever anyone else showed interest in Chibi-san. Well, that was not true. When Ulquiorra was interested in the puppy, Grimmjow's hands would clench he'd become fidgety and angry and leave the room.

The others seemed to have noticed his behavior and Kyoshiro would mock him openly for being "immature about Ulqui-chan and his new object" in which Grimmjow would throw the nearest thing at him. This time it had been a chair and Kyoshiro had immediately stopped.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and sighed. "Grimmjow, this is a rent apartment. Do not chuck the chairs across the room, because we'll have to pay for it."

"And, also, Chair-san is very nice!" Weed said, admiring the wood polish on the chair Grimmjow had thrown, which was lying upside down. "C-Chair_-san_?!" Grimmjow spluttered, turning around. "Well, I like it!" Weed said, taking his human form to pull the chair back up and then immediately turning back afterwards.

"You guys are retarded! Seriously! First you name the damn midget and then the chair!" Grimmjow snarled, shoving cereal down his throat. "Grimmjow, you shouldn't be talking," Blue said, not looking up from her book as she spoke, seated on the couch. "What the fuck do you mean, Blue?!" Grimmjow snapped, looking up, milk dribbling down his chin, an irritated look on his face.

"What do I mean? Well, your rebuking us for naming the puppy—well, Ulquiorra for naming the puppy— and Weed for naming the chair. And actually, you named the puppy too."

"What the fuck? Get to the fucking point." Grimmjow growled a _very _irritated look on his face now. "You called him 'midget' you hypocrite." Blue said, looking up when she accused him.

Grimmjow slammed his hands down on the table. "What the hell? That's _not _name!" he yelled across the room.

"It's a teasing name."

"No it's—what the hell? Why are you—?!" Grimmjow was spluttering again, seemingly so angry he could not put a sentence together. Ulquiorra stared at this, eyebrows narrowing slightly. "Grimmjow," he said, and Grimmjow's blue head snapped over to look at him. "You seem to be taking this very personally. Why?"

"I—You—How should I know?!"

"But you do know and that's why you're angry." Ulquiorra said mildly. "Unless, of course, you are angry because you don't know why you're angry. It can happen, but you never get angry without much of a reason—but to be saying that isn't entirely true, actually. You're pretty much angry all the time, so getting angry because you don't know why you're angry could make you angry—"

"Too much 'angry's!" Grimmjow snapped, his hands clenching on the table.

"Guys, this is a pointless discussion." Kyoshiro added from near the bathroom door. "He's angry, he's always angry, so if he wants to be angry then let him, it's nothing new. He's always being a jackass."

"Hey in the room here!" Grimmjow yelled over at him. "And who asked you to butt in?!"

"See what I mean." Kyoshiro added, padding over to the couch and jumping next to Ulquiorra where he settled himself. "Oh look, here comes your mini fan club, Ulqui-chan." He added calmly, smirking in Grimmjow's direction as Chibi-san ran in. Grimmjow's gaze bore down on the puppy as he raced in, slipping on the floor ever now and then.

"Clumsy git." Grimmjow added. If looks could kill, that puppy would have a hole burned in him by now. Kyoshiro smirked. "What's up. Grimmjow?" he asked as Chibi-san was attempting to jump in Ulquiorra's lap, but failed because of his height. Weed walked over to Grimmjow's right side and looked up. Grimmjow's hands were gripping the table cloth so tightly it was either going to leave wrinkles or eternal wrinkles. Probably the latter. "Uh Grimmjow?" Weed squeaked nervously.

Everyone in the room, not counting Chibi-san, was staring at Grimmjow, whose face was set in a deep scowl. "Grimmjow," the man looked over moodily at Ulquiorra. "Knock it off." Grimmjow blinked. "Huh?"

"Knock it off." Ulquiorra replied, eyes narrowing slightly, but his tone wasn't angry, just serious like most of the time. Grimmjow stared at him and Ulquiorra stared back, all of them half expected Grimmjow to make a wise-crack or a nasty reply, but nothing came. Grimmjow was silent. And then, silently, he crossed to the front door, threw it open and left the room. Weed blinked. "Grimmjow!" he called. "Leave him." Ulquiorra replied. Weed looked around.

"I'm sure as anything that Grimmjow needs to get out, just as much as I'm sure that if he doesn't, Chibi-san might get hurt. Or maybe even me."

"He wouldn't hurt you…or Chibi-san!" Weed said. "He cares about you." he insisted. Ulquiorra picked up Chibi-san and set him in his lap, the puppy began to happily lick his hand. "In fact," Kyoshiro said suddenly. "How about we all get out? Let's go on The Hudson."

Blue nodded. "Sure. Let's get Chibi-san's leash."

Ulquiorra got his leash the five of them, counting Chibi-san, left the house.

* * *

The sun was going down by the time they returned, a light rain had started up so they had had to cut their walk short to at least five minutes, they had not had time to reach the Hudson River from where they were and Ulquiorra said that that was probably good because Grimmjow would most likely be down there.

They returned home and turned on the heaters, Ulquiorra dried Chibi-san on the couch. Weed however looked slightly unsettled. "What is it, Weed?" Kyoshiro asked him, walking over and started to lick his muzzle. Weed laughed and moved away, but then said, almost sadly. "Grimmjow will be out in the downpour."

"Downpour?" Blue said, looking out the window. "Wow…it's picked up only in the last minute! He'll be drenched!" she exclaimed softly. "He shouldn't have stomped out then." Kyoshiro said, walking towards the couch. Weed's tail drooped and he walked over towards the door, circled and then lay down near it. Ulquiorra stared towards the door and sighed.

Was Grimmjow really going to walk around in that downpour? _Did my words affect him more than I thought? I didn't think they would…did I hurt his feelings? _

_Why should it matter? _Ulquiorra returned his attention to drying Chibi-san's black and white hair, the puppy trying to bite the towel playfully. _I have every right to hold and care for a dog, don't I? It's not my fault he's immature and stupid, never mind._

Ulquiorra looked down at the puppy in his lap and stroked his furry head, Ulquiorra lay down on the couch and the puppy nestled itself on his stomach. "Silly thing." Ulquiorra muttered, stroking its ear. Chibi-san really was quite adorable.

Before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep.

* * *

Something warm was touching his face. Ulquiorra blinked his eyes open and saw none other then Grimmjow leaning over him, blue eyes widened slightly when Ulquiorra's eyes opened. "Grimmjow…"

"Yo." Grimmjow greeted his tone calm. Ulquiorra felt the warm hand on his cheek move away quickly and place itself back in Grimmjow's right pocket.

"I got food, by the way. Everyone's eating so, yeah…"

Grimmjow moved away and settled himself at the table. He had gotten what Ulquiorra learned was a Manhattan Strip Steak and some garlic bread along with some grazed cinnamon muffins, small but good. "Steak and garlic bread with butter…too much oil." Kyoshiro said. "Steak doesn't have oil in it, dumbass." Grimmjow said his tone almost exasperated.

"It has some fat." Blue remarked, picking up a piece of steak and eating it. "Delicious." she said, licking her lips. Weed and Kyoshiro sat in their human forms at the table. Ulquiorra stared at their plates and saw no remains of food on them. "I thought you said everyone was eating."

"We wanted to wait. But we were getting tired of waiting so we had Grimmjow wake you." Blue explained.

"Thank you." Ulquiorra said a little surprised. They all began to eat.

"Speaking of waking Ulquiorra," Kyoshiro said. "Was the hand on his cheek really necessary, Grimmjow?" he asked mockingly.

Grimmjow coughed. "Fuck you." and his face turned a slightly reddish color. Kyoshiro snorted and Weed grinned. Ulquiorra too shared his embarrassment and ate a large piece of steak and almost choked.

"Oh, did anyone feed Chibi-san?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Yes," Blue said. "He's been taken out too, I did that. He's asleep in your room."

"He better not pee on the fucking bed." Grimmjow growled. Ulquiorra looked up sharply. He and Grimmjow stared at each other and they both bolted from the table and ran into the bedroom. Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed stood rooted to the spot, staring towards the open bedroom door.

"DAMN DOG!!!!"

* * *

Grimmjow was in an even worse mood yesterday, which made it very difficult for Weed to say what he had to say out. "Uh…Grimmjow?" he asked nervously. Grimmjow was lying on the couch his arms crossed over his chest and his face set in a deep frown, his legs pressed tightly together. "What?" he grit out.

"We're, uh, going to take the pee-covered stuff to the cleaners, okay? Could you stay here and watch Chibi-san?" Grimmjow's glare was fierce. "Why me? Ulquiorra can watch that damn thing since he loves him so much."

"But, Ulquiorra left to go get food remember?"

"Oh."

"Blue and Kyoshiro and I are going to the laundry place so…please?"

Grimmjow looked like he would rather swallow poison. Before he could manage a response Blue's voice said. "Yes he will. And Grimmjow," and within seconds she stood over him, a fierce glare on her normally pretty face, promising agony if he didn't do this job well. "Don't you dare mistreat him…Got it? And you will _actually_ watch him, understand?"

Grimmjow, who had recoiled as far back into the couch as he could, nodded. "Yeah… sure."

"Good." Blue smiled and walked towards the door, grabbing the laundry bag. "Oh, why can't Kyoshiro stay?!" Grimmjow asked, glaring towards the door. "Because," Kyoshiro piped in. "We actually want you to come to accept this puppy. Now shut up." And they left the house. Weed was the only one left. "Oh, Ulquiorra left a message for me to pass onto you."

"What?" Grimmjow snapped. "'Don't do anything stupid, rash or dumb.' " Weed recited. "Bye!" and he ran to the door. "Bye Grimmjow, Chibi-san!" and the door swung closed a second time.

"Just my fucking luck."

Grimmjow glared at the puppy that had come over to stare at him. "Who the hell do you want?" Chibi-san simply stared up at him and then as Grimmjow raised a hand to move the dog away from him, the puppy did something weird. It propped itself down on its little front paws, its rear in the air, a yip escaping its mouth. Grimmjow stared.

"What?" he asked. "Why can't you just talk like Weed and Kyo—?"

_Oh. Kyoshiro and Weed can only talk because of how my reiatsu affected them when I was in my Espada form, I think dogs can see us when we're in our true forms, so my reiatsu probably fucked them up a bit…maybe a lot. I haven't taken my Espada form around this stupid puppy at all…_

Grimmjow's eyes widened. _I haven't been in my true form at all…_

Grimmjow stood up and he felt his stomach churning with excitement. "I've been acting like a damn human all this time…and so has Ulquiorra. Idiot." He crossed to the front door, the puppy hot on his tail.

Grimmjow grabbed a copy of the house keys and froze near the door. Concentrating, he closed his eyes, bending over slightly, a blue light surrounded him and within seconds his gigai fell to the floor and he stood in the doorway, clothed in white, a jawbone on his left cheek, his sword in his black hakama tie, a hole in his abdomen.

He grinned widely and then gave a low chuckle. "Time to kick ass— you!" he wheeled around to stare at Chibi-san; the dog was staring at him, frozen. Then he gave a bark and did the strange pose again.

_So he can see me._

"Alright, you don't get into trouble while I'm away."

Grimmjow threw open the door and made to walk towards the garden fence to step out towards the waiting world, but two steps from the door he stopped. He had forgotten to close the door, walking two steps backward, he closed the door, tucked the keys into his pocket and took to the sky.

A huge grin appeared on his face as the wind blew through him. All his annoying troubles vanished and he laughed aloud. He felt better, _much_ better!

Now, if only he could kill something, _that_ would make it _even _better! But no…a nice pretty explosion sounded pretty awesome. Grimmjow laughed, a feeling of pure excitement flowing through him. "Hell yeah!"

Grimmjow did a few flips and upside-down dives and then flew towards the Hudson River. After a few minutes of flying, he stopped at 14th street, grinned and looked around; there was a gas-station across the street that would make a nice explosion! But no, it would smell too much. Then Grimmjow looked below him again. The 14th street Park was empty. "Who needs that park anyway?" he muttered, a huge grin twisting his face as he prepared a red ball of light in the palm of his hand.

There was a massive explosion below and Grimmjow started laughing.

_See Ulquiorra, I didn't do anything rash, stupid or dumb…just like you wanted me too…_he thought sarcastically.

After a few more minutes of flying around and exploring the area, occasionally blowing up a few cars of course, the excitement of blowing up the little park had worn off and he sunk back in a sour mood. At one point, he swooped down on a Spanish restaurant and stole some food, not because he was hungry but just to prove he could.

The day was good, almost cloudless, bright and sunny, warm… but he just couldn't enjoy it. He flew to the Hudson River and walked along it, listening to the water splashing against the rocks and the occasional cry of a seagull, the wind whipping his hair, he began to relax. Until he saw an empty hotdog stand—with a sign that said 'out 2 lunch' written on it— that he just had to blow up. The clouds began darkening the longer he walked.

He plopped himself down on the grass, chewing a strand of grass in his mouth, enjoying the silence. But thoughts still nagged him, thoughts of Ulquiorra, the puppy, and Grimmjow growled. "Why do I even care if that stupid Ulquiorra cares about that puppy?" he muttered, tearing up some grass. "It's stupid. Totally not worth thinking about."

_Or are you the stupid one? Your jealous. Over a puppy, man! A puppy!_

_Shut up!_

_You're a sad human being._

_Go fuck yourself. _Grimmjow thought angrily. "Great. Now I'm arguing with myself…!" a chilly breeze blew by and Grimmjow felt a cold drop land on his lips. He opened his eyes and saw the rain clouds. "If the weather PMSing or something?" he asked himself, standing up as freezing rain hit his neck. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he began to walk home. _Just how long have I been gone anyway? Three hours at least….damn, that dog better not have peed or shit anywhere. I'll kill him._

Grimmjow ended up running home, shivering slightly from the sudden cold. He raced up the street and reached his house, he kicked open the gate, inwardly laughing at how weird that might look for passersby if they had been here. The street was deserted, the trees blowing by in the breeze and the birds had either flown away to seek shelter, or probably frozen to death.

Grimmjow pulled out his key and with slightly shaking hands, opened the white door and closed it behind him. He knelt down over his body which lay against the wall where he had left it and knelt down behind it. Within seconds he stood in his back shirt and white pants, without a, animal like jawbone on his left cheek or open white hakama jacket and more.

"Puppy!" Grimmjow called, leaning against the door and stretching. Being an Espada again had made him forget how stiff he muscles were. After stretching out the stiffness and shook his wet hair out of his eyes and growled. "Puppy! Wait a minute—Chibi-san!" Grimmjow called. Nothing. "Stupid dog." Grimmjow muttered. "Chibi-san!" he bellowed, cupping his hands over his mouth as he called.

Still nothing. Not even a bark. No scurrying paws, clicking on the ground. Nothing. No dog.

Silence.

Grimmjow walked into the living room and looked around. He walked over towards the couch. Maybe the puppy was sleeping there? Grimmjow looked at the empty couch and sighed. "Okay. He's not there. He's in the bedroom." Grimmjow walked upstairs and saw that the bedroom door was open, just as he'd left it when he woke up earlier. Grimmjow walked towards the open door. "Okay, dog, you must have bad hearing if you couldn't hear me up there…stupid. And I was literally screaming at you, too."

Grimmjow entered the room and looked around. The room was empty. A large bed stood against the white wall to the right at the far corner, there were no covers since the puppy had previously used them as his wee-wee-pad. Grimmjow scowled and checked the closet. Nothing. He checked under the bed. Nothing.

Grimmjow was getting annoyed, he went to Blue's room and regardless that the door had been closed since she left earlier, he checked the room. Trying to convince himself that the puppy was just a very deep sleeper and was hiding somewhere, Grimmjow hurried downstairs.

He entered the kitchen and looked around. Nothing. "Dammit…" Grimmjow hissed, his heart which had been pounding hard in his chest beat harder and he swallowed. _Nothing's happened…he's here…he's here…!_

Grimmjow checked the bathroom and cursed loudly when he found nothing. "Puppy?!" he called loudly, his voice echoing in the silent house. "Chibi-san?!" Was his voice shaking?

Grimmjow threw aside the cousins from the couch, scattering them across the floor. "Dog?! Hey! Where are you? Come out!"

Grimmjow looked around the room frantically. "CHIBI-SAN!" He roared, his voice echoing around the room. His eyes widened and he could feel his arms shaking. The puppy wasn't here. He was gone. Breathing heavily, Grimmjow cast his gaze around the room, trying to think of who the dog could have escaped.

And then he remembered. There had been a point where he was by the door with the puppy, he had opened the door and stepped out and in his excitement he ah delft the door open.

The front door banged open and Grimmjow looked around. The yard was empty, rain soaked and nothing moved except the grass in the wind. Grimmjow stepped outside and felt despair welling up inside him when he saw nothing, heard nothing, no bark, no happy yip…nothing except the rain. And the silence was one of the scariest and worse things he had ever heard in his life…

"Oh what have I done...?" he whispered, falling against the door, closing it, eyes wide, unable to think properly. "I lost him…I really lost him…" Grimmjow clenched his teeth, putting his face in his hand, his nails digging into his forehead. What was he going to say to them? How was he going to tell them? How was he going to tell Ulquiorra?

Ulquiorra…

"Oh god…Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow hissed. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, his shoulders slumping; his hand slid from his face and fell limply against his side.

"Oh what have I done?"

* * *

He had searched the garden. Searched the street and beyond…but no…nothing…nothing…

When he had gone out he had left the keys inside, he was locked out and he had been outside for almost an hour. He lay slumped against the door, his knees pulled up to his chest, his forehead resting against them, shaking violently with cold.

He half hoped the puppy would find his way back on his own. He hoped that maybe even Ulquiorra and the others might find the puppy on their way home. He had only gone a few steps from the open door, how could he have not seen the puppy run outside? It felt like a nightmare, and Grimmjow even half hoped he was dreaming, but the cold and the fear of his friend's arrival proved to him that he was wide awake.

And then he heard it. Footsteps and voices. They were here. Grimmjow felt his stomach churn violently and felt his heart beat exhilarate. He waited for them to arrive at the gate. Kyoshiro saw him first. "Grimmjow?" the other three looked around. Blue gasped and opened the gate. "Grimmjow? What one earth—? You must be freezing!" Weed and Ulquiorra hurried over. Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra's emerald stare seemed to soften. "Are you okay?"

Grimmjow stiffened at being addressed and said. "Y-yeah…I-I…" he couldn't speak. His lips felt numb and his voice shook. "What happened to you?" Weed exclaimed, licking his hand. Grimmjow immediately snatched his hand away from Weed, who looked taken aback.

"I got l-locked out ok-kay?" Grimmjow stammered. "You must be drenched through…get the door open." Kyoshiro said. Blue opened the door and they would have entered except that Grimmjow still sat in the entranceway. "Ulquiorra, can I—Wait!" Ulquiorra was about to walk around him but stopped. "What? Did you get the chance to feed Chibi-san his lunch before you got locked—?"

"Ulquiorra, I…"

Everyone had gone silent and was now looking down at him. "Grimmjow, you okay?" Kyoshiro asked, noticing his expression. "Did something happen?"

Grimmjow swallowed. "I…Ulquiorra…I…"

Ulquiorra knelt down in front of him. His gaze was searching and Grimmjow looked away, he didn't want to see Ulquiorra's reaction, he couldn't. "What happened? Tell me."

"I…" Grimmjow tried to look at him but instead closed his eyes. "He's gone."

Weed gasped. "You mean—?!"

Blue and Kyoshiro's stares hardened and Blue said. "Grimmjow, do you mean to say—?"

Grimmjow's eyes were still closed and he didn't speak. "Grimmjow…what happened?" Ulquiorra pressed, his hand seizing Grimmjow's shoulders. "Look at me." Grimmjow turned his face to Ulquiorra's and opened his eyes. "I lost Chibi-san…"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened, his hand slid from Grimmjow's shoulder and he simply stared into Grimmjow's face, his eyes wide, his mouth open ever so slightly. Grimmjow closed his eyes. _Don't make it worse…don't look at me like that…you know I didn't mean to…Ulquiorra…_

He heard Ulquiorra walk around him and, silently, the others followed. Grimmjow straightened up and followed them inside. He stood there silently watching as Ulquiorra and the others searched. He did not try to stop them; he knew that they would search anyway.

And then finally they stopped, they came downstairs and entered the living room, Weed looking tearful and Kyoshiro, with a defeated look, jumped onto the couch and turned his back on the others. Blue simply stood by Ulquiorra and they both turned to look at him.

"Why have you done this?" Ulquiorra asked his voice quieter than usual.

Grimmjow swallowed and looked him in the eyes. "I didn't toss him, if that's what your thinking." He said his voice low as well. "Tell me what happened." Ulquiorra demanded.

"We know what happened." Kyoshiro responded, not turning around. "We all know he hates that puppy. For all we know he didn't even try to look after him!" Kyoshiro snarled.

"You, shut up!" Grimmjow snapped. "Answer my question." Ulquiorra pressed his voice louder.

"No, Grimmjow, you shut up!" Kyoshiro snarled, turning around, his teeth bared. "We trusted you to look after Chibi-san! We trusted you, damn it! What the hell is your problem!?"

"Kyoshiro!" Weed said, turning to stare at him. "Stop it! Grimmjow wouldn't loose him on purpose!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Silence." They both went silent at the sound of Ulquiorra's voice. "Grimmjow…is it true that you didn't bother look after him?"

Grimmjow didn't speak, he already knew the answer. "Grimmjow, talk." Blue said loudly. Grimmjow looked up. "Alright! No, I didn't bother looking after him! I didn't care _at all_ about looking after him, there's your answer!"

Kyoshiro sprung from the couch and Weed immediately pinned him.

"You bastard, Grimmjow! What is your problem?! Let me go, Weed! I'll rip him to shreds, Weed, let me go! Are you just going to stand here and _listen_ to him?!"

Blue and Ulquiorra stood there in silence until Ulquiorra said, his voice almost a whisper. "I knew you hated him…and knowing that…why did I leave you alone with that puppy? What did you do while we were gone, well, what?" and Ulquiorra's voice became hard, angry almost. "Answer me!"

Grimmjow couldn't speak; he'd never heard Ulquiorra speak in such a way before. He looked into Ulquiorra's face and saw that his jaw seemed to be tightly clenched, his green eyes were narrowed.

"You knew I hated him? And yet you still left me alone with him? So…then it's not my fault it's yours! If you cared about him so freakin' much then why didn't you look after him yourself?" Grimmjow almost yelled.

He really did not know why he had said it; perhaps it was the guilt that had done it, perhaps the stress and fear, maybe even all three, but the next second all feelings had vanished when he saw the look that appeared on Ulquiorra's face. An expression of hurt had crossed his face, he had stepped back slightly and suddenly Grimmjow could see just what this whole thing was doing it him. It was hurting him, possibly tearing him apart and Grimmjow knew suddenly that what he was feeling right now was nothing compared to what Ulquiorra felt at this moment. There was a look of sadness on his face that Grimmjow had never wanted to see there.

"I'll admit," he whispered, a slight tremor in his voice. "I trusted you, even though you didn't like him, I trusted you with him. I actually kind of thought you were better than this…that was stupid…I trusted you, Grimmjow."

With a sigh, Ulquiorra walked by him towards the door, Grimmjow couldn't move, he couldn't speak. The door closed softly and Grimmjow stood there, unable to move. Silence had fallen, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue continued to stare towards the door. And then Blue moved. A slapping sound filled the room and Grimmjow felt a burning in his left cheek, he staggered slightly.

"You are a complete fool." She whispered, her voice shaking. She stomped by him, slamming the door behind her. "C'mon, Kyoshiro. Let's go help look." Weed whispered, not looking at Grimmjow as he passed him, Kyoshiro threw Grimmjow a disgusting look as they left the house.

And the instant the door closed Grimmjow leaned against the wall, he felt guilt burning inside him, such terrible guilt it made him want to redo everything, even meeting that stupid puppy.

And as he lay there against the wall he found that Ulquiorra's pained face would not leave his mind.

He really had screwed up. Big time.

* * *

It rained the following day, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed sat in the living room at the table. Grimmjow was asleep on the couch. His eyes opened and he sat up when he realized his friends were in the room. The wind was whipping against the house and Grimmjow even thought he felt the building shake a bit. "Morning." Kyoshiro growled. Blue looked into her drink, ignoring him. Weed just turned his head.

"C'mon, guys, you know I didn't lose that puppy on purpose!" Grimmjow snapped, standing up and walking into the kitchen, only to freeze halfway there. "You could have tried, dammit." Kyoshiro snapped back. Grimmjow was staring at the ground. "Could you try apologizing? I mean Ulquiorra's not the only one upset and annoyed here." Blue said.

"I didn't mean to lose him, alright?" Grimmjow said moodily, leaning against the counter. "But you still did!" Blue said turning around. "Why are you so determined to not—?!"

"Because I didn't lose him, okay?!"

"Oh, you didn't? Who did then?!" Kyoshiro growled, standing up. "Is it because you're feeling guilty?" Weed asked him. Grimmjow still did not turn around. "You don't want to accept that you lost him? But you should think about it, come to cope with it, move on…"

"You aren't even angry at me, are you?" Grimmjow asked, smirking bitterly.

"I am, actually. I am very angry with you." Weed whispered. "Then aren't you doing to hit me, attack me? It would—"

"No…violence never does anything, it only makes both parties angry. If we make more people angry, eventually a fight will break out that I can't stop. I don't want that. So, I just say this; I really don't like what you did, Grimmjow. I thought you would treat him better, maybe not for his sake, but at least for ours." Everyone was staring at the pup in surprise. "Weed…" Kyoshiro murmured.

"Fighting and hurting people is not the answer to this. What we should be doing is looking for Chibi-san—and maybe Ulquiorra too?"

Grimmjow turned around. "What about Ulquiorra?" he asked, blue gaze on Weed. "He didn't come back when the rest of us did. We didn't even see him on the way back." Blue quickly explained, watching Grimmjow, the man's eyes narrowed. "Oh." He muttered, looking towards the living room window.

"You mean he's out in that storm?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned. "Yes. He could have taken shelter elsewhere though." Blue added.

Grimmjow stared outside at the fierce storm and sighed, closing his eyes. "Stupid…"

"But he'll probably come back tonight," Blue said quietly. "And if he doesn't—" her gaze was fierce when it turned to Grimmjow and he jumped. "You're going to get off your butt and go look for him—actually, you better!" she hissed, her voice dangerously low.

"Yeah, Okay, fine!" Grimmjow said, eager to avoid getting into trouble with her. Though, looking out into the cold storm that Ulquiorra was probably walking through, because of Grimmjow, he couldn't help thinking that maybe he'd deserve it.

But Ulquiorra did not come back that night. Grimmjow went looking for him but had no luck and by the time he got home he was freezing, feeling worse than ever when he imagined how Ulquiorra might be feeling now.

He did not return the following day either. It had been three days now and Grimmjow and the others were getting more worried than before, Weed kept trying to tell them that he was sure he was fine, but Grimmjow wasn't convinced.

"People who are 'fine', Weed, come home when it rains this bad! And for three days, none stop! Dammit!" Grimmjow kicked the nearby chair, causing it to fall over.

"Ulquiorra took the original set of keys…" Blue murmured. "And to make matters worse we still can't fine the ones _Grimmjow lost_!" she snarled, glaring in his direction. "So there's only one solution…" she growled, glaring at him. Kyoshiro blinked and whispered. "What?"

"We'll have to—leave Grimmjow here and go search ourselves." Blue said, in a normal voice. Grimmjow let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in.

"So, you'll stay here to let us in, okay?" Blue said. Grimmjow just nodded. "See ya." And all three of them left without another word, into the pouring, freezing, rain.

The house was silent and Grimmjow heaved a long sigh. He really wished that dog would just come back! Then...

Grimmjow lay back against the couch, his hands behind his head. He couldn't help thinking about where Ulquiorra was. Had he gotten lost? Or had he been struck down by a vehicle? Grimmjow turned over onto his side and closed his eyes. _He'll come back…_

He was starting to doze off now. There was a faint knocking in the back of his head, a sort of clicking sound and then a slam. Grimmjow's eyes were closed and yet he could see figures marching back and forth on the inside of his eyelids, hear his friends voices clear as day inside his head…

And then his foot jerked and he felt like he was falling through darkness, his eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly. The room was dark, night had fallen…

Then he heard movement by the door and he jumped. The movement was almost silent sounding…was there a burglar in the house? Grimmjow sat up silently and sniffed the air, all smelled fine. He crept forward, silently, towards the door and then he heard the person drop something onto the ground. A burglar would not do that, would he? Grimmjow stepped into the entrance hall, now staring at the door and he saw someone leaning against the door. Someone he recognized very well.

It was Ulquiorra. Grimmjow made to say something but stopped at once for what he was seeing made him feel lower than low. Ulquiorra was drenched to the skin, water dripping off him to form a puddle by the door, he was shaking badly from cold and his clothes seemed to be sticking to him, and he leaned against the door like he simply had no strength left to move.

He had never seen the man look so vulnerable. Grimmjow stepped forward silently until he stood inches from him. Ulquiorra's green gaze met his and Grimmjow saw his eyes narrow slightly. Those eyes seemed so defeated. Without hesitation, Grimmjow reached out and wrapped his arms tightly around the freezing form of his companion, pulling Ulquiorra against his chest, one arm around his shoulders, the other hand resting protectively against the back of his soft, wet, raven locks.

Grimmjow rested his head against Ulquiorra's shoulder, pulling him closer. Ulquiorra didn't protest and Grimmjow placed his lips to Ulquiorra's cheek, trying to ignore how his own body seemed like fire against Ulquiorra's freezing skin. Grimmjow closed his eyes tightly and slowly began to rock from left to right on the spot, slowly, soothingly. "You idiot…what have you done to yourself…" he whispered, his lips brushing against Ulquiorra's cheek as he spoke.

Ulquiorra said nothing and Grimmjow wouldn't have been surprised if he had a breakdown on the spot, he seemed so… fragile. It almost tore him apart. Ulquiorra's pale arms wrapped around his shoulders tightly and Ulquiorra pressed his face into Grimmjow's chest, seeking warmth. Grimmjow grit his teeth and held him tighter, unable to take his arms away from Ulquiorra and let him go.

They both stood there in the dark silent, holding each other tightly. Grimmjow fought back a shiver of cold, Ulquiorra was freezing…

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his voice low, kissing Ulquiorra's cheek. "Ulquiorra, I'm sorry…" he trailed kisses down his neck, whispering more apologies with each one. His hand left Ulquiorra's hair and cupped his face, Grimmjow leaned down to place a soft kiss to the man's freezing lips. Ulquiorra half returned it, his eyes half open, his hands clenching in Grimmjow's shirt.

"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow whispered, his voice shaking. He swallowed hard. "Say something, dammit…!" Grimmjow said his voice slightly impatient. Ulquiorra didn't have time for at that moment the doorbell rang. Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra away from the door and, one arm still around Ulquiorra's shoulders, he opened the door.

It was Blue, her hair sticking to her face and dripping, soaking, wet. "Ulquiorra!" she beamed at him, the man in Grimmjow's arms however just nodded slightly. "Yeah, he needs to take a shower or something, before he freezes to death on the spot—OH MY GOD!" Grimmjow screamed, for Blue held up a drenched and shivering black and white puppy!

Life immediately seemed to flow back into Ulquiorra and he seized the puppy from Blue and pulled him into a hug of doom. The puppy, which was soaked and shivering just as badly as Ulquiorra, was overjoyed and started licking Ulquiorra, letting out happy cries. Blue smiled happily at them and Grimmjow simply stared, feeling the corner of his mouth twitching. He looked at Blue and grinned. "Thanks for that." And Blue nodded. "No problem." And she did something weird. She hugged him. "Oi! What the hell?" Grimmjow asked, slightly freaked out, Blue nuzzled his chest. "Nothing. I'm just happy."

"Then hug Ulqui." Grimmjow said, his face turning red. "I mean… c'mon…we can all have a group hug or some shit like that."

"I'm sorry I slapped you— well, no, actually I'm not but anyway, I forgive you since I've found him." And she kissed him on the cheek. Grimmjow felt like fire was coming out of his ears and he swallowed. "S-stop that already…"

He felt eyes on him and looked in the direction Ulquiorra was in. Ulquiorra was glaring at them. "Oh no, now Ulquiorra has the wrong idea." Blue said, laughing. "Haha, funny." Grimmjow said, trying to remove himself from her. "Ulqui, go take a shower, now." Grimmjow said, untangling himself from Blue. Ulquiorra walked by and stopped near Blue and said. "Thanks." In a low voice, slightly shaking with cold and he walked by, the puppy still in his arms.

And then halfway towards the bathroom he stopped. "Grimmjow, look after him while I'm in there." Grimmjow choked. "What?! Your seriously going to—?!"

"Yes. I am will not put my trust in you again if you fail this time. Take a hair dryer and dry him."

And Grimmjow did so, sitting on the couch while the puppy cowered in his lap from the hair dryer. "Blue?"

"Hm?"

"Where are Kyo and Weedy?"

"Oh…crap."

Elsewhere!

Kyoshiro and Weed were walking up the rain washed street. The storm had stopped and they were on their way home.

"This is just dumb. We're dogs and we can't even find a puppy. If only it weren't raining!"

"Well, at least the storm has died down…" Weed said his voice sad.

Kyoshiro just sighed. "Grimmjow should be the one out here looking…but, I guess three is better than one, four counting Ulquiorra."

There was a bang and Kyoshiro jumped a foot in the air. "Dude, are you okay?!" he asked loudly. Weed had smashed his head into a pole!

"Y-yes…" he croaked, falling on his stomach.

Kyoshiro sighed. "Man, you should be more careful."

"I know…I know…" Weed groaned, sitting up. "Oh, a missing puppy!" he said, looking sorry for it. "Yeah… what a coincidence..." Kyoshiro said bitterly. Weed and Kyoshiro looked up at the picture and Weed started to read aloud. "Missing; black and white Havanese puppy, age; 1 week, day missing; Thursday the 6th, June…hey, that's funny, he went missing the same day we found Chibi-san." Weed said, grinning.

"Yeah! And look at the picture, he even looks like ours! That's a real funny coincidence!" Kyoshiro said.

"Yeah and he even has the same mark—!" Weed and Kyoshiro both froze. Kyoshiro's eyes widened, Weed's eyes widened. "Oh…my…god…" Kyoshiro whispered, looking up at the picture. "His name is…Susuki…."

"He's—!"

Then they both screamed. "HE'S CHIBI-SAN!!!"

* * *

The day was bright and sunny, a complete contrast to yesterday. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Blue were sitting by a river in Central park with Chibi-san. The puppy was playing in the leaves, barking, and Ulquiorra was seated beside Blue, Ulquiorra of course was watching Chibi-san and Blue had her hand in the water. It was a rather deep steam and the water was quite rough, enough to pull someone away if they feel in, which was why Grimmjow was seated in a tree right behind them.

A man and a women were walking somewhere behind them with two children, who were fighting loudly. "God, I wish they'd shut up!" Grimmjow said loudly. Blue and Ulquiorra turned around. The children stopped making noise and the couple looked their way.

"Oh great…" Grimmjow muttered. Chibi-san went over to Ulquiorra, who began to stroke his furry ears. And then there was a scream behind them. "Mommy, Daddy, look, it's Suzuki!!!"

And Ulquiorra was on his feet as the cry went out, for the children, two girls, were pointing directly at him. The mother and father gasped loudly. "What?" Ulquiorra asked. "Oh, sir!" the mother began. "Thank you so, so, much!" she ran towards him and Ulquiorra started backwards. "What?" he asked again. "You've found our puppy!" she cried out joyfully. Ulquiorra dropped the puppy onto the ground at this. "Excuse me? You must have mistaken him for—"

"Oh, no, sir! I recognize him, and he recognizes us! See!" Ulquiorra and Grimmjow and Blue looked at the puppy. The puppy was frozen, staring at the children and the father and the mother, and then he gave a cry of joy and ran to the children, licking them, the children began to laugh happily. Grimmjow fell out of the tree. "What?!" he yelled from the ground.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "He's…your dog?!" Blue gasped. "But…? What..?" she looked bewildered. Ulquiorra however was silent. "He got away from us on a walk…well, actually that's not entirely true…" the women murmured. The children were playing on some rocks near the stream with Chibi-san, or in this surprising case, Suzuki. "Now, if you'll bring him here, children, we'll pay these lovely people and be off!" said the women happily.

"No." it was Ulquiorra. "You can't just take Chibi-san." Everyone stared at him. "Suzuki." He amended reluctantly. "But why ever not?" the women asked. "Because…" Ulquiorra began. Grimmjow however was watching Chibi-san play by the water. Grimmjow suddenly didn't like how close the children were playing to the water, the puppy especially was too close…way…too…close!

And Grimmjow saw what was going to happen before it did. "Oi! Grab the dog!" he bellowed. But it was too late! The puppy slipped, his claws scrabbling madly on the rocks, Ulquiorra turned, Blue turned, the family all gasped.

And Chibi-san disappeared into the river! "Chibi-san!" Ulquiorra called out, rushing forward towards the roaring river. Ulquiorra tore towards the rocks, running at a fast pace and then he threw himself into the river. "Ulquiorra!!" Grimmjow bellowed, running forward. Blue grabbed his arm ."you can't just dive in there, if we all fall in then—!"

"Let go, dammit!" Grimmjow snarled, wrenching her arm away. "in case your forgetting, that guy has the beginning of a cold, dammit!" and Grimmjow ran forward and leapt towards the stream…in slow motion!!!

"Grimmjow!!!" Blue yelled. But the man disappeared in the current. "Oh damn…" she muttered, running up the river after them.

Kyoshiro and Weed, who had followed their scents up here, appeared just as she ran off. "Blue!" they called. Blue turned. "Follow me!" she called. "They've both—Grimmjow and Ulquiorra— their in the river!"

Kyoshiro gasped hugely. "Coming at once!" and he and Weed raced, along with the family, after Blue.

Up ahead, Grimmjow was floating upside down under water, he turned over and his head broke the surface and he began to cough violently. "Ulquiorra?! Chibi-san?!" he called, his voice cutting off as water filled his mouth. He didn't see them! No…no…they were fine!

Grimmjow shivered violently s the cold water bit his skin. His wide blue eyes searched ahead. Nothing…

Kyoshiro and Weed and Blue ran beside the family along side the river. And then Kyoshiro cried out. "I see something! GRIMMJOW!!!" He bellowed and Grimmjow's head turned. He grinned. "Kyoshiro-WATCH OUT!!"

Kyoshiro slipped in a patch of mud and was sent flying into the river. "Kyoshiro!" Weed screamed, running forward. "Don't jump!" Blue bellowed.

Grimmjow saw Kyoshiro float past him and he grabbed his tail and then Kyoshiro slid up a log and flew high into the air. He blinked. "Wow…" he followed the river below and then he saw something that made his blood run cold! A waterfall, a huge one, right at the end of the river! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" and he fell downward, but not before catching a glimpse of Ulquiorra somewhere near it, trying to reach Chibi-san!

Grimmjow was thrown under water as Kyoshiro fell on him. Grimmjow surfaced, coughing violently. "Idiot, what are you trying—?!"

"Grimmjow, wa-wa-wa-water—WATERFALL IT'S A WATERFALL!!!" he bellowed, pointing ahead with his paw-that-turned-into-a-hand. And then Grimmjow's eyes widened, Kyoshiro's eyes widened!

Blue gasped. "Is that what I think it is?" she yelled. Weed stared and then he gasped. "It is, it's a waterfall!" he made to jump into the river but Blue grabbed him and said. "No! We will reach the end of the water fall and grab them as they go—BY!!!" and even as she spoke, one of the children tripped and knocked into her and Weed, sending them flying into the river with the child.

"DAMMIT!" Blue screamed as she fell into the river.

Grimmjow gasped as he saw them fall in. "Dammit, at this rate…" and then he looked ahead and his eyes widened. Ulquiorra was clinging to a rock, Chibi-san in his arms, only one of his hands was holding onto the rock. Grimmjow swerved, smashing into the rock and successfully seizing Ulquiorra's hand. However, when he smashed into the rock, Kyoshiro flew off him and flew some feet ahead, screaming.

"Need help, Ulqui?" he asked, smirking. Ulquiorra blinked and then immediately said. "Take him!" and he trust Chibi-san at Grimmjow who took him.

"There's a—" Ulquiorra began.

"Waterfall." Grimmjow finished.

"And it's—"

"Some feet in front of us." Grimmjow said.

"So—"

"Hold onto the dog and don't lose him, yeah, yeah." And then he grinned. "Will do, Ulquiorra, will do."

And then Blue was sent flying by and she seized Grimmjow around the waist, pulling him and Chibi-san away from Ulquiorra! "Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra called.

Grimmjow and Blue glared at each other underwater and Grimmjow saw that she held Weed and a child tight against her. Grimmjow raised his eyebrows, Blue's glare hardened and then she smashed into a rock, sending Weed and the child floating away, struggling. _Shit. _Grimmjow thought and as he surfaced, he shoved the both of them into a nearby boulder. "Grimmjow!" Weed choked, his eyes widening. "Look out!"

And Grimmjow turned around and his blue eyes widened. The waterfall was inches from him. Weed screamed and tried to follow him. Grimmjow threw Chibi-san. "Weed, take him!" he yelled and then he vanished over the edge of the waterfall.

"No—!" Weed screamed, catching Chibi-san as he flew by, only to realize that he had missed the rock he might had been able to grab! Weed, the child, and Chibi-san vanished over the edge!

Blue gasped. "No! Weed—Kyoshiro!" she screamed, for Kyoshiro flew right over her head, their eyes met, Kyoshiro's paw reached out, Blue reached out, but their fingertips missed only by an inch! Kyoshiro flew right over the edge of the waterfall, his eyes never leaving hers.

Ulquiorra was to her left and he immediately wrapped his arms around her and said. "Hang on tight." Blue held him in a death grasp as they both disappeared over the edge, vanishing from sight, towards the freezing abyss…

His eyes opened. He was lying face down in the mud, near the waterfall. Grimmjow sat up coughing and shivering. He was surprised he hadn't broken his neck. And then he gasped. "Chibi-san?" he looked around wildly. "Chibi-san?!" he had lost him again.

"Grimmjow?" Grimmjow turned around and grinned. "Oh, hey, Kyoshiro." Kyoshiro was lying, tangled in a tree. "Yo. Get me down." Grimmjow began pulling him out when he heard another voice. "Grimmjow? Is that you?" he spun around and saw Ulquiorra stand up in the water some ways away, Blue was with him. "Hey, guys." Grimmjow said, looking from one to the other, his gaze lingered on Ulquiorra for a moment and then he smirked and ruffled his hair.

Kyoshiro gave a wheeze and fell to the floor. They saw figures appear on top of the waterfall cliff. The family. Grimmjow glared. "Some help they were." He muttered angrily. They had obviously grabbed their daughter before she fell over the edge because she was with them.

"Guys…where's' Chibi-san?" Grimmjow asked them. Ulquiorra gave a start and looked around; he crossed the river and began to search frantically. Grimmjow called out as well, Blue and Kyoshiro joining in the search. "I'm sure he's…alright…" Blue muttered but as she looked up at the waterfall, she had her doubts.

Kyoshiro sniffed and Ulquiorra turned his gaze to Grimmjow as they walked over to him. "The last thing I did was throw him to Weed before I went over." Grimmjow explained quietly. Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "Then where is Weed?" he asked softly. Kyoshiro gasped. "Oh no…"

"What if their both dead? What if they drowned?" Kyoshiro gasped.

"You really think I'd let him drown?"

"Yes…What?!" Kyoshiro turned around and he gasped. "Guys…look…" and they all turned around, for a figure was emerging from the top of a muddy hill to their right, and then the figure emerged. They all gasped.

Weed was standing on top of the hill, Chibi-san hanging from his scruff in Weed's mouth, his tail wagging. "Weed! Chibi-san!" they cried. Weed smiled dramatically and began to walk slowly down the hill and half way down—he tripped. He tumbled down the hill and landed next to them. But within seconds he was back on his feet, grinning. "Good job, kiddo." Grimmjow said, taking the puppy from Weed and handing him to Ulquiorra. Weed shook his head. "No good job, _Grimmjow_! You're the one who handed him to me!"

"I threw him you stupid—!" Grimmjow began but to his surprise, Ulquiorra gave him a one armed hug. Grimmjow smirked and patted him on the shoulder in an almost awkward way. "Eh, no problem…Ulqui."

"Excuse us…" Grimmjow jumped and they all turned around, the family was standing there, waiting. Ulquiorra's arm fall to his side and Grimmjow was about to speak when the mother said. "I know you've come to care for him, but…could we please have our little dog back?"

Weed and Kyoshiro, Blue, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stared, Weed hung his head. "Oh well then…I guess we should…" Kyoshiro nodded solemnly. "Yeah…" Blue sighed and said. "He is their dog, after all…so…." Ulquiorra just looked down at the little puppy in his arms, and to Grimmjow, it looked like this was going to be difficult for him.

"We care for him too, you know that?" and Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he heard the voice he knew so well say those words. Weed and Blue and Kyoshiro turned to look at Grimmjow as well, unable to believe that he had just said those words. "And…I feel stupid for saying this but—" and he hesitated. "This is going to sound corny and stupid but, because of this whole thing I've learned something and through that lesson I've come to actually kind of like this puppy…I've learned—to put up with something if I don't like it, I guess, because…if I don't…uh…and not to disregard it and not take it seriously because when you do, the result is…bad..." He said lamely, looking away. "I shouldn't even have said that." He muttered. Blue stared and then she smiled and punched him on the shoulder, Grimmjow only grunted.

The mother smiled and said. "Okay…so…say your goodbyes, please."

"Yeah…" Grimmjow said awkwardly, clearing his throat. Weed put his paw on Ulquiorra's leg and said. "Goodbye, Chibi-san, we'll miss you…eat lots and be safe, okay?" Weed said, tears in his eyes. Kyoshiro swallowed and just said. "Yeah…well…see you, puppy…bye…shit, I'm crying." And he hastily turned away. Blue fondly pet the puppy's head. "Be a good boy, okay?" she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Bye…" she sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye.

Grimmjow just stared at the puppy before he said. "Yeah, see ya around…midget." He added a small smile on his face. Ulquiorra looked down at the puppy and the puppy looked up at him, Ulquiorra stared at the cute little face and sighed. And then he closed his eyes and held the puppy close to him, and the puppy began to lick his face, Ulquiorra tightened his hold on the small puppy and lightly nuzzled his face against the puppy's soft, wet, fur. Ulquiorra looked into its eyes and said. "Take him…" he handed the puppy to the mother. Ulquiorra simply stared at the ground as the mother took him and she smiled as the puppy began to lick her face. "We'll send you a letter once we get home, how about that? Your address?" Blue hastily wrote the address.

"Thanks for everything." Said the women and she and her children and the father, who hadn't said a thing, all began to leave. And then the puppy looked over the mother's shoulder at Ulquiorra, the puppy began to cry, trying to go to him. Ulquiorra grit his teeth. "Goodbye." He whispered. He closed his eyes, staring at the ground. The family disappeared over the hill, Chibi-san still staring at Ulquiorra. Grimmjow looked down at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ulquiorra looked up and sighed. "We're too much of a crazy family for him to be around anyway…" he muttered.

Grimmjow's arm pulled him closer. "Yeah, totally." He muttered.

"Hey, guys…?" Kyoshiro said suddenly. "They had two children, and the father look like he was recovering from brain damage so…does this mean Weed's theory was…right?"

"And the mother also said that it wasn't true that they lost him on a walk…" Blue whispered, her eyes widening. Everyone look at Weed who said sheepishly. "Cool…I was right…"

"Oh dear God…the day a stupid theory like that will ever come true is the day when pigs fall from the sky." Grimmjow said. "Now let's go home!"

And as they walked away, Ulquiorra took one last glance at the hillside that Chibi-san had just disappeared behind before he set off after his friends. "Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow turned around to glare at him. "What?" he snapped. "What you said earlier about your lesson, could you enlighten us?" Ulquiorra asked him, falling into step beside him. "No." Grimmjow snarled. "But, Grimmjow, it's not everyday we see you get sentimental!" Weed said. Grimmjow flushed. "Be quiet, Weed. That's exactly why I'm not telling you!"

_I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I told them what I meant._

"Grimmjow…" Blue coaxed. Kyoshiro grinned. "C'mon!"

"No!" Grimmjow yelled, running ahead. His friends raced after him and Ulquiorra managed to pounce on him, knocking him into the grass.

_I really hate being nice, it's not like me at all, so I can't possibly tell any of them that what I really meant was that…seeing them all so hurt and angry…really truly made me want to be a different person, a better person…and that's why I decided, for them,_

Grimmjow raced away, yelling over his shoulder as his friends chased him, Grimmjow's gaze fell on Ulquiorra and he grinned. "Just try to catch me!" he yelled, but he was pounced on by everyone and they all lay sprawled in the grass together, gasping for breath and laughing.

_I could put up with that puppy. For their sake…for Ulquiorra's sake…I could change, just a little bit…and dammit, I really am going soft. But really, if it's for them, I guess I can live with it. _

_

* * *

_

This is the longest chapter in the document. It's exactly 46 pages, wow...I didn't really want it to be too long, but whatever.

Craziness, OOC-Grimmjow, what more could you ask for? But I didn't mean for Grimmjow to be so nice I promise!

Anyway, Weed was indeed right! OMG. And the translation to what Ulquiorra was calling Grimmjow in spanish:

hermoso idiota: Beautiful idiot

amor: love

xD and it's kind of funny that, since the Espada are pretty much Spanish, Grimmjow didn't know a word of what that Spanish dude was screaming at him. If you want to know more of what the angry Spanish dude was saying copy the text and paste it in a Spanish to english translator you can find them off of Google somewhere, no download necessary.

So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And in a while I will be posting links to the characters pictures in my profile in case you might be interested in what they look like for those fo you who do not know the series they come from. And I will probably make them live in New York from now on, since I know it so well (I live there, lol). And that park Grimmjow blew up was the park i used to go to. So I laughed a bit writing it's demise. xD

Till next time!


	6. Adventure 6

**Adventure #6**

**Voulez-vous être mon amant?**

Why was he here again? Oh that's right, because his friends wanted to go and because New York was boring as shit these days. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques was currently pressed against a seat, his headsets on, listening to music from the back of another persons' seat in a flying coffin. Yes. He was in a plane! And he was currently flying to France, Paris, on the JetBlue airline. And he was bored. Very bored.

Ulquiorra was seated next to him, listening to music as well while sipping a cup of water. Blue sat across from them, next to a stranger, Kyoshiro and Weed in pet carriers under her seat, whimpering. Well, Weed was whimpering. He hated traveling in a bag as well as being on a plane, Kyoshiro was silent as the grave, probably sulking. Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra, the man seemed relaxed but his emerald eyes traveled around the plane, he was probably bored too.

Grimmjow heaved a sigh and put his chin against the back of his hand, using his right hand to browse through the music. He found it interesting that humans had made such an interesting device on the arm of a seat, just by simply pressing a button you could do anything you wanted, he'd been pretty excited by it first and browsed amongst different types of music but after a while he grew bored, most of the songs he liked weren't on, but he had found a hard rock channel and was currently listening to the songs on that. He'd made the mistake of stumbling onto the radio Disney channel and immediately left. Remembering this made him smirk and he glanced over at the man next to him and decided to goof around with him.

"Yo, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra must have had his volume low or he must not have been listening to anything because he heard Grimmjow immediately and said, browsing through the radio channels. "Hm?"

Grimmjow watched him and he smirked. "They're playing Chasing Cars on Radio Disney."

Grimmjow knew for a fact that Ulquiorra loved that song and Grimmjow also knew that Ulquiorra had no idea of what Disney was, unlike Grimmjow who had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon some stupid songs from them and immediately deemed them as crap.

"Why would they play Chasing Cars on radio Disney?" Ulquiorra asked, looking at Grimmjow as if he were stupid. "Yes, Grimmjow. I was there earlier and I heard some of the trash they play on there. I am not falling for it." Grimmjow cursed.

"Passengers, kindly pull up your trays and return to your seats, we are beginning our descent." said the way-too-happy voice of a woman. Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra grasp the seat very tightly and it was obvious he was in a lot of discomfort and feeling nervous. Grimmjow smirked at his discomfort and looked out the window as the ground grew closer and closer and then they smacked down on the ground and the plane slid to a halt.

"Oh my God—finally!" Grimmjow exclaimed, standing up and reaching for the luggage rack as others began to stand up around him. Ulquiorra made to unbuckle his seatbelt and heard a sigh of contentment from Blue; apparently she was uncomfortable flying as well.

Before Ulquiorra could unbuckle his seat belt however there was a voice from the speakers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please sit back down again as we have to move forward by a few more yards since the pilot was a dumbass and landed in the wrong place—excuse my language." said the too happy voice.

"Oh c'mon!" Kyoshiro yelled from under the seat. "Let me out of here!"

"Kyoshiro," Weed began. "Just a few more—!" but Ulquiorra tuned out their conversation and turned to stare at Grimmjow who was frozen with shock, holding onto the handle, about to open the luggage rack.

"Grimmjow sit down." Ulquiorra said but it was too late for the plane shot forward with sudden speed and Grimmjow seized the seat nearest him for dear life and then the plane lurched to a stop, almost crashing into the building and nearly throwing many people out of their seats.

Grimmjow and all the other passengers let out sighs of relief and many began to rise. "Are you—?" Ulquiorra began. "Alright?" Grimmjow wheezed, shaking from head to foot. "I'm just dandy…" he gasped, opening the luggage rack—only to have all of the luggage fall on him.

Blue and Ulquiorra rose to help him but not before they heard him mutter from underneath the luggage. "Son of a bitch."

* * *

Blue stretched widely, yawning. "I am really glad to be off of that airplane!" she said, smiling. Weed and Kyoshiro walked beside her, on leashes held by Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

"Totally." Grimmjow said, running his finger around in his ear. "Damn it, this sucks! My ears are—OW!" He yelped, clutching his ear. Ulquiorra turned around and glared at him. "Grimmjow, stop yelling if you're in pain then yawning helps."

"What?" Grimmjow snapped.

"Yawn." Blue and Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow yawned widely and winced as he felt a popping in his ear. "Aw, the little Grimmy has a little ear ache." Kyoshiro said, doggy grin in place. Grimmjow glared at him. "Shut up, bitch." Blue turned around. "Excuse me?" Grimmjow froze where he stood and hastily cleared his throat. "Uh…nothing…Blue."

Ulquiorra stopped walking and looked behind him, Grimmjow bumped into him and glared at him. "What are you looking for?" he asked impatiently. Ulquiorra glanced around a bit. "N-nothing." Ulquiorra said. "So if you're not looking at anything don't stop!" Grimmjow snapped. It seemed that flying had made the blue-haired man impatient. Weed sighed and said, trying to cheer him up.

"Grimmjow," Weed began. "I know you've been stuck in a plane for several hours since 1:00 in the morning—"

"Hey, genius, we left before one, god dammit!" Grimmjow growled, kicking some poor man's luggage and sending it crashing into a shop window, people screamed and Grimmjow sniggered.

"Ah, humans are so fun to mess with." He muttered. Ulquiorra and Blue looked at one another. "Nice going man," Kyoshiro growled. "Break a window, sure—jackass." He added. Grimmjow glared at him. "Shut up, and keep your voice down! People will see you talking!"

"Me? Their too busy looking at you, dumbass!"

Grimmjow and the others turned to look at the scene before them; sure enough everyone in the room was looking at them. Ulquiorra felt subconscious and shuffled his feet and Blue cleared her throat loudly while Weed and Kyoshiro looked like two deer's caught in a headlight.

Grimmjow broke the silence.

"Oh my goodness gracious," he said in a voice filled with mock surprise. "Whoever did such a thing? Wasn't me." And Grimmjow shuffled off followed hastily by Ulquiorra and Weed and Kyoshiro and Blue.

"My god, Grimmjow, you have got to keep your temper under control!" Blue snapped. Grimmjow hailed a cab and ignored her as they all piled in. Kyoshiro and Weed sat on Blue and Ulquiorra's laps in silence until Grimmjow finally said. "Kyo, avoid talking in public when your in your dog form, it looks freaking weird." He grumbled.

"What the hell, Grimmjow! No one can hear me! The only reason you can hear me and Weed is because you are an Espada in a Gigai!" Kyoshiro snarled.

Grimmjow stiffened and turned his head to glare daggers at Kyoshiro. "What the fuck? You let me and Ulquiorra go on believing that you couldn't talk in your dog form in public! Not to mention that you kept freaking me out whenever you did speak in public!"

"Actually I already knew." Ulquiorra added. Grimmjow punched the window.

"Hey, you no punching my window, monsieur!" said the cab driver. "Yeah, yeah whatever!" and then Grimmjow added. "Cad driver…"

The rest of the drive was incredibly tense and unpleasant. Then they finally arrived at their hotel. The hotel was very fancy looking and the area was completely foreign to all of them. The instant Blue stepped out she gasped and pointed to the Eiffel tower. "Look at that!" she said enthusiastically.

"Oh, cool!" Weed said his tail wagging. And then he added. "What is that?"

"The Eiffel tower." Ulquiorra said. "And by the looks of it we're in

La Défense, a major business district."

Grimmjow whistled. "Nice."

"But I thought we were in Paris." Grimmjow said, lugging their bags through the door.

"La Défense is a major business district _in_ Paris." Ulquiorra explained.

"How do you know?" Blue asked him, looking around the gorgeous hotel lobby.

"It's only natural to do research on a foreign country before one leaves for one." Ulquiorra said, giving the hotel lobby a look over.

"So, guys," Weed piped in. "After settling in what do you guys want to do? I want to sniff around the Eiffel Tower!" he said excitedly as they entered the lobby of the _Merde de Chien_ hotel.

A woman greeted them warmly at the front desk and said, her voice making it clear that she was French. "Hello and welcome to Merde de Chien hotel! You're registering?"

"Yes, thank you."

After a few seconds they were ready to start moving. The hotel had marble floors and a fine dining room and a marble spiraling staircase. "Our floor is the fourth," Ulquiorra said. "And the door number is 6." He said. Weed grinned and said cheerfully. "Hey, Ulquiorra is the fourth Espada and Grimmjow is the fifth! We're staying in a GrimmUlqui room!"

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra choked on their own spit.

The hotel room was carpeted in red and it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was tiny and the table was tiny too but the couch was soft and pleasant to lie on, Kyoshiro and Weed immediately called dibs on the couch, wanting to sleep on it tonight.

"I'll take the room on the left." Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra made to walk away but Grimmjow grabbed him by the shoulder. "And where do you think your sleeping, huh?" he asked a huge smirk on his face. "With Blue?"

Ulquiorra sighed and smacked Grimmjow's hand off of him. "Obviously not." Grimmjow grinned. "Great." And he walked towards his room. "Instead I'll sleep on the floor next to the sofa." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow tripped on his own foot. "What?" he asked loudly.

"I was not being serious." Ulquiorra said, sitting down on the sofa while Blue drew back the curtains. "Wow, what a beautiful view!" she exclaimed. "You can clearly see the Eiffel tower!" she said, pointing to the giant tower.

Grimmjow snorted. "Eiffel sniffel…" Blue rolled her eyes. "Real mature, man." she said, sitting down next to Ulquiorra. "Well…we're here!" she said, trying to break the sudden silence. Kyoshiro coughed. "Um…what do you guys want to do?" he asked, shuffling his paws. Grimmjow shrugged. "Sleep I guess." He answered.

"Anyone hungry?" Blue asked. Ulquiorra shrugged. "Not really."

Grimmjow nodded. "You bet your ass." Weed and Kyoshiro's tails wagged enthusiastically. "Well…I'll get something for you too, Ulquiorra—for later." And she began to call room service.

The food was good, very good. Grimmjow and the four of them ate happily, talking and joking around while Ulquiorra watched from the couch, hid gaze almost fond. Grimmjow turned his head to look at him and his blue gaze met Ulquiorra's emerald gaze. Grimmjow blinked when he saw the expression in Ulquiorra's eyes and felt his face heat up when Ulquiorra continued to stare at him. "Uh…you okay?" Grimmjow asked feeling somewhat nervous that Ulquiorra was looking at him in such a way.

Ulquiorra didn't move. "H-Hey!" Grimmjow snapped. Ulquiorra blinked the expression off his face in an instant to be replaced by his trademark poker face. "What is it?" he asked. Grimmjow stared and said slowly. "Uh…nothing…you were just staring at me for half a minute so I wondered if you inhaled too much of that smoke from outside and—"

"Don't be stupid."

Grimmjow scowled and looked away. "Tch."

* * *

It was nearly 12:00.

Grimmjow was in the bathroom, having just got done taking a shower and was topless and had the towel flung over his bare shoulders. The man sighed and placed his face in his hand and closed his eyes. "Seriously, I feel like we just got settled in New York and now all of a sudden we're down here! New York is starting to feel like a vacation home…" Grimmjow sighed heavily. "We travel way too fucking much…"

The door knob turned and Grimmjow's eyes opened to glance over at the door and just as he looked over Ulquiorra entered. Ulquiorra blinked at Grimmjow for a moment. Grimmjow blinked back apparently not uncomfortable in the least about being seen half naked by another man. Ulquiorra stared for a moment and then, his eyes widening slightly, made to close the door but Grimmjow's hand grabbed the doorknob before it could and he said. "Oi, I've got nothing on me you haven't seen before," and then Grimmjow added—stupidly—.

"Unless of course, you really are a chick."

Ulquiorra flung open the door and it banged into the wall, Grimmjow let go of the door the instant it opened so that his arm wouldn't be ripped out of its socket.

"Dude, you almost ripped my arm out of my—!" Grimmjow began angrily but Ulquiorra's hand then seized his throat, pushing him against the wall.

"Make another comment about how I look like a girl and I will—"

"Oh, so even you think you look like a girl?" Grimmjow said, his face twitching and his shoulders shaking with his attempts at holding in his laughter. Ulquiorra's eyebrow twitched.

"Silence."

Grimmjow began sniggering, Ulquiorra's scowl deepened. "Laugh and I will kill you." he said, his voice low. Grimmjow was about to speak and then it happened— Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed into slits and suddenly a black aura surrounded him and his face was concealed by shadows. Grimmjow's eyes widened. The Ulqui-thing advanced on him.

"Laugh, go on, I dare you." Grimmjow backed away, suddenly scared shitless. "Uh…uh…!" Grimmjow looked around the room, sweat forming on his forehead. Ulquiorra's hand reached out and grabbed the towel wrapped around his shoulders, using it to pull him closer his face now inches from Grimmjow's.

"Well, are you going to laugh now?" he asked, his voice low.

Grimmjow's heart was pounding in his chest. "No thank you…" he whispered. And then his eyes narrowed. _Wait a minute; I'm being manipulated by him? By Ulquiorra? By _him_?_

_Forget about it._

Grimmjow was about to say something negative but Ulquiorra, deciding by Grimmjow's silence that he was scared enough, stepped backwards. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he stepped on a puddle of water and before he knew it his foot was knocked out from beneath him, Grimmjow heard Ulquiorra give a small gasp of surprise as he fell towards the floor. Grimmjow's eyes widened and he made to grab Ulquiorra's hand but he had forgotten one thing, Ulquiorra was still holding onto the towel behind Grimmjow's neck.

Bang!

They both fell on the floor, Grimmjow lying on top of Ulquiorra while Ulquiorra was crushed beneath him. There was something amiss and that was probably the pain on the back of Ulquiorra's head, seeing that there was none. Ulquiorra blinked and he realized that Grimmjow had put his hand against the back of Ulquiorra's head to prevent the impact.

Grimmjow groaned and pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down at the man beneath him.

"What the hell'd you have to trip for?"

Ulquiorra scowled. "I didn't do it on purpose." He said defensively.

Grimmjow scoffed. "Fine whatever."

Ulquiorra pushed himself up on his elbows and winced slightly.

"Maybe next time you should dry the floor."

"Oi, shut it. I just saved your head from getting cracked open, stop bitching."

"And I'm grateful for that." Ulquiorra said, poking Grimmjow on the nose, the man scowled. They heard a dry cough; both men looked towards the bathroom door and saw Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro grinned sheepishly. "Hey…bye…" and he slammed the door. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and sat up. "Idiot."

Ulquiorra pushed him to his feet and said. "Let me know when you're done."

"But I am done." Grimmjow said, opening the bedroom door and passing through it. In the hotel the bedrooms were behind a door in the bathroom, the bathroom also had a separate door leading into the living room.

Ulquiorra watched him leave and sighed and started unbuttoning his shirt when he heard the door to the bedroom creak. He sighed and shook his head. "Grimmjow, close the door."

"It's not open."

"I can see its open a crack. Close it. Pervert."

He heard Grimmjow growl and heard the door slid shut.

* * *

He could hear hustle and bustle going on outside the hotel and he sighed. He was barely awake, the sheets were so warm and the mattress so soft and the pillows so freaking cuddly he felt like he was on Bed Cloud 9—whatever the hell that was.

….

….

He felt like a teddy bear.

He felt the mattress shift slightly and he groaned sleepily, nuzzling the pillow. He heard a soft chuckle somewhere next to him and he felt a hand settle on his face. Grimmjow sighed contentedly and he felt the hand slid up to gently stroke his hair. The man lips pressed gently to Grimmjow's and Grimmjow groaned, his hand gripping the man's shoulder.

"Blue and Kyoshiro, Weed and I are going to get food. Don't freak out when you wake up and fined out that we're not there." The voice murmured and Grimmjow could tell he was close because he could feel the man's breathe against his ear and strangely enough he felt secure. The voice was familiar too.

Ulquiorra…

Grimmjow nuzzled the hand against his face, his own hand closing over the smaller hand, holding it against his face.

He felt Ulquiorra's other hand gently lift his chin, felt Ulquiorra's lips hover over his for a moment before pressing his lips to Grimmjow's, both hands cupping his face.

Grimmjow moaned softly and responded to the gentle kiss, it was too short for his liking however because almost as soon as it had started it stopped and he growled.

"I'll be back soon." Ulquiorra whispered and the weight on his bed was gone. Grimmjow nuzzled the pillow again and then suddenly his brain registered what had just happened.

He fell asleep again.

* * *

Grimmjow was woken earlier on by the sounds of a shower turning off in the next room. Grimmjow yawned and sat up groggily, looking towards the curtains, they were not drawn but the sunlight easily came through them. Grimmjow blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the light pouring in through the curtains. He stretched widely and rubbed his eyes.

And then Grimmjow swung his legs over the bed and put his weight on the floor. This was what started the beginning of a rather hectic day.

He stepped on something and whatever it was let out a blood-curdling scream! Grimmjow screamed too and fell out of bed, dragging the blankets with him and he and Kyoshiro stumbled out of the room, Grimmjow yelling that he was going to kill Kyoshiro who screamed louder. "Leave me alone!" Kyoshiro screamed.

Ulquiorra looked around as the door to the bathroom flew open and Grimmjow and Kyoshiro ran out and plowed into him, Grimmjow smashed into him and Kyoshiro jumped into Ulquiorra's arms out of fright screaming, "Ulquiorra, stop him!" and Ulquiorra stumbled backwards and smashed through the bathroom door and crashed onto the ground and Kyoshiro jumped out of his arms and ran around the living room with Grimmjow on his heels.

Blue was sitting at the table and she gasped loudly when Grimmjow tore past her, ruffling the newspaper in her hand and almost blowing it away. Kyoshiro jumped on the couch and landed on top of Weed who screamed at the top of his lungs and caused Blue to spill her drink all over the table.

Weed jumped aside as Grimmjow smashed onto the couch right next to him, Weed jumped on Grimmjow's back and began trying to run off of him but Grimmjow sat up and ran, throwing Weed off his back. Kyoshiro dove under the table and kicked a chair at Grimmjow who tripped and smashed into the table leg, breaking it and the table collapsed and Blue screamed bloody murder as everything fell off the table Ulquiorra gasped and stood up, his eyes wide.

Grimmjow looked up. "Sorry!" he yelled, and he grabbed Kyoshiro by the tail and swung him around and around before throwing him across the room.

"Hey, don't be mean to him!" Weed yelled, but Kyoshiro smashed into a lamp and knocked it over and Weed shrieked as Grimmjow ran by him and Weed dove under the couch but was unable to fit.

Blue was taking deep breaths to calm herself down as the crashes and bangs and yells filled the room. "Calm down…calm down…calm down…" and then her eyes opened and a black aura surrounded her.

Grimmjow and Kyoshiro were punching each other and Ulquiorra and Weed just watched dumbfounded, until Grimmjow threw Kyoshiro right into Ulquiorra's face causing him to fly backwards and smash into the sink, knocking all of the dirty dishes to the floor. Grimmjow gasped and Ulquiorra smiled a truly evil smile—Grimmjow's eyes widened hugely— before he grabbed Kyoshiro by the tail and swung him around several times before hurling him right back into Grimmjow's face.

The shattering of the dishes did Blue in.

An enraged howl filled the room and everyone froze, Grimmjow with his arms around Kyoshiro's neck, Ulquiorra with his hands over his nose and Weed frozen mid fall.

A black wolf dog stood by the table, its fur fluffed up and a snarl on its face. "If all of you don't stop this nonsense right now, I will not hesitate to end it for you…now—SHUT UP!" the wolf dog howled, its blue eyes narrowing. Grimmjow stared, his hands still around Kyoshiro's neck, Kyoshiro stared as well, his tongue hanging out. Ulquiorra blinked and Weed stared, still frozen mid fall.

The wolf dog gave a doggy smile. "Good," she said, her blue eyes closed. And then without warning a black aura flickered around her.

Grimmjow sweat dropped and Kyoshiro gasped. Ulquiorra dropped the tissue paper he held and Weed fell onto the ground with a thud.

Silence filled the room.

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. "Are you going to fix this?"

Grimmjow and Kyoshiro had repaired the living room, or they had tried too. Ulquiorra had finally gotten tired of hearing them struggle and called room service to get someone to repair the room and furniture.

"Just great…more money gone to waste…" Kyoshiro muttered. Blue glared at him and he immediately went silence. They were now gathered around the new table eating breakfast which had luckily not been ruined because the food had been in plastic containers.

Grimmjow sighed and said. "What the hell were you doing in my room anyway?"

Kyoshiro—who was in his human form— looked up when he was addressed. "I went to wake you up, no luck, so I curled up on the floor and waited for you to get up but your so damn silent that I didn't know that you were getting up until you planted your feet right on my back. It scared the crap out of me!" Kyoshiro snapped.

"Now, now…" Weed said, trying to avoid another argument. "How about we go on a tour today? Maybe go to the Eiffel Tower?" he suggested. Kyoshiro thought about this as he chewed his food. "Hm…I don't really know any other cool spots in Paris except the Eiffel tower so that sounds good I guess."

Grimmjow sighed and said. "How about the catacombs?"

Everyone went silent and looked at him. Weed who was in his human form blinked. "What are the catacombs?" he asked.

"From what I heard about them they were used back during—I dunno. Anyway, a lot of people died, many, and they were buried, but more people died—because the dead bodies smell attracted diseases and whatever else or something like that— and as more people died there was hardly any room for died bodies anymore, and it came to the point where people would have to stack bodies on top of one another when they were buried. So the catacombs came into existence and the bodies were stored down there. Or at least…the bones were. So in other words the place is filled with bones stacked up like walls, huge, _huge_, amounts of them! Oh and did I mention that the catacombs are literarily endless?" Grimmjow said a huge grin on his face.

Ulquiorra and the others stared at him in shock. "Wow…" Weed murmured. Blue blinked at him, a piece of bacon sliding off her fork onto her plate. "Wow, and I thought you were a dumbass." Kyoshiro said. Grimmjow slammed his fist on the table. "Shut up!" he snapped.

It seemed Grimmjow was heart set on taking them there because he went out for a while and did not come back until some time around sunset hour. Blue sighed and put her cheek against her hand. "He's probably gone into the catacombs." She said. "Are you serious?" Weed asked nervously.

"No." Ulquiorra said, glancing up from Grimmjow's laptop. "The catacombs are impossible to get into unless you're with a guide, and the guides are forbidden to take you all the way into the catacombs. If people get lost in there they stay lost."

Weed shivered. "What a terrible place to get lost in."

"You can say that again." Kyoshiro muttered.

Weed, taking him seriously, said. "What a terrible place to get lost in…"

"I wasn't being serious…" Kyoshiro muttered, sweat dropping.

The door banged open and Grimmjow walked in and something good had obviously happened because he wore a smirk on his face. "Get up guys," he said striding into the room. "We've got a date at the catacombs in five minutes."

And Blue sat bolt up right, her eyes wide as dinner plates. "What?" she exclaimed. "How did you—did you seriously—?"

Grimmjow nodded and Blue rushed over to him. "_The_ catacombs? You mean inside the catacombs where no one has ever tread before—except maybe a few people?" she asked, her face inches from his. Ulquiorra scowled at that. Grimmjow's grin widened. "yes, and I've got a guide and it is going to be fucking awesome."

"Oh my god we're going to the catacombs!" Blue yelled, punching the air. "Grimmjow, how exactly did you manage that?" Ulquiorra asked, Grimmjow looked over, still grinning. "From what I just read—and from what you told me—people as well as tour guides are forbidden from entering deep into the catacombs, you could seriously—"

"Oh stop being a kill joy!" Grimmjow said, slapping him on the back, Ulquiorra winced. "It'll be great!"

"So," Kyoshiro began nervously. "He definitely knows his way around, the tour guide I mean?"

"He knows the underground like a rat." Grimmjow assured him, already pulling on his blue jean jacket.

Weed and Kyoshiro exchanged glances. "Well…this will be interesting…" Weed murmured. "But what if something happens?"

"What the hell!" Grimmjow exclaimed, glaring over at Weed. "What the hell is the worst that could happen, huh?"

* * *

"Howdy folks and welcome to the tour of the catacombs!" said the man in front of them. Grimmjow had lead them down towards a cemetery and there they waited for the tour guide to show up, they had waited for almost an hour before a man had stumbled onto their path and announced himself as the tour guide.

He was a man with shoulder length greasy hair and a clearly unshaven face and baggy clothes and Ulquiorra's doubts that this was a good idea only increased, especially when he realized that the only ones here for the tour were the five of them and a fat little boy sucking on a lollipop.

Grimmjow looked down and saw Ulquiorra was giving him a look that said 'if any of my misgivings are correct I will never trust you again' and Grimmjow ruffled his hair playfully.

"Uh, hello," Blue said nervously and Kyoshiro and Weed began sniffing his legs. "He smells disgusting…" Kyoshiro muttered, his black nose wrinkling. Weed closed his eyes, grinning nervously. "When Grimmjow said he knew the underground like a rat I didn't actually except the guy to smell like a sewer rat…" Kyoshiro muttered reproachfully.

"Nice doggies!" said the man, petting Kyoshiro and Weed on the head. Kyoshiro noticed that the man had dirt in his nails and he shuddered. "Ready for the tour?" the man asked in a baby voice. Weed wagged his tail nervously. "No." Kyoshiro replied.

The tour guide grinned stupidly and said. "Let's g—uh, kid, are you with us?" he asked addressing the fat little boy. The fat little boy stared and then shuffled away up the street. "Alright," said the tour guide. "Let's go!" he said enthusiastically and he led the group away up the street.

Ulquiorra's misgivings turned to curiosity when he saw where the tour guide was leading them. He led them through the streets of Paris and then up a deserted street near some old railway tracks. He stopped in front of the chain link fence and said. "I don't know if you lot have done this before but…" and he began to climb the way too tall chain link fence. Grimmjow looked up, watching him. "Oh boy…" he grinned hugely. "This is just like in one of those movies, sweet!"

"I'll never be able to jump that!" Kyoshiro said, his ears flattening.

"I'll jump it in one!" Grimmjow said, backing away. Ulquiorra closed his eyes. "He's going to fail," he opened his eyes. "Grimmjow, climb it like a normal—" but Grimmjow shot by and leapt.

Kyoshiro's eyes widened as Grimmjow flew towards the top of the fence, the tour guide looked up and his eyes widened. "What the…?"

Blue closed her eyes and heard Ulquiorra counting under his breath. "3…2…1…"

CRASH!

Grimmjow smashed into the fence just when he was almost over it. Before he slid down however one of Grimmjow's hands seized the top of the fence and he began scrabbling to get a foothold. Grimmjow began heaving himself over it. "Damn it…" Grimmjow growled, using his other hand to pull himself up.

Then he heard something and looked to his right and saw Ulquiorra climbing beside him. Grimmjow stared as Ulquiorra heaved himself over the fence and then seized Grimmjow's hand. "What're you—?" Grimmjow began but Ulquiorra said. "It's easy," said the man, holding onto the opposite side of the fence. "Just climb over."

"Didn't need you to tell me that…" Grimmjow muttered, tightening his grip on Ulquiorra's pale hand.

Blue was now climbing to his left; Kyoshiro and Weed were trying to climb over. Grimmjow sighed and slid down to the ground and picked up Weed and held him under his arm and he began to climb over. Blue seized Kyoshiro as well and Grimmjow and Blue swung themselves over the fence, Grimmjow however knocked into Ulquiorra halfway down and they both tumbled down the hill, Weed still under Grimmjow's arm.

The tour guide started laughing and he and Blue made the same mistake, they ran down a steep hill. Both of them tripped and stumbled down the hill, all of them landing next to the tracks.

Grimmjow suddenly had a terrible realization—he couldn't breathe! Grimmjow heaved his face out of the grass and inhaled hugely, recovering, Grimmjow looked up at Ulquiorra who was sprawled on Grimmjow's back. "Ulquiorra you're crushing my freaking kidney!" Grimmjow wheezed. "Oh sorry." Ulquiorra slid off of Grimmjow's back and lay down on the grass. Weed was standing up a few inches away.

"Everyone okay?" the tour guide asked and everyone nodded. "This way!"

The man led them down the train tunnel, and then he stopped and turned to face the wall. "Alright," he said, staring at the wall. "Here it is!" and he fumbled with some keys in his pocket and pushed it into a door in the wall.

"Welcome to the catacombs, my friends…"

Kyoshiro peered down the dark staircase, his gray eyes widening. "It's so…fucking dark." He said. Grimmjow walked past him, his hands shoved in his pockets. "So what? Scared?"

"Heh, heh…" Kyoshiro chuckled nervously. "No way…any way…who would be? Just a bunch of dead guys…!" the Kishu Inu swallowed before he began to descend the staircase. Blue followed him slowly, looking over her shoulder at Ulquiorra and Weed. "C'mon!" she said excitedly. Ulquiorra just nodded and Weed was the last one in. Halfway down the stair case however they noticed light coming behind them and Ulquiorra sighed, he had forgotten Weed couldn't close a door.

Ulquiorra began to head up the dark staircase and then, halfway up, he brushed against something soft on the wall. He stiffened and looked around. In the soft glow of the very little light there was in the tunnel above them, he could make out something standing against the wall…right…next…to…him…

Ulquiorra raced down the stairs and smashed into Grimmjow, who screamed in horror and turned his head to see Ulquiorra clinging to him for dear life. "Dude, what the fuck?" he gasped. "Give me a heart attack, sure! For a moment I thought you were a skeleton or—hey, what's up?" for Ulquiorra was clinging to him madly for dear life. "Um…that is you…right Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow asked, suddenly unnerved. There was no light down here. Grimmjow reached out his hand and placed it on what felt like a wall in front of him.

"Um…tour guide?" came Blue's voice right next to Grimmjow's ear. "Can we have some light, please?"

Grimmjow heard Kyoshiro give a shuddering gasp. "This palce smells of death…"

"Well what the fuck did you expect it to smell like, bath soaps?" Grimmjow asked, looking wildly around the room. "Guys!" it was Weed. "Something's touching my butt!"

"Ew." said Blue.

"Light, now, please!" Ulquiorra snapped.

"Yes, sir, right away, sir." came the tour guide's voice and the next second there was light…all around! Light bulbs were on the ceiling. "Oh good, there are light bulbs!" Weed exclaimed, turning around. Grimmjow turned back to the wall—and screamed bloody murder for he was staring into the face of a skull, a huge pile of them! Grimmjow staggered backwards and then relaxed, laughing to himself.

Weed had also screamed as well because he was staring at…skulls carved into the wall to form the shape of stick men. "Heh heh…that's funny and yet…kind of disrespectful…"

Ulquiorra released Grimmjow immediately and Grimmjow heaved in a huge breath before the tour guide said. "Alright, lemme show ya around and remember!" and he turned around so fast they all heard his neck crack slightly. "If you get lost—you stay lost—forever!"

Kyoshiro swallowed. "Well, lucky for you we're all sensible enough to stay together….right guys?" Blue asked, looking over her shoulder at her friends.

Grimmjow, who had been running his finger into the empty eye socket of a skull, immediately stopped. "This would be a cheerful place to get lost in, huh?" Grimmjow said, walking after his friends. Ulquiorra was staring at the staircase, his green eyes narrowed. He heard a rustling and saw a few pebbles tumble down the stairs.

"Oi, Ulquiorra, get your ass over here!"

Ulquiorra jumped and look around. "Right." And, without looking back, he walked after his four friends.

And so the five friends and their tour guide walked through the mass walls of skulls, different bones, and followed the man ahead of them deeper in, deeper under Paris. Grimmjow stopped to stare at the bones and said. "The way they've arranged everything is really…interesting, huh?" he asked Kyoshiro, pointing to bones carved deeply into the wall to form a smiley face.

"Totally…" Kyoshiro said, shivering as he inhaled the air before hurrying after his friends.

Grimmjow slowed down to admire the interesting shapes on the wall. He moved onto the next shape and he grinned widely. The bones now formed two stick men fighting each other. The next one to the right of that showed a banana and a skull. "What the hell?" Grimmjow muttered, moving onto the next one. This one was larger than the others; in fact it even seemed to form some words. Grimmjow started reading them out loud. "Y—O—U—okay, that's 'you'….A—R—E—are…G—O—I—N—G— going…." The next was simply the number 2. "D—I—E—die. Wait—what?" Grimmjow exclaimed, doing a double take.

"That is so fucked up." Grimmjow said, staring at the number of arm bones used to write that down. "Fuckers and their jokes…"

He looked at the next one and gave a loud gasp. This time a different number of bones formed what was unmistakably a UFO. And then the next one showed what was clearly the screaming mask used in the movie Scream. "Holy—Ulquiorra, come take a look at this!"

Silence.

Grimmjow's heart dropped into his toes and he turned around to look at the passage ahead of him. The tunnels went into five different directions. "Oh shit!" Grimmjow gasped, looking around the room. Bones. Bones. Bones!

And each one of them seemed to be mocking him!

"No…no…no…no…no!" and then Grimmjow saw that one of the skeleton heads in the wall was grinning at him.

"NO!"

Ulquiorra walked alongside Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. The tour guide was ahead of them, talking loudly over his shoulder and giving them information about the catacombs every now and then.

"Ulquiorra?" Blue asked the pale man, looking over at him. "Are you alright? I mean, you've been looking nervous ever since we got here."

Ulquiorra had jumped slightly when addressed and he just closed his eyes and sighed. "It's nothing, Blue."

"Ulquiorra!" Blue said impatiently. "C'mon, you can tell us! What are friends for?"

Ulquiorra considered this. "I don't know." Weed sighed and said. "Ulquiorra, it's really okay to talk to us—"

"Shush!" Ulquiorra said, holding out his arm in front of Weed, who jumped. "What?" he gasped. "Listen…" Ulquiorra whispered. They listened, even the tour guide stopped talking.

They could all hear it—someone was yelling in the darkness behind them!

"Oh my fucking God!" Kyoshiro gasped. "What the hell?" and he dove behind Blue. "It's a ghost!"

"It must be!" said the tour guide. "But I have never heard one so loud before in my life—actually, I've never even heard a ghost before!"

"'Ghost' my foot!" Ulquiorra muttered, his green eyes widening. "That's no ghost—!" and he seized Blue's arm. "That's Grimmjow!" and she gasped. "What?"

Weed exclaimed loudly. "What? When did he fall behind?"

Kyoshiro sighed. "That idiot!"

And Ulquiorra raced away up the tunnel, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue behind him with the tour guide hurrying slowly behind them.

"Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra called out, hurrying up the darkening passage. "Ulquiorra?" came a voice somewhere to the right. Ulquiorra hurried down the right tunnel. "Why didn't you stick with us?" Ulquiorra called, hoping to find him by his voice.

"You idiot! Didn't you hear what the tour guide said to us, you dolt?"

"Hey! It's not my fault some of those messages and shit were distracting!" this time the voice was farther away. Kyoshiro looked around. "Grimmjow, are you moving about?" Kyoshiro asked loudly.

"No. I'm standing stalk still, Kyoshiro!" Grimmjow called. "Keep talking!" Blue yelled.

"Right….guys, seriously, hurry up!"

"I'm trying!" Ulquiorra said, moving swiftly down the left tunnel. Weed suddenly had an idea. "Grimmjow, do you know Marco Polo?"

"Marco? Huh?"

"Grimmjow," Weed called. "Keep saying 'Marco' and we'll answer 'Polo'!"

"What the hell? Alright, alright…Marco!" Grimmjow's voice bellowed.

"Left again." Blue said and they all went left.

"Polo!" Kyoshiro barked.

"Marco!"

"Right!" Blue said, and Ulquiorra hurried right. "Polo!" Weed called as they reached five separate passages. "Marco!"

"Straight!" both Ulquiorra and Blue said, running down the straight passage with Kyoshiro and Weed hurrying behind them. "Polo!" Weed barked loudly.

"Marco!"

"Left turn!" Blue said and the four friends ran left.

And then they entered the room where they'd last been with Grimmjow.

"Polo!" Kyoshiro yelled triumphantly, pointing to the top of the wall of bones to the left.

Grimmjow was sprawled on his stomach on the bone pile, grinning down at them. "Marco!" he yelled, his grin widening, his blue eyes lighting up the instant he saw them.

"Polo." Ulquiorra finished—a small smile on his lips—as Grimmjow slid down the bone pile and flung his arms around Ulquiorra happily. Blue laughed and hugged them both and Kyoshiro and Weed grinned at each other, hurrying forward to greet Grimmjow, who was still grinning hugely.

"You know, that was the most fun I've ever had being lost!" Grimmjow said, nuzzling Ulquiorra's hair, Ulquiorra lightly punched his chest. "You idiot. Don't get lost again, or next time we won't bother."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, Ulqui."

Weed sighed happily and said suddenly, looking around. "Where's the tour guide?" and then suddenly the lights went out.

Blue yelled out in shock as the tunnel was plunged into darkness. "Sir, this isn't funny!" she yelled. Kyoshiro banged into the bone pile, dislodging a skull, which tumbled down the tunnel. Ulquiorra followed it's movement down the tunnel and then looked into the black tunnel ahead of them.

His eyes widened for in the dark he could make out a silhouette against the black, staring right at him, never moving. Ulquiorra's eyes widened and his grip on Grimmjow's arm tightened considerably. "G-Grimmjow…there's…"

"Ulqui?"

And then Grimmjow looked up and his eyes widened. There was a figure standing in the darkness ahead of them, just standing there, staring right at them.

And what frightened Grimmjow the most was the sudden trembling in his arms. He had never actually seen Ulquiorra get scared before but now…

Grimmjow tightened his hold on Ulquiorra as he felt the man shiver in his arms. "Do you know that person?" he whispered, he felt Ulquiorra shake his head. Grimmjow turned to glare up the tunnel.

And then a low snarl broke out and he heard Ulquiorra gasp lightly. Kyoshiro was snarling into the dark passage, the sound vibrated the ground ever so slightly. And Weed could smell Kyoshiro's fear. And that fear threatened to overwhelm him too. Weed backed away into Blue's leg and he felt her move closer to Grimmjow, she put her hand on his shoulder. "Grimmjow? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Who is that?"

Grimmjow only stared at the unmoving figure and swallowed. "No."

"G-guys…can we move?" Weed whispered, his voice shaking. "I-it's okay, Weed…" Blue whispered, bending over to pick him up as Kyoshiro moved closer to them.

The silhouette didn't speak, it didn't move, all it did was stare down the tunnel at them. Grimmjow normally would have passed it off as a trick of the dark except…this. Ulquiorra was frightened. And that one fact made it all clear that something was terribly wrong with that person standing ahead of them…

Then, the figure moved. Ulquiorra's eyes followed the figure's movements, his eyes widening with each step it took. He felt Grimmjow's arms tighten around him and he swallowed heavily as the figure approached.

"Stay away." Grimmjow snarled. "Do you hear me, keep back!"

The figure's movement stopped. "That's right…now, back away before I come after you. Move it!" Grimmjow yelled. And then, the figure reached into its pocket and pulled out something. A match was struck and held up to the person's face but nothing could be seen except the eyes, the eyes which stared right into Ulquiorra's, never blinking, just staring and Ulquiorra felt his eyes widen, felt a shiver run down his spin, he went still and just stared into those eyes.

Kyoshiro had started barking and snarling. "Get away!" Kyoshiro snarled loudly, his tail erect, the hair on his back standing up, his eyes wide.

Weed gave a gasp and buried his face in Blue's chest. Blue pressed herself against Grimmjow as the figure took one step, two steps, and three steps. "Grimmjow, move, get out of here." Ulquiorra whispered his voice frantic. Grimmjow looked down. "What?"

"Move!" Ulquiorra snapped, shoving Grimmjow in the chest.

They all began to back away as the figure drew closer, still holding the match in front of it's face.

They all stopped, the figure stopped. Grimmjow growled and said. "Enough of this bullshit." And he released Ulquiorra and advanced. Ulquiorra, desperate, seized Grimmjow's arm, shaking his head. Grimmjow was staring at him with wide eyes. "Ulquiorra?"

And then they heard footsteps racing up the tunnel and Ulquiorra retreated backwards just as the tour guide appeared from the passage exactly to the left of the stranger.

"Jesus! A blackout!" and then he turned on the light switched just as the match behind them went out.

He stared at all their terrified faces. "Gosh," he laughed. "Look at your guys; you guys look like you've—!"

"Get us out."

Grimmjow looked down at Ulquiorra and his eyes widened. Ulquiorra's eyes were wide open, his face blank of any expression but he looked horrified. "I said get us out of here. Now."

Ulquiorra's gaze did not stare at the tour guide, but seemingly through him, towards the passage with the figure that they could not see because the tour guide blocked it.

"Heh, why? You scared or somethin—?"

"DO IT! Can't you tell he wants to leave? Now get us out of here!" Grimmjow bellowed, his arms still around Ulquiorra's shoulders, and the tour guide jumped. "Alright, alright, Jesus!"

And the tour guide moved away form the tunnel and Ulquiorra saw it. Someone was peering around the corner, staring right at him. Ulquiorra felt a hand on his shoulder, a voice in his ear. "Ulquiorra," the voice whispered. "It's alright, okay? We're leaving, c'mon." and Ulquiorra was gently pushed ahead of Grimmjow.

Before following his friends, Grimmjow turned to glare over his shoulder. The figure was gone. Grimmjow's jaw clenched.

He didn't know who that person was; he didn't know what the hell they wanted, but all he knew was that whoever it was had managed to make Ulquiorra tremble. Something he, Grimmjow, had never seen before. And it unnerved him and angered him to a great extent.

Grimmjow stared into the blackness of the tunnel. _That thing is still there…I can hear it breathing…what the hell do you want with him?_

Grimmjow looked up, his lip curling. "I don't know who the hell you are, or what you want, but listen up you creep. If I get the _slightest feeling _that you're nearby, I'm going to be after you in an instant. If I get even the _slightest_ sign of fear or discomfort from him or even the _slightest _hint that you're close or that you're doing _anything_ to him, I will _crush you_, do you hear me? _Don't you even fucking touch him, you got me? _Stay the hell away from us!"

And Grimmjow stood there, staring into the dark ness of the tunnel. Whoever was there must have cut the electric circuits in the tunnel because that and everything beyond it was dark. He waited, challenging the darkness to move, waiting…

And then with a glare over his shoulder, Grimmjow walked away up the tunnel and around the corner where he saw his friends waiting for him near the staircase.

* * *

The instant they all arrived back at the hotel Grimmjow locked the front door and tested the locks, locked the balcony window, drew the curtains shut, searched the bedrooms for trap doors, checked under the beds, under the pillows, in the blankets, under the mattress, searched the bathrooms, checked behind the curtains which he left open so he would know if someone had hidden behind them, checked underneath the sink, under both the toilet seats, in the kitchen, under the couch and finally in the bed within the couch.

"Search completed. House secure…" he said before leaning against the door. Blue sighed with relief. "I already knew the house was secure, but thanks anyway."

Weed simply shivered and lay down on the couch next to Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra. "Grimmjow, I highly doubt that anyone could get a copy of our room card. I mean, they could, but the front desk would have to call us to make sure that—" Kyoshiro began but Grimmjow said. "You talk too much, shut up."

"Anyway, I already asked them to keep a better eye on their cards and not to allow anyone to receive a copy and or ask about or whereabouts."

"Man, you are so paranoid." Kyoshiro muttered.

"Grimmjow, thanks, I think we all feel a lot better now…" Weed said, circling and lying down on the couch.

The only one silent was Ulquiorra who simply lay against the couch, his eyes staring off into the distance. Grimmjow walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oi? You alive?" Ulquiorra gave a start and looked up at the man before he said. "I'm fine."

"Don't bullshit me, Ulquiorra. Now talk, you knew that creep was following you from the start didn't you?"

"I did."

Blue looked up, surprised. "Grimmjow let him breath." she said, Grimmjow glanced over at her before he moved away from Ulquiorra, still keeping his hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder.

"I knew she was following me."

"She? How do you know it's a girl?" Kyoshiro asked, sitting up.

"Because I've seen her…she's not the most careful stalker in the world."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "Stalker?"

"What else do you call someone who follows you around the world?"

Kyoshiro sat up so fast he almost fell from the couch and Weed gasped. Blue sat bolt up right and Grimmjow's eyes widened. "What?" they all exclaimed.

"You—you mean to tell me that this girl's followed you everywhere? How do you know this? And above all, why the fuck didn't you say anything?" Grimmjow growled, seizing Ulquiorra's shoulders roughly.

"She's followed me ever since we left New York. She boarded the same plane, she sat only a few seats behind me, she got off the plane at the same time we did and took a cab to the same hotel but apparently she doesn't stay here…I have no idea where she actually lives."

Grimmjow's face hardened. "You little idiot. You had someone following you from fucking New York and then all the way down to Paris and you didn't say a god damn thing?" Grimmjow roared. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I didn't want to alarm any of you so I kept quiet." Ulquiorra whispered, closing his eyes shut.

Blue, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed watched their friend in silence before Weed said, his voice trembling. "I thought that part of being someone's friend is that you rely on them when you're scared, Ulquiorra…and now we're all scared. Did you think we would abandon you if we found out you had a stalker?"

"No…"

"Then why didn't you rely on us?" Weed whispered his big blue eyes full of concern. Ulquiorra was staring out the window and then he closed his eyes. "It wasn't your burden to bear." He answered softly.

Kyoshiro's eyes narrowed and he said. "Ulquiorra, your burden is our burden. When your part of a group you rely on others…otherwise, we just start to think that you don't trust us!" Kyoshiro growled angrily, he saw Ulquiorra look over at him and Kyoshiro sighed heavily. "Fine, see if I care anymore." And he jumped off the couch and went into Blue's room.

"Kyoshiro…" Blue muttered, shaking her head. "He really does care Ulquiorra. All of us do…we're just surprised you kept such a serious problem from us. Goodnight, Grimmjow, Weed, Ulquiorra…" and she left the room after Kyoshiro.

Weed smiled at Ulquiorra, his tail wagging as he said, looking from one to the other. "Good night you two…" and he ran after Blue.

Grimmjow turned his gaze to Ulquiorra and saw that Ulquiorra's eyes were closed. Grimmjow sighed and said. "It was stupid…and next time, you let me know if you think she's anywhere around, alright?" Grimmjow growled, his hands tightening on Ulquiorra's shoulders. Ulquiorra nodded, his eyes still closed.

Grimmjow sighed and leaned in towards him, gently kissing him, his hand leaving Ulquiorra's shoulder to stroke his face. He felt Ulquiorra's hand fist in his shirt and Grimmjow moved away, his forehead resting against Ulquiorra's. "Let's go to sleep alright? I have no objection to sleeping out here if you'd like."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. "Why are you being so nice? It's not like you." Grimmjow frowned a bit and then he looked into Ulquiorra's eyes and said. "Cause…I think that…since your acting so odd…I should as well…? Shit, I don't know okay!" Grimmjow snapped impatiently, feeling his face heating up. He stopped trying to think when Ulquiorra buried his face in Grimmjow's shoulder, his arms wrapping tightly around Grimmjow's back.

"Thank you…" he whispered and Grimmjow could do nothing except hug him back, rocking slightly on the spot until the man in his arms fell asleep on the couch, hand in hand with Grimmjow who took up residence on the floor, watching the way the moonlight pooling in through the thin curtains seemed to illuminate Ulquiorra's skin.

"All sound, huh?" Grimmjow looked over towards the door and saw a black wolf dog at the door, the moonlight shining in her eyes.

"I haven't heard a sound all night…" Grimmjow muttered, glancing at the digital clock. It was 1:55 in the morning.

"You know, it's really nice of you to do this for us."

"No problem-o, go to bed." Grimmjow said.

Blue's furry face glanced over at Ulquiorra's sleeping form and she sat on her haunches and blinked those dazzling blue eyes once.

"He hides it all so well, I can only marvel at it." Grimmjow nodded, his gaze meeting hers.

"And really people who hardly know him believe nothing except that he's cold, heartless…but the beautiful thing about being his friends is that we know who he really is. He's kind, maybe even a little selfless…he doesn't tell us things because he doesn't want us to worry for him, he doesn't want to trouble us with his problems, but really…he should know that we really want to be the ones to help lift that burden from him…he's a tough nut to crack, but once you get past that outer shell, it's really all worth it. He's a good man."

Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah." He glanced over at Ulquiorra, he looked so innocent right now, his lips slightly parted, hair messed slightly, the moonlight pooling on his skin…

"Just like you." Grimmjow looked around. "What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, Blue laughed softly at that. "You're a good man, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow looked away, a scowl on his face. "You got better things to do than stand around babbling shit?" he asked, his face red.

Blue sighed. "I couldn't sleep. And it doesn't look like your any better."

"I'm just fine. Go to bed."

Blue went into the kitchen in her wolf form and drank briefly from the water bowl before she padded softly out of the kitchen and then stopped in front of Grimmjow who glared at her. "What?" he asked. Blue's tail wagged and she briefly licked his hand before the wolf dog padded away into the bedroom with the other two dogs.

Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra and recalled what Blue had just said about how Ulquiorra hid his feelings and thoughts. "You know, Ulqui, I really wouldn't mind hearing you complain for once. It'd be better than hearing nothing from you." Grimmjow whispered.

Silence filled the room and Grimmjow turned his gaze to the digital clock on the coffee table.

It was now 2: 00: in the morning.

Blue entered the room and jumped up on the bed before she began to circle on the bed and then paw at the blankets, trying to get comfortable. She lay down and glanced over at Weed and Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro was curled up on the pillow; Weed was lying next to the pillow Kyoshiro was lying on. Weed's head lifted and Blue looked over as Weed raised his head, blinking his eyes sleepily.

"B-Blue?" Weed murmured softly, raising his head.

"Yeah?" Blue asked turning her head to look at him.

"I heard something…sounded like scratching, and muffled thumps…" Blue looked up as he said this. "When?" she asked, reaching her muzzle over to lick at his furry face.

"Just a few minutes ago…" Weed said, his eyes now wide open. "It sounded like it was coming from below us or something…" Blue's eyes narrowed. "Whatever it is it sounds like it's stopped. Let's go to sleep, okay? I think things will be better in the morning, Weed."

"Are Grimmjow and Ulquiorra okay?"

"They are just fine. I just saw them in the next room." Blue assured him. "That's good." Weed said, smiling a small doggy smile before he walked over to her, curled up next to her, and fell asleep within seconds. Blue put her head on his back and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

A soft thump resounded through the room and Blue tried to tell herself it was nothing. That no one had followed them here…and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

* * *

It was the crack of dawn the golden rays of sun sparkled in through the window. Ulquiorra's eyes blinked open and he closed them, feeling too tired to move.

His hand clenched once, then twice. Ulquiorra's eyes opened when he realized that Grimmjow's hand was no longer in his, in fact, the man wasn't even in the room. Ulquiorra sat up and looked around the room. "Grimmjow?" he murmured. He made to lie back down and then he heard it.

_Chop. Chop. Chop._

Ulquiorra stiffened and his emerald eyes glanced towards the kitchen, which was covered by shadow.

Someone was slicing something up in the kitchen. The figure stopped and turned around.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as the figure moved towards him, bringing the shadows with her. And then Ulquiorra saw something on the floor in the kitchen. Blood.

And leaning against the counter, on the floor, slumped over was Grimmjow. Unmoving. And then just as Ulquiorra's eyes widened with terror the women held up a bloody knife and a chilling smile worked its way onto her face. And, still looking at Ulquiorra, the women pulled Grimmjow's head back, pressing the knife right against his throat.

Ulquiorra's eyes flew open, a loud gasp escaping him as he sat bolt up right, covered in icy sweat and shaking violently.

"Hey, you okay?" Ulquiorra turned around and saw Grimmjow standing in front of the bathroom door, a towel over his bare shoulders and his hair damp. "I leave you alone for a minute and this is what happens?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Ulquiorra swallowed heavily and fell back against the couch pillow, his eyes still wide open. Grimmjow sighed and walked over, kneeling down beside him. "What happened?" he asked.

"It wasn't even real. Never mind." Ulquiorra muttered, taking a soft breath in and closing his eyes.

Grimmjow placed his hand against Ulquiorra's chest and was silent for a moment. Ulquiorra's hand slid over his and the man seemed to relax. "It was a dream that's all. A bad one."

_A very bad one._

The digital clock read 10:00 AM. Ulquiorra sighed and whispered. "Good. It's not too late."

The bedroom door opened and Ulquiorra jumped slightly only to inwardly curse himself and his nerves as Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro came out of the bedroom.

"Morning!" Weed said cheerfully, running over to Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. "You two sleep well?"

"No." Grimmjow said immediately. "I stayed up all night listening for noises I never heard."

"Hey, did you ever consider calling the police and getting a restraining order on that stalker of yours?" Kyoshiro asked Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra sat up and crossed the room to the phone. Then he stopped. "Do it!" Kyoshiro growled. "Rather safe than sorry if you ask me!"

"I am going to do it." Ulquiorra said, staring at the phone. "It's just I'm curious about her identity and what exactly she wants from me."

"Well you aren't going to ask her!" Grimmjow growled. "Now call the police and get a restraining order done on her!"

"I don't even know what she looks like." Ulquiorra said.

"Haven't you seen her face at all?" Blue asked. "Never. Even in that dream I just had her face was in darkness…that time in the catacombs was the first time I'd actually seen her. I only recognized her on the plane by her eyes and her outfit. But it was a different outfit yesterday in the catacombs…"

"Still, getting a restraining order is a start!" Weed encouraged him. "And maybe with the police around they might get clearer views of her and if they do that then you won't have to try and get better views of her yourself."

"I wasn't planning on getting more views of her by myself. I'm not stupid, Weed."

"I know that, but—"

"Get the police on the line." Grimmjow said.

So Ulquiorra talked to the police, gave them information on the stalker. Ulquiorra hung up however and sighed. "Bad news?" Kyoshiro asked.

"They say they can't do much with so little information…" Ulquiorra muttered. "She's not stupid, this girl…however, the police also said that they would come by the hotel later anyway. They are also going to check the catacombs and they warned us to be cautious."

Weed shivered and Blue nodded. "It's good that their looking into this, but we really could use some more information on her."

"How about we go down to eat now?" he asked.

"How about we just order room service?" Grimmjow growled.

"We do that too often!" Kyoshiro snapped.

"We'll all go down to eat," Blue said sternly. "If that's alright with everyone?"

Everyone nodded.

They all left the room and Ulquiorra walked over to the elevator, however, his friends moved towards the stairs but there was a sign in front of the stairs that Ulquiorra could quite read. "What does it say?" Ulquiorra asked, pressing the button for the elevator.

Kyoshiro looked at the sign before reading. "It says 'Stairs in need of repair please use elevator for your own safety. We are sorry for the inconvenience.' Elevator then!" Kyoshiro said, turning towards the elevator which had already come. Ulquiorra walked into the elevator and said. "Hurry."

"Hey, hold it!" Kyoshiro called. Ulquiorra reached for the button that would hold the doors but it was too late. Just as Ulquiorra's friends reached the door it closed. Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow curse lightly.

Ulquiorra sighed. "Oh well."

The elevator went from the fourth floor to the third floor, where it stopped for a moment, waiting for the next person to board it.

The doors opened and someone stood in the entrance way. Someone clothed in black.

And Ulquiorra's eyes widened the instant he saw the black mask over the person's face and realized just what kind of a mistake he had made by entering the elevator alone.

And before he could move the person ran in and threw something to the floor, something which smelled horrible and burned in the air. Ulquiorra felt his head spinning, disorientated, horrified, he tried to move, only to fall to the floor, the last thing he heard was someone humming lightly above him before his vision turned black.

Grimmjow tapped his fingers against the elevator button, growling. "God dammit, hurry up!" he snarled, punching the button again and again.

"Grimmjow, you're going to break it." Blue said soothingly, putting her hand in his and lowering his hand. "Calm down. We'll meet him in the dining area."

"I know that!" Grimmjow snarled, looking like he wanted to punch the elevator. "It's just reached ground level." Weed said, his little doggy face upturned towards the levels at the top of the elevator.

"And…it's here!" Weed said, jumping up as the elevator doors opened. A horrible smell hit their noses and Kyoshiro coughed loudly, his eyes bugling. "Holy shit, what the fuck is that stink?" he exclaimed, coughing violently.

Blue sniffed and immediately regretted it as the smell burned her eyes. "It's nothing like I've ever smelled before…" she gagged. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "It's getting stronger…" he whispered, covering his face with his hand.

"It's coming from over there." Weed gasped, looking towards the stairs. "It's coming from two different places…?" Grimmjow whispered. "Could it be that this is some kind of gas?" Blue asked, her eyes watering. "Not sleeping gas…I don't even know what that smells like but—"

And as Grimmjow stood there a sudden horrible thought came to him. "Oh no…" he whispered, his eyes widening. "Shit!" he growled. And he ran towards the stairs and ran around the sign before racing down the stairs, only to step on something and almost slip as the thing was pulled out underneath him.

It was a piece of the stairs!

Grimmjow seized the hand rail to stop himself from breaking his neck before he hurried the rest of the way down and entered the hotel lobby. His eyes widened.

Everyone in the lobby was lying face down on the floor, the lady at the front desk was slumped against her desk, kids, their parents— everyone lay on the floor, not moving. And the smell in the room was so strong it was difficult to breath.

All Grimmjow could feel was the horror building up in his stomach until he felt himself shaking. "Ulquiorra…" he whispered, his eyes widening as he looked around the room.

Where was he?

Grimmjow raced amongst the unconscious people, looking desperately for someone he recognized. No one.

Grimmjow raced in the dining room, the fumes did not seem to have reached anyone in here because of the doors that separated the dining room from the lobby. Hoping against hope that Ulquiorra had not been attacked in the elevator, Grimmjow raced around the dining room, calling out, desperate eyes searching. Nothing.

"God dammit!" Grimmjow whimpered, aware that his fear was making him senseless. Grimmjow looked around the room. People talking happily, a child screaming, men laughing loudly, Grimmjow's eyes grew wider with each face he passed over, the noises combined were making his heart race, making his temper rise, his blue eyes grew wider by the second as his voice was drowned amongst the laughter and chatter of the people who neither knew nor cared that Ulquiorra Shiffer was missing, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue had entered the room behind him and were running towards him, calling, their voices mingled with the chatter all around…

A waitress pushing a large cart of food began to pass him, the large plate contained different kinds of food. And without thinking, Grimmjow seized it and with a roar of fury threw it across the room. The bang made everyone look around, the child stopped screaming, the waitress with the cart froze mid yell as the plate of food smashed against the wall.

And silence fell. Grimmjow, breathing heavily just stood there in the room, feeling everyone's eyes on him.

"Grimmjow…" Blue whispered her eyes wide with shock. Grimmjow just stood there, frozen on the spot, his mind only able to register one thing.

_Ulquiorra wasn't here…Ulquiorra wasn't here…he wasn't here…_

"Where is he?" Grimmjow roared into the silent room. Grimmjow felt sick with fear and confusion, his mind kept telling him that there was no way Ulquiorra could have been captured that quickly, he had only been in the elevator a few seconds!

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow yelled. "Answer me! Ulquiorra!" But the room was silent. No one responded to his desperate cries…no one…

Kyoshiro's eyes were wide as he looked around the room. "Ulquiorra?" he called out. Blue began to call as well and so did Weed. Their friend wasn't where they had all agreed he'd be and that could only mean one thing.

Grimmjow's voice failed him as sobs choked him; Grimmjow fell to his knees on the floor, not wanting to take it in. Grimmjow's eyes closed tightly as he fought back the wail of despair that threatened to break from him. "U-Ulquiorra…" he whispered, hoping that somehow the man would hear him, come walking over asking him what was wrong…but nothing happened…nothing.

Grimmjow took in a deep breath, trying to calm down as people began to stand, staring to help search. It was pointless.

Blue was by his side, her arm around his shoulders, but Grimmjow wouldn't move. "Why did I do this?" Grimmjow whispered. "Why did I let him out of my sight, why?" he yelled. "It's not your fault…" Blue whispered. "C'mon, let's go…c'mon…" she whispered, her voice shaking.

Grimmjow was helped to his feet and together, he and Blue moved through the crowd. Once or twice Grimmjow actually thought he saw Ulquiorra in the crowd of people.

Blue led him out of the dining room and Grimmjow leaned against the wall, feeling sick. Ulquiorra was out of his range now.

They were all silent, Grimmjow taking in deep breaths to calm himself. "This is my fault…" he whispered. "I should have gone with him…why didn't I go with him?" he whispered, closing his eyes as he felt the burning behind them intensify. "Why didn't I suspect this might happen? Now who the hell knows where he is? Who knows what's happening to him? It's all my fucking fault!" Grimmjow roared, kicking a bust of a lion which fell over and shattered.

"Grimmjow, the lady at the front desk is coming around; we can ask her what she saw." Kyoshiro said looking nervous as Grimmjow glared at him.

The lady at the front desk said that she had seen the elevator doors open and something had been thrown out that caused the air to turn bad. Before she passed out she had seen a black clothed person leaving the building with someone who was unconscious.

Grimmjow had searched the cars outside even though he knew the kidnapper's car was long gone. No one had seen the license plate number or what color the car was. The police interrogated everyone in the building but found no one knew what color the car was except an old man and he didn't know if the car had been blue or red or purple or pink and was having a hard time making up his mind. The fact that a lot of cars had departed some time that day made it difficult too.

Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were in their room right now with a police man who was listening to the last bit of their story. Blue had had to tell it because Grimmjow was miserable enough. "So you're certain that your friend had not made an enemy of this girl?"

"He did nothing to her." Blue said. "I don't even know why she went so far as to kidnap him…"

The officer nodded and said. "It is not rare for a stalker to kidnap their victim."

Weed who was in his human form, looked up and said, "Do you think she's going to kill him?"

"I really can't say. But I don't think she's so unstable that she'll kill him."

Grimmjow twitched at this and Blue put her hand on his arm.

"She went through a lot of risk to capture him; I think he'll be alright."

"Alright?" it was Grimmjow who spoke. Grimmjow looked up. "You think he'll be alright? He's terrified of her, you think he's going to be okay stuck with a lunatic he's so freaked out by he trembles if she's near him?" Grimmjow yelled. Kyoshiro looked over and said. "Grimmjow, he's trying to help."

Grimmjow's jaw clenched and he settled back into his chair, his face on his arm.

The officer, who now looked a bit unnerved, said. "What I meant was, I don't think she's going to ki—"

"I KNOW!" Grimmjow bellowed, making everyone jump. "And guess what, smartass, the more time you sit around on your ass, talking, the farther away he's getting! Now get off your ass and go look for him!" Grimmjow snarled, standing up.

"Sir, calm down, I know what you're going through and we're going to find him. I already have men searching the road and all around."

Kyoshiro spoke up. "Grimmjow's right. The longer we sit here the farther Ulquiorra gets from us…I can't help but think we should help look as well."

"Look all you want," said the officer. "But be careful. I've got to get back to my men."

Grimmjow's face was set in a heavy scowl and he clenched his fists at his side. A beeping filled the room and the officer answered it. "This is Rodger, James what have you got for me?" Rodger asked.

"We've found a car, pink, and the license plate is 4406G."

Grimmjow and the other's gathered around Rodger, listening closely.

"Where is it?" Rodger asked, grinning at the four excited friends.

"Over the side of a cliff."

Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed all gave loud exclamations of horror. Grimmjow made to grab the communicator but Rodger held it away from him. "Is anyone alive?"

"We're just checking, sir."

Grimmjow waited, unable to breathe properly as his heart hammered in his chest. Blue had her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes as she waited for the answer. Weed was holding in sobs and Kyoshiro just waited, his mouth open, his eyes wide with fear.

"We've checked sir, there's nothing there. The trunk's just been checked, nothing whatsoever." Grimmjow fell back into his chair, his face in his hands, laughing into his hands, and Blue heaved a deep breath, wiping her eyes, and Kyoshiro and Weed both relaxed, grinning at each other, almost teary-eyed with relief.

"Sir, unless I'm much mistaken, this car hasn't even been touched. This is a brand new car. No one's even ridden in it."

"How is that possible?" Rodger asked.

"I don't know sir. We will continue our search. Out."

Rodger looked over at the silent friends. Grimmjow still had his face in his hands and Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed were looking at him. "I'm heading down there. I'll come back as soon as I can." And the door slammed.

Blue sank into the couch and heaved a shaky sigh. "Thank goodness he wasn't in that car."

"Yeah…" Kyoshiro gasped, taking his dog form.

"Then where is he?" Weed asked, looking at Blue. She only shook her head. "I don't know, Weed."

"I know…" Grimmjow whispered. Everyone gave a start and looked up at him. Grimmjow still had his face in his hands, his back to them.

"What did you say?" Kyoshiro whispered.

"I know where he is…and if we don't act now Ulquiorra might be lost to us." Grimmjow straightened up, his hands sliding from his face to clench at his side.

"Where do you think he is?" Weed inquired his eyes wide.

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder at Weed and his eyes narrowed.

"The catacombs."

"Don't be dumb!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. "Why the hell would someone take him to the catacombs?"

"Because, it's the closest place to here, no one is allowed to go into it, it's deep under ground and it's easier for people following you to get lost, and plus, that's the first place we saw that girl." Grimmjow growled.

"But that's just it," Weed said. "If we get lost, we stay lost. I mean I could use my nose to sniff them out, but it's still a great risk. She isn't stupid is she?" Weed murmured the last line almost to himself. "Let's go." He said, running over to the door. "Grimmjow's right, we have to get to him now."

And then, on an after thought Weed added. "Bring toothpicks."

Kyoshiro stared. "Tooth…picks?" Kyoshiro repeated his tone suggesting that Weed was stupid.

"We can stick them in the walls, that way we'll recognize which way we have gone." Weed explained.

"Oh." Kyoshiro said, looking enlightened.

"We'll have to get some on our way there." Blue said, opening the door. "Enough talking!" Kyoshiro yelled, getting annoyed. "Grimmjow, get off your ass, we're leaving!" Kyoshiro called.

But Grimmjow was already heading out the door. When he stepped out the door, he closed his eyes, concentrating. His body fell onto the ground and Grimmjow heaved it inside the hotel room, throwing it on the couch.

Grimmjow, now in his Espada form, walked past his friends and hurried towards the elevator.

* * *

Ulquiorra's eyes opened. The room he was in was dark. The oil lamps that lit it were dim and the floor and ceiling were cracked and dust was everywhere. The place looked like it was made out of rock, in fact it was. The second thing he realized was that he was strapped to a chair. Ulquiorra gave a fruitless tug on the ropes, but the chair didn't even tip over, and that was saying something!

There was a pile of blankets on the floor and that was pretty much the only thing in the room apart from the oil lamps. Ulquiorra shivered as he looked around the empty room. And then he heard something. There were foot steps walking up the tunnel behind the door…and something else? Was someone humming?

Ulquiorra, getting a horrible feeling that he knew who was coming, attempted to stand up but realized that the chair was nailed to the ground. The straps on his chest were strong; the ropes binding his hands and feet were tight and would take several hours to come undone. He was well and truly trapped here.

The door knob was rattling softly and then there was a click. The door opened with a screeching grinding sound and Ulquiorra closed his eyes as the shrill sound hit him.

And then someone entered the room. Ulquiorra's eyes opened and his eyes widened slightly. A girl stood in the room in front of him; she was dressed in a simple pink cloak with pink rain boots and the strangest hair color Ulquiorra had seen yet. Her hair color was—bubbling gum pink!

She also wore bangles, one of each of her arms and one around her neck.

The eyes were the only thing he recognized, they were big, empty, brown eyes and they were looking right into his. Ulquiorra shivered as those eyes met his and he blinked, breaking the stare.

Silence fell and during this silence Ulquiorra's mind forced itself not to think about how panic stricken Grimmjow must be at this rate, along with the rest of his friends or what possible conclusion of his fate this girl had set up for them. What if they never came down here and found him?

But then again, where exactly _were_ they? Ulquiorra had no idea where this woman lived. But he knew he really wanted to get out. But all the girl did was stare at him it was making Ulquiorra nervous. But he looked up into her face and said. "Why have you brought me here?"

Silence.

Ulquiorra stared at her and she stared back. This was unnerving him!

"I asked you a question. Answer me. Why have you brought me here? Who are you? And what do you want with me? Answer."

And all she did was stare at him...until a smile spread across her face and she said. "I love you, Ulquiorra." In a rough, almost unfeminine voice. Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "W-what?" he whispered.

The girl walked towards him, Ulquiorra tried breaking the ropes once more but nothing happened. "Don't joke around. I want an answer." Ulquiorra growled. Then she stopped in front of him. "But that is the answer, Ulquiorra." She said in a matter of fact voice. "I love you, Ulquiorra," she whispered, her smile growing. "Well, I don't love you." Ulquiorra said, his eyes narrowing. "Release me." He ordered.

"But that's not true, Ulquiorra. I know you love me, you're just in denial." said the girl, her eyes still on his. "Denial? No. I don't love you. You've stalked me, upset my friends, annoyed me, messed up my vacation, your creepy, let me go." Ulquiorra growled, he closed his eyes concentrating his reiatsu.

"Oh, but you can't use your reiatsu, Ulqui." said the girl. Ulquiorra's head jerked up. "And why not?" he growled.

"Because that strap on your chest is there for a reason. It sends all your spirit energy flowing from you right into that strap. So I hope that you haven't been using too much reiatsu while you've been down here."

Ulquiorra's eyes widen. "You—you know I'm an Espada? But how could you possibly—?"

"I've been watching you, Ulqui…" she whispered. "I've been watching you ever since you first came to New York…ever since the day you first got off that Airplane…"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "What?" he whispered. "While my actual living quarters are New York, I came down here when you did—I just wanted to be with you so badly!" the girl exclaimed and then did something alarming, she threw herself at his feet, hugging his legs as she spoke. "I had no choice but to kidnap you and drag you down here so the police wouldn't find me. For some reason they get upset whenever people go missing…" she added thoughtfully.

"You literally bombed that hotel!" Ulquiorra snapped. "You've kidnapped me, and because of you my friends are probably being fed garbage about my fate and it's all because of you, now untie me." Ulquiorra ordered.

"And by the way, if you love me so much why am I strapped to a chair?"

"Because if you were not strapped down you might want to leave me! But I don't see why you would, because you love me so much." Said the girl with a huge smile. _This girl…just what on Earth is she? She knows I am an Espada, she can obviously see me…just what is she? A Shinigami? No…she looks just like a normal human, perhaps with paranormal powers? Wait—forget that! Why does she keep on insisting that I am in love with her?_

"I _do not_ love you, _woman_. Unbind me." Ulquiorra ordered, struggling harder.

"My name is not 'women', Ulqui. My name is Shizaa!" said Shizaa proudly. "And you _do_ love me! Why else would you not be yelling at me! You're not even trying to get away!" she said happily, nuzzling his leg. Ulquiorra made to kick her but his legs were bound to the chair. "Stop this nonsense, alright? I am not in love with you, I don't even like you, now let me go or else—"

"You don't really mean that, you're just in denial, Ulqui!" said Shizaa, grinning hugely and standing up. "I am not in denial! And stop calling me 'Ulqui'!" Ulquiorra said, getting very impatient.

"…Why can't I call you Ulqui? Is it because that man calls you that?" Shizaa said and suddenly her manner went from happy and stupid to serious and angry. "That man who gets in between our love—Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!" she screamed Grimmjow's name angrily and then said. "He doesn't even love you, Ulquiorra! He just uses you; my love is true to the very end why else would he not be here now? Why else did he not protect you even though he knew you were being followed by me?"

"The only reason he wasn't in the elevator with me was because the doors closed before he got there—that was my error. And how is he supposed to know where to find me?" Ulquiorra asked, his patients getting the better of him as anger filled his tone.

"But do you deny the fact that he doesn't love you?" Shizaa growled, glaring at him in the eyes. "I—I don't have an answer to that." Ulquiorra said. And really he was unsure about Grimmjow's feelings for him.

"See! You cannot deny that he doesn't love you! In fact he couldn't even careless about you!" Shizaa yelled, pointing at him, here huge eyes getting huger by the minute. "I was in the hotel room right below you, that's how I know that you told them about me! I cannot believe that you mentioned me to them, that was so sweet of you, Ulqui—!" she squealed but then Ulquiorra said. "Cut the crap!" and Shizaa went silent. "Stop filling your head with this nonsense! It's all in your mind, I do not love you, to be honest I cannot stand you, one bit! At all! I hate you for doing this to me; I hate you for stalking me all over the place without my even knowing! I hate you, do you understand, _I hate you!_" Ulquiorra yelled.

Shizaa simply stared at him and then a grin appeared on her face. "You're so cute when your angry Ulqui, but really, living in denial is not good for you!" Ulquiorra had never felt more ready to scream in frustration—ever.

"Maybe after I prove my love to you, you'll understand." She whispered, smiling wider.

Then she leaned in towards him. "Wait a minute—!" Ulquiorra began but he stopped as he felt Shizaa's hand slid across his torso. "Don't—wait—!" Ulquiorra's brain started to shut down in disgust as Shizaa's hand slid down the front of his jeans. "Stop it, do you hear me?" Ulquiorra said, his eyes widening. Shizaa smiled and said. "Don't deny that you like it Ulquiorra…" she whispered, moving in closer to him, Ulquiorra turned his head to the side. "S-stop, Shiza, stop it! Alright? Stop!"

"But why should I stop? Of you like it then why should I stop?"

"I don't like it! Stop it!"

"But you do…and your going to stay with me, you will love me over time, Ulquiorra. More than you do now, anyway…and you're going to stay with me—forever."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. Forever? No…he couldn't live like this forever…he couldn't stay here in this room for years on end living with this creep, strapped to a chair, alone, without anyone he knew…something akin to despair was sinking in.

_I don't want this…_

He felt so violated, dirtied, disgusting, alone, very alone…

_Where are they?_

Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were not here, he was going to stay down here for the rest of his life without ever seeing any of them again…

Why was this happening? Why had this happened to him?

"I don't want this…" he whispered. Shizaa looked at him. "What?"

"I don't want this…I don't want this…I don't want to be stuck down here for the rest of my life with you…I don't want to be alone down here, I…"

Images of Kyoshiro, Weed, and Blue appeared in his mind. Images of Grimmjow…

"Where are they…?" he whispered, feeling despair welling up inside of him. "Where's Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Weed…Blue? Where are they?" he whispered, his voice growing angry. "Why did you take me from them?" he yelled at her. Shizaa stared and then said angrily. "let them go! You can get used to it, can't Ulqui?"

"I told you not to call me that!" Ulquiorra yelled. "Now unbind me! Or I'll break out myself and the instant I do I swear that I'm going to—!"

"You can't break out!" Shiza yelled, throwing up her hands into the air. "If you even try your soul will be damaged!" and a huge evil grin worked its way onto her face. "You're stuck down here, Ulqui!"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened at the nickname given to him. Images of Grimmjow forced their way into his mind. _Grimmjow…_

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he concentrated his reiatsu with every fiber of his being, a green aura surrounded him and he pushed out more reiatsu, but Shizaa only grinned wider.

Something contracted around Ulquiorra's chest, making it difficult to breath and with a gasp he gave up, the reiatsu flowing into the strap was draining him completely and, drained of energy, he slumped against the chair, his eyes wide open.

_This really is it for me? I'm going to have to go every day without ever seeing any of them again…!_

Ulquiorra could feel something burning behind his eyes and he shut them, fighting back images of his friends, their voices, their faces, and their time together…

Shiza stared down at him and grinned. "Good that you've understood…" she whispered, taking his chin in her hand. "Now feel my love for you, Ulqui…" she whispered, smiling as she drew closer to him.

_BANG!_

The wall behind them exploded, sending bits of rock and huge clouds of dust flying everywhere. Shizaa screamed and turned around, Ulquiorra's head jerked up, his eyes widening.

There was movement behind the dust then someone sprung right out of the dust cloud and landed on the ground in front of Shizaa. Shizaa's brown eyes widened and she gasped loudly when she realized who it was. "You!" she bellowed.

Grimmjow was standing before her, his hands tucked into his pockets, his face set in a heavy scowl. And then he looked over his shoulder as three other speared. Coughing, Kyoshiro leapt through the dust and tripped, sprawling on the ground. Weed sprung out of the dust beside him and Blue stepped out to stand behind Grimmjow, who blinked and said. "Shizaa? Really? You're the stalker? You?"

Shizaa just stammered stupidly.

"Wait a minute!" Blue said, turning to Grimmjow. "You know her?"

"What?" Kyoshiro yelled, his eyes popping. Weed gave a start. "Do you know her form somewhere?"

"You bet I do. Remember that mansion I went to? She was the cook there! She stalked me all over the mansion and it freaked me out so I fired her. But man, I never thought she be Ulquiorra's stalker!" at the mention of Ulquiorra's name however the scowl on Grimmjow's face deepened. "Where is he?"

Shizaa stepped aside and Grimmjow's eyes widened. Ulquiorra was staring at him in a way Grimmjow had never seen before. Almost like Grimmjow was his savior. Grimmjow looked him over. He seemed alright. They both stared at one another and then Grimmjow grinned hugely. "Yo, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra smiled slightly, his eyes softening. "Grimmjow."

Grimmjow's eyes met his and his grin only widened, his eyes softened even and he said. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost."

"As expected." Ulquiorra said, unable to hide the smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked. "To be honest I've never been better." Ulquiorra answered, his eyes wondering over her and then to Kyoshiro and Weed who both grinned at him. "Well that's good to know." Kyoshiro said his tail wagging and a smirk on his face. "We all thought she was torturing you."

"Ulquiorra!" Weed said happily, his tail wagging so fast his whole bottom moved along with it.

Grimmjow's grin vanished when he looked at Shizaa and he said. "I am going to beat your ass so badly." He growled, pulling his hands from his pockets.

"B-b-b-b-b-but I-I-I-I-I d-d-didn't e-even do a-anything!" Shizaa stammered, apparently scared.

"Quit bullshitting me!" Grimmjow roared. "Now shut up and just fucking die!" Grimmjow bellowed.

"Don't hurt me! Ulquiorra will kill you! He's in love with me, you stupid bastard!" Shizaa screamed. Grimmjow blinked. "Huh?"

Ulquiorra immediately said. "Grimmjow, she's not right, she's been going on like this for—"

"No I haven't!" Shiza yelled but in a flash Grimmjow shot out in front of her. "You just shut the fuck up and stop talking to him." Grimmjow snarled and then he drew back his hand and smacked her. Shizaa flew into the opposite wall with a crash.

Grimmjow glared at the new dust cloud before he turned back to Ulquiorra. Shizaa suddenly appeared behind him, holding a gun. Weed ran forward with a yell of warning and lunged at Shizaa, biting into her back and throwing her to the ground.

Grimmjow yelled over his shoulder. "Watch my back!"

"Gotcha!" Weed answered but he was kicked off by Shizaa. Kyoshiro ran forward with a mad yell and lunged, smashing his head into the side of her head; Shizaa was sent flying into the wall. She quickly recovered and raised the gun and began firing at Weed, who yelped in shock. Kyoshiro leapt and smashed his paw into the gun, knocking it out of her hand.

Weed ran to the left, distracting her as Blue ran forward from the right and smashed her foot into the side of Shizaa's head, she screamed in pain and tumbled right past Grimmjow. Grimmjow however grabbed her head before she flew by and lifted her up to stare at him in the face.

"Fuck you, bitch." He said, grinning and he punched her right in the face. Shizaa went out like a light.

Blue punched the air, grinning. "Awesome!" she said. Kyoshiro gave a victory howl and Weed said. "Grimmjow, did you manage to get Ulquiorra out—?"

His question was immediately answered upon looking at them. Grimmjow had pulled Ulquiorra into a tight embrace, his hand resting at the back of his head, his arm around Ulquiorra's waist. Grimmjow was smiling gently to himself as Ulquiorra nuzzled his chest, his arms around Grimmjow's shoulders.

"I'm stupid to ask." Weed muttered, smiling sheepishly.

Blue smiled and said. "Oh you two." And she ran at them, embracing both of them. Weed and Kyoshiro hurried forward to embrace them as well in their human forms.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here." Grimmjow murmured, moving away from the group of friends and starting to walk towards the door, bringing Ulquiorra with him. Ulquiorra was feeling dizzy from the strap draining most of his energy and, to his embarrassment, had to be carried by Grimmjow.

He still could not believe that they were here. It almost made him feel light headed. Blue was carrying Shizaa over her shoulders behind them and Weed and Kyoshiro led the way up the tunnel. "We're…in the catacombs?" Ulquiorra murmured, looking around at the bones.

"Yeah," Grimmjow answered softly. "She lives behind a set of fact bones, looks real enough but its all plastic."

"I see…" Ulquiorra murmured. Weed looked over his shoulder at Ulquiorra. "We called the police too, they'll be picking up this nutcase real soon." Grimmjow explained. "They're probably already there."

Kyoshiro pointed out a green toothpick on the wall and they all walked left, Blue in the rear of the group, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra between and Kyoshiro and Weed ahead.

"How did you find me?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Followed what little reiatsu you let out. Weedy actually thought that she was torturing you."

Weed looked around at the mention of his name. "Are you okay, Ulquiorra?" he asked. Ulquiorra just nodded. "I'm fine." Weed smiled and looked away. "We were all really worried about you…that's all."

Ulquiorra's eyes softened and he sighed, burying his face in Grimmjow's chest. Grimmjow stopped walking and looked down at him and then he sighed and stared at the man in his arms, Grimmjow leaned down and brushed his lips against Ulquiorra's forehead.

"Grimmjow!" Blue called. "C'mon, don't get lost!"

Grimmjow growled and said. "Coming, alright?" and he hurried after Blue, but there was a grin on his face as he ran.

He felt complete again.

* * *

Two hours had passed. Two hours since leaving the catacombs and witnessing the unconscious Shizaa get taken away by the police, who briefly interrogated Grimmjow about the break-in with the catacombs and Grimmjow quickly passed blame onto the tour-guide they had met before and told them to look for him if they wanted answers before he left, saying impatiently that he wanted to get back to the hotel.

The police gave them all a ride back and that was where they were now. Their hotel room was dark, the lights were off and it was quiet. Grimmjow was sitting on his bed, staring at the carpeted floor.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed were already asleep and Ulquiorra was lying on the very bed Grimmjow was seated on. The dogs were sleeping in the same room as them, curled up on the bed next to Grimmjow's.

It was silent here. They had all agreed that, if Ulquiorra wished so, they would leave tomorrow. Ulquiorra had not been awake to answer for himself because he had been asleep ever since he had left Shizaa's hideout.

Grimmjow personally could not keep his eyes off Ulquiorra. He just felt…paranoid now.

_It's all his fault…_

Grimmjow scratched the back of his head and sighed heavily. Every time he heard a noise he would jump and listen carefully, ready to attack the darkness only to see nothing.

_Ulquiorra's freaking made me scared of everything! Damn him!_

Grimmjow growled and turned over to glare at the sleeping man, only to feel his anger immediately drain away at the sight of that sleeping face.

_Shit. I can't even get angry at him? But then again…maybe he'll think I'm not happy to see him…I am freaking happy! I feel like I'm on the top of the world in fact…but…why am I so jumpy?_

"Aren't you going to sleep?" it was Weed.

Grimmjow didn't turn around as he spoke. "No."

"Grimmjow…" Weed yawned, jumping of the bed and padding over to him. "Shizaa's gone, Ulquiorra's safe. We can all relax now, right?"

Grimmjow just grumbled and looked down. Weed stared at him and Grimmjow looked away, feeling like he was being X-rayed by those blue eyes. "Are you angry because you don't think your feelings got through to him?" Weed inquired.

"The hell does that mean?" Grimmjow asked, looking away. "Well…I mean do you think that he doesn't know how happy you really are?"

Grimmjow could feel the heat rising in his face and he said. "No. I mean—yes—wait—!" he exclaimed. Weed climbed up on the bed and licked Ulquiorra's face. "Oi, your gonna wake him up, dumbass!" Grimmjow said softly. Weed smiled at him and said. "I know. I think you need to talk to him, Grimmjow." And he jumped off the bed and hurried out of the room towards the kitchen for water.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow hissed angrily.

He heard a soft moan and looked over his shoulder. Ulquiorra was lying still against the mattress, his hand twitched in his sleep and Grimmjow saw his jaw clench. _Shit…there's no way I can stay angry when he looks like that…_

Grimmjow remained where he was, moving his hand over to take Ulquiorra's pale hand in his own. Grimmjow stiffened, waiting for signs that Ulquiorra had woken before he cleared his throat.

_I don't even have the nerve to wake him up…and no, dammit, I am not going soft! I just…damn…I really don't know…how can he have such an effect over me? He's…never mind…_

Grimmjow glanced over at Kyoshiro and Blue, they were asleep…right? He turned his gaze to the sleeping man beside him and said. "Ulqui," he cleared his throat. "Ulquiorra…I…uh…dammit…" Grimmjow could feel heat rushing to his face as he looked at him and he quickly looked away, putting speech together in his head.

"I know—uh—I…earlier, when we were going down to eat…I'm sorry I didn't get in the elevator with you…but that was mostly your fault—never mind…the point is, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you earlier. I don't even want to imagine how scared you were…but I—" Grimmjow swallowed, blinking hard. "I'll tell you how I felt, okay? I was scared today. Probably more scared then I have ever been in my life…"

Grimmjow stopped talking and sighed shakily. "I really seriously thought that I'd lost you today. I thought you were gone—forever. And really…I…I can't even stand thinking about that! And I…I let you get captured by her, and I'm sorry for that. Alright?" Grimmjow whispered.

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes gazed at him, they were wide open. He stayed silent listening.

"I know I didn't show it—but, I missed you…I missed you…" and it sounded like Grimmjow truly meant it, like he was admitting it to himself for the first time.

"And that's why I'm staying awake now. Because I really just can't get over what an effect you have on me, because I really can't forget what today felt like—and it hurts! And I know I'm going to regret not saying this to you later when you're awake because you can't hear a damn thing I'm saying and I am a fucking coward! I could never say this stuff to you when you're awake, and I hate it! And now I'm fucking crying—_crying_—over you and you don't even know it! God dammit!"

Grimmjow stopped talking, putting his arm up in front of his eyes, disgusted with himself. But he couldn't stop now, it felt like everything he'd experienced today was coming back and hitting him hard in the face, the fear and guilt he'd felt when he realized Ulquiorra was gone and then the absolute pain he'd been in when he realized that Ulquiorra was probably terrified and alone now all because Grimmjow couldn't protect him and then the extreme fear he'd been in when he'd heard about the car driving over the edge of the cliff, believing for a few seconds that Ulquiorra really was dead and then the anxiety he'd felt walking down the catacomb passages wondering what had become of him and what was happening to Ulquiorra.

He had suffered a lot of emotional trauma today and he couldn't even let Ulquiorra know how much he meant to him now.

Grimmjow closed his eyes tightly. "Dammit…look what you're doing to me you fucking moron!" he whispered.

Ulquiorra stared, in shock. He honestly couldn't believe what he was seeing. It almost tore him apart. And yet it moved him so much. Ulquiorra sat up and moved over to him, hesitantly placing his hand on Grimmjow's shoulder.

Grimmjow tensed and stopped moving. "Look at me…" Ulquiorra whispered. Grimmjow shook his head. "No!"

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra whispered. "Look at me…" Grimmjow turned his head slightly and he blinked when he saw the gentle look in Ulquiorra's eyes. Grimmjow turned around and Ulquiorra leaned in and claimed Grimmjow's lips in a gentle kiss that left Grimmjow breathless. Ulquiorra's arm wrapped around his waist, his hand resting against Grimmjow's cheek.

Grimmjow's eyes widened and his feeble attempts at pushing Ulquiorra away ceased immediately and instead he pulled Ulquiorra tighter against him, his arms holding Ulquiorra in a desperate embrace. Ulquiorra moved back and rested his head against Grimmjow's shoulder. "Grimmjow, I missed you too, more than I can ever say." He whispered, nuzzling Grimmjow's shoulder.

Grimmjow held him tighter. "You heard me didn't you?" he muttered, his face heating up. Ulquiorra nodded. "I'm glad I did…how many times will I get to hear you saying honestly that you missed me?" he whispered.

"Grimmjow…thank you…" he whispered.

Grimmjow swallowed as he felt his chest constrict with countless emotions. Grimmjow pressed his face against Ulquiorra's shoulder and whimpered against it as he felt Ulquiorra's hand gently stroking his back in a comforting motion. Grimmjow simply stared up at the ceiling, unable to calm the racing of his heart.

_How can he do this to me…make me need him this bad? So badly that I don't think I could ever imagine my life without him? Break me to pieces like this and yet…make me love it so much when he brings me upright again? Making me love just how much of a hold he has on my heart, never hating him for it, instead only adoring him more and more…_

_I can't stand it…_

Blue and Kyoshiro watched on, both with smiles on their faces.

Weed watched from behind the open bathroom door, a wide smile on his face.

_Never will I find anyone who can make me feel like this…ever._

Ulquiorra's arms held him tighter and Grimmjow could only hold him, unable to take his arms away from him and let him go. And it seemed Ulquiorra felt the same, because they stayed like that, in the comfort of each other's arms. And they fell asleep like that, holding each other tightly, both feeling complete and at peace as the night passed on in nothing but blissful silence.

* * *

OMG It is so sweet I tihnk I have a toothache...or something.

Aw, Grimmy, he's such a sweet boy. *gets shot*

Anyway, when I separated this from the actual document containing all the chapters I was really, REALLY, surprised to see that this chapter is 58 EFFING PAGES LONG! WTF! I didn't even know that! But I suppose it makes up for the late upload. The reason this took so long to get up was because I went on vacation for several days where I was without a computer and then when I got back I changed my mind about the original chapter idea because I had lost interest in it so I wrote this idea instead. I still have the original idea on a document somewhere, I think, in case I decide to get back to it.

So, I am sorry for the slow upload. I hope that won't happen again.

And, about Shizaa...wow, did I make her crazy/creepy enough? I have plans for her but not for a long time. In chapter three her name was originally spelled with only one 'a' but I decided it looked better with two.

About the title: The translation is 'Will you be my Lover?' and actually, the name of the hotel mentioned in this story is called The Dog Poop Hotel in english. xD

And the car driven over the cliff, it was a decoy. I didn't actually explain that in the story. xP

Thanks for reading! By the way, I think Weedy is a GrimmUlqui shipper. xD


	7. Adventure 7

**Adventure #7**

**Hero**

It was 10:00 at night. The small house was quiet, the lights were on, but the four inhabitants were quiet. Grimmjow was seated at the computer in his room; Blue was sleeping on the couch down stairs, while Weed and Kyoshiro resided near the door. The two dogs were by the door because Ulquiorra had left at least two hours ago and had yet to come back, even though they knew he would they waited by the door for him.

Ulquiorra had gone to his part time job. Grimmjow wasn't entirely sure what his job was, Ulquiorra rarely talked about it. Grimmjow sighed and pressed his face against his hand, bored out of his mind. He had even prank called their own house and scared Kyoshiro silly but the fun had started to wear off after Blue had almost decided to call the police. Grimmjow had had no choice but to turn himself in and admit he was the caller and Kyoshiro chased him around the house with a chair.

Grimmjow smirked, chuckling as he remembered. He glanced at the phone next to the computer and had to fight down the impulse to call Ulquiorra and annoy him. Better yet ask where the hell he was! He normally wasn't gone this long! It was almost three hours now! "Not like I'm worried or anything anyway…" Grimmjow muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Grimmjow's hand twitched, wanting to reach for the phone, but he stopped himself and instead grabbed the mouse and decided to play around with the computer. He went onto YouTube and browsed amongst the front page; he searched the list entitled "Videos Being Watched Now" and saw several stupid videos. One caught his eyes however, it was a thumbnail for a video and the picture had two chipmunks on it.

Apparently the thing was called a 'cartoon' and had been made by a man named Walt Disney. It was actually quite enjoyable so he watched something else after it was done. This time it was something called Tom and Jerry which was actually freaking hilarious to watch.

Kyoshiro came upstairs to investigate the source of his laughter. "Grimmjow, what's so funny?" he asked, putting his paws up on the computer table to be able to stare at the screen better. "What's this?" he asked. "Some random shit!" Grimmjow said between laughs. "Here, watch it and then leave." And so Kyoshiro did, the both of them laughing loudly at what happened to Tom the cat and what hardly ever happened to Jerry the mouse.

Blue and Weed watched the second episode with them and by the time the third was selected they all heard the door close downstairs and hurried down the stairs to greet Ulquiorra.

"What took you so long?" Grimmjow asked him from where he was on the staircase. "Normally you don't take this long!" Ulquiorra began to walk up the stairs and Grimmjow followed him. "The train blacked out for a few hours…" Ulquiorra answered and Blue gasped. "With everyone on it? You mean the train just stopped?"

Ulquiorra nodded and it was obvious he was tired. "Yes. The conductor considered letting all of us out and walking along the tracks but decided it wasn't safe because he couldn't get through to maintenance…so we all had to wait. A lot of people got angry and tried opening the doors and had to be forced to sit down again…a fight nearly broke out too."

Grimmjow's scowl deepened. "Why do you keep taking the fucking train anyway? The subway sucks!"

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow's words and stopped at the top of the staircase and stretched before saying, "You sound worried."

"I am not!" Grimmjow retorted hotly.

"Oh okay."

"We're just glad you're back with us! It must have been scary. I would have been scared." Weed admitted, jumping up on Ulquiorra's bed as the man entered the room, followed by Grimmjow, Blue and Kyoshiro.

"The only thing that really got everyone on the train in a panic was when we heard that there was a man with a knife on the train."

And Grimmjow inhaled loudly, his eyes widening and the other three gasped as well. "He didn't come into your car did he?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, running over to him.

"Of course he didn't!" Grimmjow snapped, shoving Kyoshiro and knocking him over. "If the guy did come in Ulquiorra would have told us anyway!"

"He did."

"WHAT?" Grimmjow shrieked and Blue gasped hugely and Kyoshiro and Weed let out yells of shock.

Ulquiorra nodded, falling back against the bed.

"Why the fuck didn't you say anything until now? The first thing you should have said was that you got cornered by a guy with a knife on a train!" Grimmjow yelled at him.

"Did he hurt anyone?" Weed gasped.

"Did he hurt you?" Blue exclaimed, rushing forward.

"No. He hurt no one, he simply entered our car with the knife and—"

"And you just fucking sat there like a dumbass?" Grimmjow bellowed.

"No I—"

"What did he do!" Grimmjow demanded.

"He took out the knife and sat down in his seat and—"

"What? Did he saw off his own leg?" Kyoshiro gasped.

"No. He opened up a Styrofoam container and started eating some Chinese chicken salad."

And everyone in the room gaped at him.

"Chinese…chicken…salad…?" Grimmjow said, his face twitching.

"And then the train started up again and I got off at my station." Ulquiorra concluded quickly.

"Chicken…" Grimmjow wheezed, sitting down next to Ulquiorra. "He was only eating some fucking chicken…chicken…!"

"Sorry. Looks like I gave you a panic attack." Ulquiorra said, patting him on the shoulder. Grimmjow only continued to stare into space and then suddenly he said. "If I ever hear that you've ridden the subway again I will skin you."

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed just watched on, their mouths hanging open.

"I won't take the subway. It's not worth it anyway."

"Chicken…!" Grimmjow gasped.

"I know." was Ulquiorra consolation as he patted Grimmjow on the shoulder.

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning when Ulquiorra decided to go to bed. He entered his room only to be greeted with soft laughter from Grimmjow who was seated at the computer gazing intently at the screen. Ulquiorra stared, a wet towel over his shoulders.

The computer table was located to the left in the room, right next to the door; it actually looked very good there.

Ulquiorra stared at the only source of light in the room, which was the computer's moving lights, before he proceeded inside the room, listening to the soft sounds from the speakers.

Finally Ulquiorra grew curious as Grimmjow laughed more and sighed before walking over to stand right before him. "What are you doing?" and Grimmjow jumped. "Jesus Christ, Ulquiorra! You—shit you turn up out of nowhere all the time! Give me a break!" Grimmjow exclaimed, immediately returning to his show.

Ulquiorra stared at the screen, there was a gray and white tabby cat on the screen chasing a little brown and cream colored mouse around the house and apparently they were enemies because the mouse didn't even hesitate to push the trap meant for him right under the cat's rear, causing the cat to scream in pain as he sat down.

Ulquiorra winced but Grimmjow however burst out laughing. "What is this?" Ulquiorra asked, intrigued.

"This is this show I got into while you were gone. It's called Tom and Jerry." Grimmjow explained, still grinning.

"Tom and Jerry?" Ulquiorra murmured, staring at the screen. "This is a children's cartoon, right?"

"Shut up, so what?" Grimmjow snapped, getting defensive.

"So why is it so violent?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow looked at him. "I dunno. But that is what makes it so fucking funny, these guys _clobber _each other! It's awesome! Here—," and Grimmjow grinned wider. "Watch it too!"

Ulquiorra blinked at the invitation. "Watch this?"

"Yeah! Well—actually, if you don't like it I know a few others; trust me, Ulquiorra you're not going to find stuff like this these days."

Ulquiorra stared at him. For some reason…he seemed different tonight, friendlier, happier…maybe even cute. Ulquiorra stared at his excited face and sighed. "Actually a lot of shows these days are violent and—Alright. I'll watch one."

And Grimmjow looked like he'd just won the lottery…assuming he even knew what that was, His eyes lit up, his face brightened, and his grin widened, if that was possible.

They went from watching one from watching two, and then three and then four and then five, six, seven and eight of them until they switched to something called Chip and Dale, which was also rather amusing.

It was four in the morning now and they were still wide awake until Grimmjow said his eyes were hurting from staring at the screen and they decided to call it quits for tonight. They both snuggled up in their bed, tired. Grimmjow was still chuckling softly about something every now and then.

"How to Catch a Mouse was awesome. Just, that whole section where he blows up the house and somehow everything except the mouse hole is obliterated! Ha! And he's flyin' up on the cloud with the squeaky voice and shit…that's hilarious."

Ulquiorra nodded, staring up at the ceiling. Grimmjow turned onto his back and put his hands behind his head, grinning broadly still. "I can't believe I watched something Disney related and didn't mind it." Ulquiorra muttered.

"That's 'cause his old shit is better than his new shit! I mean seriously…" then Grimmjow blinked. "Wait! You liked it?" he asked, his head snapping over to look at the pale man next to him. "I like cell animation…it's…interesting…" Grimmjow grinned. "Anything besides the animation you like?" he asked.

"The characters are annoying, but somehow…I don't mind all that much." Grimmjow chuckled. "Yeah. Jerry seriously needs to die." He said happily.

Ulquiorra looked at him. "Tom needs to."

Grimmjow glared at him. "No he doesn't! Jerry is a little bitch!"

"Tom is the one chasing him. Therefore—wait." Ulquiorra just realized he was arguing over whether or not a _cartoon_ _character _needed to die! Ulquiorra groaned.

"Yeah well, Jerry isn't a little innocent flower you know!" Grimmjow retorted. Ulquiorra looked over and Grimmjow went silent. "I'm tired. Let me sleep." Ulquiorra whispered, crawling under the blankets.

"Running away huh? We'll see who needs to die more tomorrow, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Sure, sure…" Ulquiorra mumbled. "And it seems to me that Tom is an idiot…who blows up his own home just to catch a mouse?"

"He's desperate—well…yeah…that is stupid." Grimmjow said, laughing to himself. "But Jerry still needs to die."

"Whatever you say…" Ulquiorra muttered. Grimmjow crawled under the blankets and nuzzled his pillow.

_I suppose it doesn't really matter, _Ulquiorra thought, _and I am not telling him this…but I really enjoyed watching that stuff with him. But I think more than anything, I enjoyed seeing the changes in his behavior…it was, dare I say it…cute, seeing him like that._

_

* * *

_Grimmjow's new obsession with cartoons continued. Ulquiorra often watched them with him and sometimes everyone did. Weed meanwhile became interested in the TV downstairs which had hardly been used up until now. It was sad to admit, but Grimmjow was right when he said everything on cartoon network sucked. The new cartoons were badly animated and annoying and Ulquiorra always skipped the channel.

Weed became interested in a show that was soon to become his favorite. Ulquiorra meanwhile had fallen in love with a show called Law and Order and watched it every time it was on. Blue often reminded her friends that watching TV, whether on the computer or not, was not good for them, they all accepted that and decided only to watch what was important to them.

Kyoshiro had yet to find a show he was interested it, Blue and he however seemed to like what Grimmjow watched, so neither of them expressed too much of an interest in TV like Ulquiorra and Weed and Grimmjow.

Then, one day, Weed decided to show his friends his new favorite TV show, which came on around 10:00 at night. Weed waited patiently for his friends to assemble before the TV. "Guys, it'll be starting soon." Weed informed them.

"Coming!" Grimmjow snapped, he was currently up in his room watching something with Ulquiorra.

"It's on!" Weed bellowed and Grimmjow gasped and slammed his hands down on the desk before yelling, "Alright!" and stomping downstairs with Ulquiorra behind him.

Kyoshiro slid across the floor and bumped against Weed who bumped against Blue. Grimmjow sat down on the couch behind them with Ulquiorra. "Alright, this show is really, really good!" Weed exclaimed. "It has a dog in it, and he is really amazing!"

"Great…a dog…his name better not be something cheesy and stupid." Grimmjow muttered, cramming the last bit of his hot-dog into his mouth. Blue was still eating hers, so was Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro.

"You can talk, Grimm. You watch cheesy cartoons!" Kyoshiro said, grinning up at him.

"Shut up!"

"Guys…quiet. It's starting now!" Weed said excitedly, his tail wagging.

The announcer spoke dramatically just as heroic, epic, music started, the TV showed the five viewers an image of a clearly CGI animated sunrise.

"Another day begins, another adventure starts!" said the announcer. Grimmjow face palmed. "Great…it's cheesy."

"Yes!" the narrator yelled out. "He agrees." Kyoshiro said, laughing along with Grimmjow. "Guys! _Shh_!" Weed said almost imploringly.

"It's the adventures of America's favorite Dog—!"

"Oh my god his name better not be Fido." Grimmjow whispered and Kyoshiro snorted.

"—FIDO!"

"God dammit." Grimmjow muttered and Kyoshiro laughed.

A German shepherd bounded onto the screen and began to run with the epic music in the background. "In this week's episode of Fido, we pick up from where we left off last time."

A summary began.

"Last episode," said a smaller voice, clips from the previous episode flashed before the screen. "Gold was stolen from Fido's family that they will need to pay their rent. Due to past incidents of the rent never arriving, making it impossible for them to pay it, if the rent isn't paid this time, they will be forced out on the street!"

Fido and a few of the police dogs were on the trail of the burglar. Fido was sniffing rapidly around and then he smelled something and gave a howl before running off with the two dogs following him.

"Get him, get him!" Weed barked, putting his front paws on the screen, his tail wagging. "Oi, sit down!" Grimmjow snapped.

A car was speeding up the road, the driver was laughing like a lunatic while he drove past the speed limit, a sack of money and several checks were in a bag under his seat. The driver only laughed harder as he drove.

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. "Look's familiar." Grimmjow looked over and raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Guy's, shush!" Blue said, watching the screen intently.

Fido was running up the street behind the car with his two dog friends behind him, then two other dogs hurried up to him and ran along beside him. "Who are they?" Kyoshiro asked Weed.

"That other German shepherd is Riley and that Doberman is Russell, the pit-bull is Jock, and that female Irish wolfhound is Luna." Weed said quickly. "Oh good, there's a female too!" Blue said excitedly.

The pit-bull named Jock raced over to a wagon near a store on the left and barked loudly. The dogs stopped running. "What the hell?" Grimmjow exclaimed. "Get the dude in the car!"

Fido turned and ran forward to his canine friends and cocked his head. Jock turned his head towards the wagon and then turned his head towards Luna and Riley who ran to the back alley and climbed up on a parked car in the alley to access a fire escape and began to climb hastily up the steps until they both reached the top.

Fido climbed into the wagon which tipped towards the ground. Russell barked loudly and Luna and Riley sprung from the building and landed on the wagon, throwing Fido into the air.

Fido flew into the air and flew towards the car and meanwhile Luna and Riley prepared to launch Russell who flew through the air seconds later and landed in the car with Fido.

The driver screeched in shock and hit Fido with the bag of money which was grabbed by Russell while Fido tackled the driver. Russell threw the bag to Riley who caught it, his tail wagging.

Fido and Russell were busy tackling the driver who stopped the car and scrambled out with the two dogs tackling him to the ground.

Luna gave a bark to her friends and raced away up the street towards the police station and managed to convince the police to follow her. The police arrested the man who was found with a piece of his own jacket shoved into his mouth and his hands somehow bound. The man was arrested, trying to pass blame onto the dogs, but the police knew better than to believe him when they saw the clearly stolen money.

"I recognize this guy, he's John Richardson! He's been accused of at least five robberies. Take him away!" said the police man.

The other officer made to slap handcuffs on John, but John released his hand from the badly made binds and smacked the officer in the face, whipping out a gun and firing at the dogs. Jock was hit in the leg!

Weed gasped loudly and Blue put her hands over her mouth and Kyoshiro bellowed, "Animal cruelty!" Grimmjow had even sat up a little and Ulquiorra had let out a soft intake of breath.

Jock tried to move from where he lay on the ground and the single police man left standing was having a fight with John. John pushed the officer in the chest and pointed the gun at Jock and before he could fire, Fido leapt out and attacked John, clinging to him, both of them stumbling into the street, not noticing the large truck heading right for them!

The truck plowed into them and John was thrown backwards into another wagon which slid down the road and smashed into the railing of the Hudson River below them.

Luna, Jock, Riley and Russell all stared at the truck, which had stopped. The driver got out and looked down at the front of the truck.

Weed's eyes were wide and he got up and walked up to the TV. "Well that sucks…" Grimmjow muttered, blinking.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Weed." Blue said sadly.

"He's not dead." Weed whispered his blue eyes wide.

The whole room was silent as the four dogs approached the truck. It was obvious that Fido was underneath it.

"I can't believe they killed the main character. I hate that!" Kyoshiro growled.

"Things can't always end happily." Ulquiorra whispered.

"He isn't dead." Weed insisted strongly.

And everyone was silent as the truck pulled slowly away from the place where Fido was. The dog was lying in the road, silent as the grave. Weed gasped and pressed his paws against the TV screen. No one rebuked him for this, wondering really if Weed's favorite character was dead.

And then Fido's friends walked forward to sniff him, whimpering as the camera eased in on Fido's face. It appeared he really was dead—until Fido's tail wagged slightly and then he lifted his head and greeted his friends happily and Weed let out a huge sigh of relief.

"That's alright and good—but it is totally unrealistic." Grimmjow grumbled.

"But Fido wasn't even hit!" Weed said happily. "He ducked underneath the truck and probably passed out due to shock! I am so glad he's alive!"

The episode ended with Fido returning home to his family with his friends while the song "I can't smile without you" played as the ending. "Alright, nice show, but this song is driving me mad!" Grimmjow growled, making to turn off the TV when suddenly the announcer said.

"For the fans of Fido and his friends and the show itself, you will be thrilled to hear that the film makers have decided to make a movie!" Weed gasped and jumped onto Grimmjow's head, smashing Grimmjow's face against the screen. "A movie!" Weed yelped and then he gasped and looked down. "Oh—sorry!"

"Sure…" Grimmjow wheezed, un-sticking his face from the screen.

"And you will be even more thrilled to hear—!" at these words Grimmjow moved away from the screen for fear of being pounced on again. "That, due to complications, they are filming it outdoors right here in NYC!"

Weed gave a squeal of excitement while Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Blue looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. _They. Don't. Film. Out. Side?_

"And guess what? If you have a dog, bring him or her down to the middle of Central Park west and you may just win the chance to have your dog appear in the movie!"

"Oh my God!" Weed exclaimed. "Guys! Take me down there! Please!"

All of his friends were staring at him as they all said. "They—don't—film—out—side?"

"Hardly any movies these days are filmed outside!" Weed said quickly, brushing it off. "Guys, will you?"

"Seriously?" all of his friends asked in a monotone voice.

"Yeah!"

"But the sets looked so real!" Grimmjow said eyes wide.

"Yeah, I actually thought that they filmed out doors!" Blue said.

Ulquiorra nodded. "I think it's to…save money?"

"Money sucks. A lot of stuff is being ruined by it these days." Grimmjow muttered, reaching to turn off the TV.

"Guys, can you take me down to the auditions?" Weed asked.

"I don't see the harm in it." Ulquiorra admitted, shrugging.

"Of course we'll take you!" Blue said. "Why wouldn't we?" Weed's face brightened. "I knew you probably would…it's just well…I was thinking none of you liked it very much—like Grimmjow—so I was thinking that maybe you guys wouldn't want to…take me."

"Hey, even if Grimmjow hated it we'd still take you." Kyoshiro assured him. "I mean, just 'cause one person hates something doesn't mean he'd stop you from going! Anyway, how often do you ask us for stuff?"

Weed blushed through his fur. "Thanks! I love you guys! Will you all come?" he asked suddenly.

Grimmjow growled, crossing his arms. "Sounds like a waste. Why be in a movie when you can just watch the thing?"

Weed looked at the ground. "Uh…really, all I want to do is meet…him." his eyes brightened up. "I think he's an awesome dog…he's really amazing…risking everything like that…"

"You do know it's a TV show, right? He's fake." Kyoshiro said, almost in a mean tone.

"He's not fake!" and Kyoshiro blinked when Weed snapped at him. "Even on the set some of that stuff is dangerous and he still does it! He's amazing…"

Weed looked up at his friends and said. "Will all of you come?"

"I'm going I guess…I haven't got anything better to do." Kyoshiro grumbled. Weed stared at him in surprise. "Are you reluctant to go?" he asked.

"No…I'm not." Kyoshiro said quickly. "I'm just tired. I want to sleep."

"I'm definitely going!" Blue said.

Ulquiorra just nodded. "I'll go; I don't have anything to do here either. Grimmjow?" he asked. The man was sitting on the couch, his arms over his chest. He sighed and said. "I've got nothing better to do either." He said, stretching.

Kyoshiro was glaring at the ground. "I'm going to bed." He muttered. "Weed, don't expect too much from Fido. He'll probably not even be worth seeing." And Weed looked up in surprise as Kyoshiro climbed the stairs and disappeared from sight.

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes narrowed.

* * *

The fateful day came! Yes, the day when Weed was going to meet his hero for the first time ever! Weed was so excited he could barely stop the wagging of his tail and he ate his food very fast and was by the door waiting somewhat impatiently for the rest of his friends.

They took a cab down to central park and currently were trying to figure out just _how the heck_ to get to middle of the park without being lost!

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Grimmjow growled, kicking a tree. "This is the same tree we've past five times already!"

"One time." Ulquiorra corrected him. Grimmjow shot him a glare. "So how about instead of correcting me you get your ass over here and lead me to a fucking map!"

Ulquiorra considered this and Kyoshiro cut in. "You'd think they'd put up signs or something!"

"Maybe we entered the wrong way?" Blue suggested, looking around.

"Mistook the date, maybe?" Blue whispered.

"Not possible. The ad on their website said to come down on the fifth. It's the fifth. We've either got here too late,"—Weed gasped—"Or we've simply gone the wrong way, which is more likely." Ulquiorra pondered, sitting down on a rock.

Grimmjow looked around at him and then suddenly gasped hugely and pointed to him. "Look what you've done!" he exclaimed and Ulquiorra blinked. "Don't blame me, Grimmjow, you're the one leading us."

"Ulquiorra," Blue exclaimed. "Look!" and she pointed to the rock. Ulquiorra looked between his own legs and saw a sign on the rock in the shape of a dog bone. It read 'keep going straight!'.

"Oh." Ulquiorra said and he and the four others walked away down the path, following the barely visible dog bones, which only turned up at forks in the path.

Music could be heard, getting louder and louder, ringing through the trees. The song was something Grimmjow had heard on the radio before, but the name escaped him.

Then they reached a path that trailed below them and they all saw a very interesting site.

It was a theme park!

"Whoa!" Weed exclaimed.

"Oh great. Another wrong turn—!" Grimmjow began but Ulquiorra said. "Nope. That's it. We're here."

"That? How the hell are we supposed to find the dog in all that?" Grimmjow exclaimed, pointing down below. Blue reached over, grabbed Grimmjow's chin, and turned his head in a different direction.

There was a huge sign near the exit to the theme park with big, red, flashing letters.

"FIDO!"

"Oh." Grimmjow said sheepishly while Kyoshiro laughed behind him.

Weed, his tail wagging, lead them down below, through the crowds of people to the small stage set aside near the exit to the theme park.

"I can't believe I'm really going to meet him!" Weed whispered his eyes wide.

"I mean, this is the coolest day of my life!" Kyoshiro frowned. "C'mon, it can't be that great!"

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Blue looked around them. There were so many different things, food, rides, more food, more rides—it was very noisy too.

Ulquiorra jumped as he heard little kids scream bloody murder as they sprayed each other with water guns. Grimmjow muttered something about wishing the guns were real and Blue elbowed him. "So…how about after we meet Fido, we try out some of those rides?" she suggested to the two men.

Grimmjow blinked and looked at a small roller coaster track. "Uh…sure—Oh my fucking God look at that!" he exclaimed, pointing to a huge thing behind them.

"That's a Ferris wheel." Blue explained. "You get in and it goes up really high and then goes back down. It's not very fast moving but—hey, Grimmjow, wait!"

Blue grabbed his arm, for Grimmjow had made a mad dash for the roller coaster track. "We have to stay with Weed and Kyoshiro! Anyway, we promised Weed that we'd meet Fido with him!"

"Shush!" Grimmjow hissed, putting his hand in front of her face. "Look, you're a wolf, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, how about _you _stick with Kyoshiro and Weedy?"

"And Ulquiorra?" Blue inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He comes with me." Grimmjow said, jerking his thumb once at Ulquiorra and then at himself.

"I am not doing any such thing." Ulquiorra said crossing over to Blue. Grimmjow frowned. "Oh c'mon, man!"

"You can go guys." Weed said, walking over. "According to the clock, Fido comes on in fifteen minutes. So, I guess we can all branch out and do stuff, as long as we meet back here a minute early."

Grimmjow grinned. "Alright! Blue, stick with Kyoshiro and Weed!"

"Why me?" Blue asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know the old saying; birds of a feather should stick together!" Grimmjow said and he grabbed Ulquiorra's arm.

"Same goes for us!" Grimmjow insisted.

"I'm not going with you."

"What? Why?" Grimmjow whined.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and sighed. "Real mature, Grimmjow."

"Answer my question!"

"Oh you know," Kyoshiro said, strolling up to them. "Going with you, Grimmjow, means that you're going to pick all the crazy rides and Ulqui…well, he probably isn't into that stuff."

"Well, if he's too scared to—" Grimmjow began, knowing this would affect Ulquiorra. "Scared? Me? Absolutely not." Ulquiorra said, turning around to glare at Grimmjow. "Let's go." And he grabbed Grimmjow's arm and dragged him off. Grimmjow grinned triumphantly over at his friends as they disappeared into the crowd.

"Well," Blue said, turning to the dogs. "Their going off to do their own thing, so…what do you guys want to do?" she asked. "I wouldn't mind trying the Ferris wheel." Kyoshiro murmured thoughtfully.

"I'd like to try the mirror house!" Weed said excitedly. "I just hope we're back in time for Fido…"

"I'll make sure we are." Blue promised.

Grimmjow wrenched his arm away from Ulquiorra and said. "Alright! Let's see…holy crap, what's that over there?" he asked pointing over to a machine.

"It looks like the machine is giving out tokens…" Ulquiorra murmured. He walked over to read the description. "Apparently these tokens have enough on them to ensure you get a few rides off them…I think…" Ulquiorra murmured. Grimmjow walked over and dropped a coin into the slot in the machine and turned it. A golden token came out and Ulquiorra caught it.

"Interesting."

Grimmjow got at least three from the machine before they left.

"These might be useful for arcade games or something similar, but I think we need tickets to get on some of the rides." Ulquiorra said to Grimmjow. The teal haired man nodded. "Probably…Hey, you!" the man addressed froze and looked around. "Y-yes?"

"Where do you get tickets?"

"You can buy them at the front desk. You should have been given some when you passed through there…"

Ulquiorra suddenly reached into Grimmjow's pocket. "Oi!" Grimmjow exclaimed. Ulquiorra pulled out two tickets. "Oh so that's what these are…" he murmured, a look of mild fascination on his face. Grimmjow ruffled his hair. "Alright, great… so if we have two that must mean Weed and Kyoshiro and Blue have theirs, so that's all my worries gone. Let's move out!" Grimmjow exclaimed and he dragged Ulquiorra away.

Grimmjow was running through the crowd when he stopped and gasped. "I know this song…it's…uh…"

"Wild Wild Life by Talking Heads." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow gasped and pointed at a ride. It looked like a large swing set, and it was spinning rapidly, causing the people strapped in the seats to spin around.

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow; the man had a truly evil grin on the face. "Oh no…" Ulquiorra muttered, Grimmjow grinned. "Hell yes!" and he dragged Ulquiorra over to it.

Ulquiorra didn't know what on Earth he was thinking but he got on with him.

The seat was double seated so they could both fit. However, Grimmjow messed around with it, loosening the screws with his strong hands. "No, Grimmjow…no!" Ulquiorra gasped and the ride started. "WOOHOO!" Grimmjow yelled as the seat broke away from the ride and flew into the air!

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as they flew through the air. "Ulquiorra, look at the view!" Grimmjow called and Ulquiorra looked down only to gasp and cover his eyes as they flew towards a dunker tank.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed, the both of the boys were in their human forms now, were walking towards the Ferris wheel when suddenly Weed gasped and pointed up. "Look in the sky!"

"Is it a bird?" Blue asked.

"It's a plane!" Kyoshiro exclaimed.

"No it's not!" Weed yelled, his eyes popping. "It's…Grimmjow and Ulquiorra!"

"WHAT?" Kyoshiro and Blue yelled, looking up.

The man sitting on the dunker seat screamed and jumped out as a seat flew into the water!

Grimmjow came up from the cold water, coughing, but grinning. "Holy shit that was awesome!" he yelled. Ulquiorra's eyes were wide and he twitched and looked over at Grimmjow. "I am going to kill you!" he hissed and Grimmjow mock screamed and jumped out of the tank with Ulquiorra running after him.

Grimmjow raced away through the crowd, laughing as Ulquiorra raced after him. Grimmjow tripped and fell onto something. Grimmjow looked down; he'd stumbled over a railing and fallen onto some tracks…

Grimmjow suddenly felt the ground shaking and he looked around only to scream as he saw a rollercoaster heading right for him! Grimmjow was suddenly seized by the legs and wrenched out of the tracks by Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow looked up and grinned at him, only to scamper right between his legs and race away from him. Ulquiorra growled and followed him through the crowd.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed were being swung forward and backwards in a huge pirate ship ride. Weed was hugging Blue and Kyoshiro was grinning, his hands up in the air as the pirate ship flew forward and then backwards. "Woohoo!" Blue called and Weed grinned.

Grimmjow was running still and then he saw a counter ahead of him and he yelped and jumped up, only to slide right across the sleek top as people threw darts at some targets behind him! Grimmjow yelped and heard Ulquiorra fall against the counter behind him and the both of them slid across it, Grimmjow flew off and smashed into a pole which, he supposed, was better than what happened to Ulquiorra, who simply slid on his chest on the ground and smashed head first into another counter with teddy bears and plush animals.

Grimmjow gasped and Ulquiorra heaved himself up and threw a huge plush bear at Grimmjow who leapt behind a counter with hotdogs on it. He seized some from the plates and hurled them at Ulquiorra who in turn threw more bears at him.

And meanwhile, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were being knocked into and thrown into railings while riding the bumper cars! Kyoshiro was laughing like a lunatic as he smashed into some poor boy's car which flew into the railing.

Kyoshiro grinned. "Take that, bitch!" he yelled, laughing, only to scream bloody murder as a man, ten times bigger than the car he was in by the way, smashed into Kyoshiro's car and sent him flying right through the railing!

Blue gasped and then her eyes narrowed.

She drove her car right towards the man who wore a shirt entitled Tiny.

Blue and Tiny's car smashed into each other's and Tiny was thrown backwards into the railing and Weed's car smashed right into the side and sent Tiny flying into several other cars. "Yeah!" Blue said and she and Weed high-five-d each other.

Grimmjow hurled the last hot dog at Ulquiorra who dodged.

"Give up!" Ulquiorra called and Grimmjow yelled back, "Never!" And then there was a scream from above and Grimmjow looked up only to be smashed into from behind and thrown right into Ulquiorra.

The both of them sat up, completely breathless and disorientated and covered in plush animals. "Who...the hell…wants to break my ribs so much?" Grimmjow growled, feeling his backside only to grab someone by the back of the shirt. "Who the hell is that?" Grimmjow snarled.

Kyoshiro scrambled over Grimmjow and slid onto the floor next to Ulquiorra. "Kyoshiro? What—?"

"Bumper cars…accident…" Kyoshiro wheezed and he passed out with a grin.

* * *

"There you guys are!" Blue exclaimed, seeing a rather tired Grimmjow leading Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro through the crowd. "We've been looking for you! Fido is about to make his appearance." She said, leading them over to a stage where Weed stood right at the front of the stage, staring up at it intently.

"Oh, guys! I'm glad you're here!" Weed said, smiling at them, his tail wagging. Grimmjow only nodded and rubbed the back of his rib cage and Kyoshiro lay down next to Weed. "Yeah…we had one hell of a time…" Grimmjow said. "I think I even broke some of my fucking ribs."

"Really?" Blue asked and Grimmjow nodded before wincing. "Uh…is Ulquiorra okay?" Blue asked, pointing over at Ulquiorra. The man was quiet, both hands tucked into his pockets, a look of surprise on his face. "Hey! Ulqui! You okay?" Grimmjow asked, snapping his fingers in front of Ulquiorra's face. "Yes…I'm fine." Ulquiorra said, watching Grimmjow's hand which was still rubbing the back of his ribs.

"Okay, well stop looking like your traumatized or something." Grimmjow said, turning away. "I am not looking like—" Ulquiorra said, but suddenly a man dressed in a tuxedo hurried onto the stage and almost fell off of it. He held up a microphone and said, "Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen! And dogs!" he added looking down at Kyoshiro, Weed and a few others.

"I will not withhold this moment any longer!" and then he whistled. "Fido!" he called.

Weed stood up on his hind legs, his paws resting against the front of the stage. And then there came the scampering of paws and a German shepherd bounded onto the stage and sat obediently by the man. People in the audience clapped and several kids began screaming and Grimmjow looked like he'd just stepped into the pits of hell.

Weed's eyes seemed to glow and his tail was wagging fiercely. "It's him! It's him! Kyoshiro, it's him, it's Fido!" Weed gasped and Kyoshiro simply grunted, kicking an invisible pebble on the ground.

"Where are the other four?" Ulquiorra asked, glancing around.

The man led Fido forward so that he stood near the edge of the stage and Weed gasped, inhaling deeply. "I can smell him…" he whispered.

"Kid your creeping me out…" Grimmjow muttered, looking away.

"Fido," said the man. "Spin!" and the German shepherd stood up on his hind legs and spun on the spot twice and he was thrown a small dog treat. "Shit, I didn't know dogs were even capable of doing that." Grimmjow whispered and Ulquiorra nodded.

"That just goes to show that you still have much to learn about us canines." Blue said, smirking somewhat.

"Fido, roll over!" the man commanded and the dog lay down on his back and rolled right over towards the edge of the stage. "Wow." Ulquiorra said, blinking.

"Fido, speak!"

Fido padded back over to him and looked up at him expectantly. "Oh, yes, of course!" said the man and he threw Fido a dog treat.

Fido barked once. "Good boy!" said the man eccentrically. "Any requests?" he asked the audience. Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow chuckle. "How about 'shit'?" Grimmjow muttered and Kyoshiro sniggered, Blue rolled her eyes.

"Can he say 'I love you'?" asked a women.

The beaming man looked down at Fido and said. "Fido, speak! I love you!"

Fido stared, his tail wagging before he said. "Rarr wow wu!" and everyone in the audience awed. "If I didn't live with talking animals that would be cool." Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra nodded. "True."

Requests began pouring in and Fido had already said several words and then the man lead Fido towards the left end of the stage and told him to sit before he went and set up a hula hoop in the center of the stage and said. "Ready?"

Then there was a bunch of angry murmuring from the back of the crowd and Ulquiorra looked around in time to see a man dressed in a black shirt, gray jeans, and a fedora make his way through the crowd—forcefully!

He knocked into several people and even knocked over a child. Grimmjow looked around and Blue jumped at the sounds of the child's crying and turned to stare at the man as well. "Move it, move it!" the man snapped. "Hey," Blue said, glaring over her shoulder at him. "There's no reason to shove, you know."

The man ignored her and pushed his way towards the front of the stage. "Move it, I want to see the dog!" he snapped angrily. Weed moved away from the stage to crouch near Grimmjow's foot as the man drew closer and Kyoshiro growled.

"Dude, take a fucking chill pill. The dog ain't all that great." Grimmjow said, throwing out an arm in front of the guy to stop him in his tracks. The man glared at him and Grimmjow could see he had some stubble on his face and he had wavy black hair and he had gray eyes.

"Move it, dickwad!"

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "What'd you call me, shitface?"

"I said move it!" the man snapped, grabbing Grimmjow's arm.

"Your behavior is despicable." Blue said coldly, making to move his hand away only to have the man glare at her. "Back off lady!"

And then a pale hand shot out and seized the man's hand, the man jumped and looked down only to have his gaze meet with a cold pair of emerald eyes. "What the fuck do you want?"

Grimmjow blinked.

Ulquiorra's glare hardened as he continued to stare into the stranger's face. "Let go of him, trash." And he forcefully removed the man's arm, causing him to stagger back. Grimmjow's eyes widened slightly. "Thanks I guess." He said and Ulquiorra nodded. "My pleasure."

The man stared at Ulquiorra in shock, apparently surprised that such a scrawny looking kid could have such strength. "Dipshit." The man growled and he elbowed Grimmjow, sending him bumping right into Blue, Kyoshiro dragged Weed away from the two as they staggered and Blue said, "What the hell's your problem?"

The man raised his hand and shoved Ulquiorra hard in the chest and Ulquiorra staggered backwards, tripping over another man's foot and falling onto the grass. "Little fucking shit!" the man yelled, raising his foot, preparing to kick Ulquiorra right in the face and then without warning the man let out a choking gargling sound as his shirt collar was pulled right against the base of his throat.

The man was spun around to stare into the face of a very, very, pissed off Grimmjow. Both man glared at each other before the stranger's glare vanished and he grinned sheepishly. "Uh…sorry?"

Grimmjow's upper lip curled and he snarled. "Alright, you wanna see the dog—go see the fucking dog, bitch face!" and a psychotic grin worked it's way onto his face and the man gave a loud gasp.

Fido had just started running towards the hula hoop when, with an earsplitting shriek, a man was thrown right in front of him. Fido screamed bloody murder as the man crashed across the floor, breaking through the wood, and then smashed right into the fake scenery behind him!

Silence fell as the feedback from the microphone filled the air, apparently the announcer had screamed too. He was standing there, his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging open. Everyone in the audience was silent…

Kyoshiro's mouth was open in a silent scream of shock and Weed's eyes were bulging, his gaze looking up at Grimmjow. Blue had her hand against her chest, her eyes wide as she stared at the back of Grimmjow's head, unable to see his face.

Ulquiorra simply stared up at Grimmjow, his mouth open ever so slightly, eyes wide. He blinked.

The silence thickened.

The man on the stage dropped the microphone.

Fido was just standing there, frozen, his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging open.

And then, slowly, all at the same time, everyone in the crowd turned to look at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow looked around, his blue gaze traveling over the horrified faces in front of him.

The fake background suddenly fell over and everyone still continued to stare at Grimmjow.

A child started crying somewhere behind him.

Fido's bulging eyes traveled over to stare at Grimmjow and the announcer looked over as well, his face still frozen in a scream.

Silence…

Grimmjow looked at his friends; all of them were staring at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry…?"

"Man…that was horrible…" Kyoshiro muttered.

* * *

The five friends were standing a little ways away from the broken stage. Grimmjow was sitting on a bench, glaring at the ground and Blue was leaning against the lamp post beside the bench. Weed was staring at the floor, his eyes downcast and Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra were sitting next to Grimmjow.

"It's not my fault!" Grimmjow snapped balling his fists and glaring at the Kishu Inu sitting at his feet.

"That bastard was pissing me off! He deserved it!"

"I know he did, but really...throwing him onto the stage and scaring the crap out of everyone, just because he shoved Ulquiorra—" but Kyoshiro was cut off when Grimmjow stammered angrily and said, punching his own knee.

"Ulquiorra had nothing to do with that!"

"Sure." Blue said, giving Grimmjow a look that said 'you need to lie better, Grimmjow, you softy.'

"So that aside—!" Grimmjow snapped. "You know what—never mind! I should never have—shit!"

Ulquiorra sighed and said. "Grimmjow, be quiet."

"It's not my fault!" Grimmjow yelled, glaring at the man beside him.

Ulquiorra turned to glare at him as well. "I know that, but I had everything covered."

"Sure you did, you fucking liar!" yelled Grimmjow, standing up.

"I did. What you did was unnecessary."

"Shut the fuck up! You could have gotten your fucking face kicked in! I stopped it from happening! You should be thanking me, idiot!"

"What made you think I was going to _let_ myself get kicked?" Ulquiorra asked, clearly annoyed

"Guys…" Weed muttered. "Stop."

"I can take care of myself, Grimmjow. In fact, the only reason I got knocked over was because I was stopping that man from hurting you—by the way you didn't look like you were going to do anything—"

"Oh you know what, put a sock in it, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow bellowed.

"Stop yelling, we're in a public park, you fool." Ulquiorra said his voice slightly louder.

"Then stop getting me pissed off!" Grimmjow yelled, grabbing the front of Ulquiorra's shirt. "I shouldn't have even fucking bothered! I should have let him fucking kick you, you douchebag!"

"I should have let him strangle you." Ulquiorra retorted.

Kyoshiro covered his ears. "Guys, I'm going to seriously hurt both of you!" he yelled and then both of the men glared at him and Kyoshiro immediately recoiled. "Um…never mind…?"

"I shouldn't have even come!" Grimmjow snarled, shoving Ulquiorra against the bench. Weed winced.

"This was all a big mistake!"

"I should be saying the same." Ulquiorra snapped. "And let go of me, you stupid buffoon." And he shoved Grimmjow in the chest.

"I'm sorry…"

And both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra went silent and looked down, shocked when they heard how sad Weed sounded.

"If you guys really didn't want to go you should have said so from the start…all I really wanted to do was allow you guys to enjoy yourselves…I didn't know it would make everyone so miserable…I'm sorry." Weed murmured his eyes closed.

Grimmjow stared at the pup in shock and Ulquiorra had the grace to look sadder than usual.

Blue knelt down and said, "Weed, I don't think they really meant it."

Kyoshiro glared at them. "Now look what you did!" he snapped.

"No, it's not their fault—!" Weed began, standing up.

"That's…that's not it, Weedy." Grimmjow muttered quickly, turning around. "I…uh…you've got it wrong. What I meant was…"

Grimmjow kicked the ground lightly, looking around for something to say. "Uh…I was just pissed at Ulquiorra so...I didn't really mean it…being here…it's not all that bad."

Ulquiorra knelt down beside Weed. "I didn't mean it either. And it certainly isn't your fault that I said that. I just meant that I wish Grimmjow hadn't come because things would be better without him."

Grimmjow raised his foot and put it right on top of Ulquiorra's head. "Shut up."

Ulquiorra smacked Grimmjow's foot right off of his head, disgusted. "Don't do that." Ulquiorra said, glaring over at Grimmjow.

"Then don't tempt me _into_ doing it!" Grimmjow threatened.

"My God, you two, please!" Blue said, stepping between them.

_She's got guts, _Kyoshiro though, shuddering and looking over his shoulder. "Hey, look at that, Weed. I think I've just seen something that might make your mood better."

Weed looked around and gasped.

A German shepherd strolled through the streets; his nose sniffing the ground, behind him walked a lady. She was holding a red leash attached to Fido's red diamond studded collar.

"Fido!" Weed exclaimed softly.

"Is it just me or is he acting weird?" Grimmjow asked.

He was right, Fido was acting weird. The dog was jumpy around blowing leaves and every time he saw something move he'd jump.

"My guess is that he's scarred from what he saw earlier." Ulquiorra said pointedly.

"Shut up, who asked you?" Grimmjow growled.

"Go say hi!" Blue said and she shoved Weed towards him. Weed looked nervous. "Can you guys come with me?" he asked.

"Fine!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Well…only if you want to…" Weed murmured, recoiling at Grimmjow's annoyed tone.

"I actually think Grimmjow should…you know…just chill…" Blue said, gesturing to the bench. Grimmjow simply sat down on it, glaring at the ground.

Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue walked forward towards Fido.

"Hi, Fido!" Weed said happily.

Fido gave a huge gasp and looked up only to sigh as he saw Weed. "O-oh…hey…" he said, twitching slightly. "How are you, kiddo?" he asked, looking around himself before he sat down on the ground, only to sit up immediately.

"I'm…I'm great, really! I am a big fan of your show, Fido! I…I think your amazing!" Fido's eyes widened and he looked down at the excited puppy. "Really?" he asked, surprised.

Weed nodded, his eyes glowing with admiration. "I've only seen about four episodes, but…it's a great show! Your friends are really brave and cool, just like my friends, and you…your just…amazing."

Fido seemed surprised and he said a little flustered. "Well…thank you, very much!" he said, grinning. "And of course I am amazing! What else do you expect from me?" he said, puffing out his chest.

"They don't call me _hero_ for nothing! And what else could you expect from someone with the name 'Fido'? Huh? How could I be anything short of amazing?" he said, throwing back his head, his glorious fur shining in the sunlight!

Weed nodded.

Kyoshiro and Blue simply stared at the brightness of his fur. "Wow…he's really into himself isn't he…?" Kyoshiro murmured. Blue nodded. "Totally…" she muttered, rubbing her eyes as his fur shone even brighter.

"He's totally full of himself…" Grimmjow muttered, crossing his arms moodily over his chest. Ulquiorra simply nodded, saying softly. "You don't need to point out the obvious, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow raised his fist and said angrily. "Shut the fuck up, you little—!"

"OH MY GOD!" Fido shrieked, pointing at Grimmjow and jumping backwards in horror when he recognized him. "It's that guy from earlier!" and he slid behind Weed.

"Uh…don't worry, don't worry!" Weed said, smiling kindly at him. "He's my friend; he's not going to hurt you."

"He better not—I have to shoot a scene later." Fido added, coughing into his paw. "Yeah sure you fucking do!" Grimmjow said, glaring daggers at the German shepherd.

"Oh, these guys are my friends." Weed said, looking over at his four friends. "That's Kyoshiro, Blue, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra."

"Their…uh…they aren't going to um…hurt me?"

"No! They are actually very nice!" Weed said happily.

"If you say so…" Fido mumbled.

"Guys, could you come greet him?" Weed asked.

Grimmjow grumbled something and the rest of Weed's friends walked forward to greet the German shepherd.

"Uh, hey guys, what's up?" Fido asked quite sheepishly, addressing Kyoshiro and Weed and Blue, whom he could see as a wolf. "Nice to meet you Fido." Blue said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, it's great." Grimmjow said and Fido gasped and looked up. "N-no way…you can hear me talking?"

"Yes." Grimmjow growled through clenched teeth.

"Wow…that's a first…I guess I am so awesome that even humans can understand me!" Grimmjow glared even harder as if hoping his glare would burn through Fido's flesh. "Don't make me kill you." he hissed.

"So, uh, Fido?" Weed asked quickly, hoping to break up a possible argument. "What made you want to get a career like this?"

"Let me think about that—I believe the humans gave it to me the instant I was old enough and then they immediately started getting the show ready." Fido explained all in one breathe.

"Anyway, need anything signed?" he asked. "Yeah!" Weed exclaimed. "Okay," Fido said, turning to look at the lady walking him. She was simply standing there looking bored. "May we have a signed—?" Blue began but the women immediately pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it and handed it to Blue. "Uh, miss, this has your name on it, not Fido's." Blue pointed out.

But the woman's cell phone rang and she pulled it out and stared at the screen and said. "Filming time is soon, Fido." She said in a droning voice. "Let's go."

"Ah, my awesome filming thing of awesomeness! Bye, Weed-o, Kyo-something, Black…" Fido stared at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, a look of concentration on his face. "…I'm not even going to try to remember your names. Adios!" and he walked away with the women.

"Well that was…interesting…" Blue said, blinking.

"More like totally fucking stupid." Grimmjow growled, shoving his hands into his pockets with a moody grimace on his face.

Kyoshiro simply began to walk away. "Can we go home now, Weed?"

"Sure…" Weed murmured, seemingly torn about leaving and following his hero or staying with his friends. Blue seemed to understand because she said. "Weed, we can stay a few more minutes while you can go and watch the filming." Grimmjow cursed.

"And Grimmjow doesn't have too!" Blue retorted hotly, glaring at Grimmjow who immediately recoiled.

"Yeah…I'm going home…" Grimmjow muttered. Ulquiorra made to follow him and Grimmjow immediately spun round. "And your not allowed to, asshole!" he yelled. "What I need to be _allowed_ to go to _my own home_?" Ulquiorra asked in a tone that clearly said "are you fucking stupid, idiot?"

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow snapped and he ran on ahead with Ulquiorra staring after him. "You can go," Weed said, smiling at him. "Anyway, I know for a fact that Grimmjow would appreciate—"

"No. I think if I'm around him I might accidentally kill him."

And he walked away after Weed who was waiting at the bottom of the path, his tail wagging.

Blue made to follow the pale man but stopped and looked over at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro had not moved and instead was glaring at the ground "Are you coming, Kyo?" she asked. Kyoshiro sighed and said. "Uh…yeah I guess…" and then he burst out. "What the heck does Weed see in that guy? It's obvious he's a pathetic loser!"

Blue blinked, a little surprised by his sudden outburst.

"How is it that that guy has captured Weed's interest so much?"

_It almost sounds as if…_

"Kyoshiro, are you jealous of—?"

"No. I am not. Who'd be jealous of him anyway?" Kyoshiro growled, closing his eyes and starting to walk downhill.

* * *

Fido and his filmmakers were already starting to film in the now deserted streets outside the park. Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro and Weed had to crouch behind a wall in order to avoid being seen by the filmmakers, Blue was the only one not hiding from some reason.

"This should be exciting…!" Weed whispered excitedly from where he was held in Ulquiorra's arms.

"For some reason I feel like I am intruding on something…" Ulquiorra said lowly. "Don't feel sneaky. It's fine. I already got permission to view the film making before you and Grimmjow met up with us." Blue explained. She was the only one not hiding behind the wall.

Ulquiorra face palmed.

The director greeted them and gestured to three crates for them to seat themselves on before he began to explain the scene to them.

"Alright, because of the bomb planted in the building, the police have had the area cleared. Leonard and Christine, Fido's family, are still inside the building, trapped by Jimmy Shaker, the villain. Fido will run to the building, which is of course John's cue," said the director, gesturing to a slim handsome man who waved at Ulquiorra and the others. "John will run to Fido and attempt to stop him entering but Fido will knock him down and proceed into the building where we will do a cut to the inside. You should probably avoid going inside, seeing that we have placed some machine that give off some smoke. Alright, three two, one—action!"

Ulquiorra looked down as Weed started shifting excitedly in his lap. "This is going to be awesome—! Hey…what's that?" Weed asked, looking to the left.

Ulquiorra followed his gaze and was somewhat alarmed to see four masked figures running towards Fido, who had just made a dash for the building as instructed. Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he realized the collision course they were headed on.

The film makers had noticed too. "Stop!" yelled the director and Weed gasped loudly when Fido was plowed into by one of the masked men.

"Stop!" Weed cried out springing from Ulquiorra's lap and bounding forward. "Weed." Ulquiorra growled, standing up and racing after him. Blue and Kyoshiro ran after them. Fido gave a shriek of horror as the boy heaved the dog right over his shoulder and began to run the three others stopped and pulled out what were unmistakably guns!

Ulquiorra froze immediately and so did Kyoshiro and Blue but Weed did not! Kyoshiro gasped as Weed darted right between one of the boy's legs and tore after Fido.

"Freeze. All of you." whispered one of the masked men, moving his gun from Ulquiorra to Blue and then to Kyoshiro. "If I see even a fucking finger move—I shoot."

"Why don't you look behind you then?" Ulquiorra asked and all three boys turned around and within seconds Ulquiorra and his two friends were pelting away up the street.

The boy who had spoken to Ulquiorra cursed loudly and smacked the boy next to him with his gun. "You stupid mother fucking piece of shit! Go, get them, get them!" he bellowed and his two other masked cronies ran off after the three escapists.

The masked boy glared at the film makers, all of them frozen with fear. "Go on and call the police. They'll never catch us." And he raced off after the others.

Meanwhile!

Fido was screaming like a little girl as he was carried over the shoulder over a boy with a creepy mask. "P-put me down!" he screamed.

"Fido!" The dog addressed looked up and saw Weed running towards him. "Puppy! Ha! It's you! What the heck can you do? Help me!" Fido shrieked.

"You can jump out!" Weed called, racing up towards him. "Just do what you always do!" he called. "I always do—what?" Fido yelled.

"You know, fight him!" Weed called excitedly.

"But…But, wait, kid!" Fido said, clearly confused. "I—I don't really do that stuff!" And then he was thrown right into a red pick-up truck. The masked man shoved him into a crate and jumped into the front. "Damn, those morons aren't even here! Oh well!"

Weed stared at the truck, realizing it didn't have a license plate. Confused he stared at it for a moment. "Who…who are these guys?" he whispered, eyes wide.

"Puppy! Help!" Fido yelled, scratching at the cage he was in.

Weed was already trying to crawl into the back of the truck. "I'm coming, Fido!" Weed said.

"Weed! Get down!" Weed turned and saw Kyoshiro racing towards him. He put on a burst of speed and leapt. "Get out of the truck and leave him to me!" Kyoshiro called, flying forward—only to smash right into the truck and fall onto the ground.

The truck started moving just before Kyoshiro could recover.

"Weed! Be careful!" Kyoshiro yelled, staggering up and blinking several times as Ulquiorra and Blue ran after him. Kyoshiro was kicked in the back of the head by one of the boys. The boy ran by and leapt right beside the truck and the door was opened for him and the boy flung himself in the moving car.

"Whoa! Look at him!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and then he was kicked right in the butt and thrown onto the floor as the last two boys leapt over him, the last one stepping hard on his toe and kicking him in the back of the head. They all jumped into the moving car which put on a wild burst of speed and began to disappear.

Ulquiorra stopped to catch his breath. "This isn't going to work…" he whispered. Blue was still running ahead and hadn't noticed he had stopped.

Then something helpful happened, a car drove out in front of the strangers car, forcing them to stop in order to let it pass and Ulquiorra raced forward.

Weed meanwhile was trying to figure out how to open Fido's cage. "I'm trying…I'm trying!" Weed whispered, frantic. Fido was trying as well. "You opened a cage like this once!" Weed exclaimed, looking at Fido hopefully. "In episode one, you opened it, you can do it again! Let's hurry and get out of here!"

"I did…? When did I…? Oh no…you've got it wrong, Weed. That wasn't me that was my stunt double!" exclaimed the older dog.

Weed looked up, eyes widening. "What?"

"I'm really bad at learning how to open cages!" Fido said excitedly, his eyes widening as he looked around, trying to think of a way out.

"Then…what else was done by your stunt double?" Weed asked, trying not to show his disappointment.

"That scene in episode four where I almost got run over by that truck—that was him too! I'm terrified of cars! I hate them! Please get me out!"

"So…when you flew through the air…that was him too?" Weed asked, starting to feel somewhat let down.

"That scene when I landed on the truck was him but I did the flying…god that scared me so much! I almost peed—!"

"Do you do _anything?_" Weed asked, trying not to sound too desperate for information. "Well yeah, I run, and act and stuff and look awesome—but he does most of the stuff so I guess you could say he's the star…but I'm still awesome!" he said, puffing out his chest only to scream as Ulquiorra suddenly leapt into the back of the truck.

"Alright, enough talking." Ulquiorra said, unlocking Fido's cage.

The boy's meanwhile had noticed Ulquiorra's reflection in the mirror and were yelling at him. Ulquiorra looked over the edge of the car and said. "Alright…let's go—Weed? Weed!" he snapped and Weed gave a jolt and said. "R-right!"

"No, I refuse! I'll die!" Fido shrieked. Ulquiorra groaned and said. "Jump already."

"No!" Fido screamed, digging his nails into the bottom of the truck as Ulquiorra pushed him closer to the edge.

Ulquiorra glanced around and saw one of the masked boys pulling a gun from his large jacket pocket. "Fido, hurry!" and before Fido could make up his mind the car swerved violently to the right, throwing Ulquiorra, Weed, Fido and the cage right off the back of the truck and into a large container of tomatoes.

The boy driving laughed. "Losers!"

"Yeah!" the others agreed until the driver gasped and said. "Where's the fucking dog?" and all of them gasped and made to hit the brakes but spotted, in the mirror, a trailer with a picture of Fido on in speeding towards them. "Ron, never mind!" said the boy next to him. "Get us out; the boss can have his freaking dog later!

The boy growled and said. "Shit! He was going to pay us lots!" and he drove away.

Ulquiorra groaned, heaving the crate off of him. "Oh…" he muttered, taking a look at the tomatoes he was covered in. Weed sat up, sneezing as tomato juice got in his nose. Fido was lying in a container full of packed fruit and ice and he was shivering violently from fear and cold.

Blue and Kyoshiro raced towards them, out of breath. "Are…you…guys…alright?" Blue wheezed, supporting herself against the container Ulquiorra was climbing out of. "More or less…" Ulquiorra said, wincing as he pulled himself out.

"Hey, guys, Fido, it's your crew!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Fido gasped. "My saviors!" he screamed, making Ulquiorra jumped.

Fido ran out into the road in front of them. "Guys, thank you! It's about time you guys—!" and the trailer zoomed right by him, missing running him over by approximately an inch. Fido's eyes were popping out of his head and he was twitching. "I…almost…died…"

Blue started waving frantically. "Stop! We have your dog!" she called and Weed and Kyoshiro started barking, jumping up and down. Ulquiorra raised a hand and was about to wave it when the trailer passed right by them, sending a heavy blast of air right by them.

"Well that was a failure." Kyoshiro scowled.

* * *

"Mister Director, sir," said a woman, clinging to the sofa for dear life. "A bunch of people were just waving to us frantically and we almost ran over a dog. Do you think we should stop?"

"NO!" the driver screamed. "We have to save Fidooooooooooo!"

"Oh okay," said the woman apparently relaxed. "I was just thinking that those were probably the kids and that dog was Fido."

"Nah! What are the chances!" said the man named John, lying on the ground.

"FIDOOOOOOOOOOO!" the driver screamed as their trailer flew into the air.

"Sir, slow down!"

"FIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Okay sir we get it!"

"FIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Ulquiorra heaved a sigh and leaned against the container of tomatoes. "Well this is just great…we don't even know where the fuck we are." Kyoshiro growled, kicking the floor. "And we don't know the way back home from here! Just great!"

Blue was sitting on a box next to Ulquiorra, her eyes narrowed in concentration. "We could flag a cab you know."

"No money." Ulquiorra pointed out, pulling out his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Grimmjow. It's a last resort." Ulquiorra answered, dialing the numbers on his cell phone.

"Hey, guys, stop moping we're going home soon!" Kyoshiro called, looking over at Fido and then at Weed. Fido was standing by the street, twitching, his fur all messed up and his eyes still popping.

Weed was simply sitting at Blue's feet, staring at the floor.

"Weed, is something wrong?" Blue asked, looking down at the young Akita Inu.

"No…it's nothing important." Weed whispered and Blue was a little startled to see how sad he looked. "Are you sure, you look really sad." said the black haired girl, looking a little more closely at him.

"Yeah…I'm fine."

Kyoshiro was giving Weed a strange stare, his eyes narrowed, following Weed's gaze. He was looking over at Fido.

"Answer Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra muttered.

And then he heard a familiar voice from the green cell phone in his hand.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Hello to you too, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra greeted ignoring the man's rudeness. "I need you to pick us, meaning Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and I, up."

"What the hell? No fucking way. Go home yourself."

"I'd love to but we've all just been attacked."

He heard Grimmjow inhale sharply. "Like hell you have."

"I'm serious. Fido is with us, we don't know exactly where we are or how to get back…the street were on is 81st and west. Come pick us up."

"Pick yourself up. I'm still pissed at you."

Ulquiorra growled.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques," he whispered, his voice low and he swore he heard Grimmjow stop walking. "You are going to come down here and pick us up in five minutes or else when I do manage to get home I will severe your manhood."

It worked.

He heard Grimmjow swallowed.

"I'm going to get you for this. I'll be down in five minutes."

Ulquiorra smirked to himself.

* * *

It was dark by the time they actually got home. Grimmjow had been shocked and angry to discover Fido was staying with them but had quickly decided not to ask about it and jumped into the car and driven them home.

Fido gaped at the sight of their house. "Wow…your house is…really tiny."

"Shut up." Grimmjow growled, stomping through the gate and reaching the front door and opening it.

Ulquiorra and the others walked through the door except for Weed and Fido. Weed was silent, simply looking at the ground.

"Get in you two!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at them.

"R-right." Weed said his tone low. Grimmjow blinked a little at Weed's sudden depression but didn't say anything about it as the little dog walked through the doors.

The first thing Grimmjow did was moodily shut off the air conditioner, due to the fact that it was freezing inside. Blue lay down on the couch and closed her eyes, taking her wolf form as she said, suddenly having an idea.

"Weed? How about you give Fido a tour of the house?" Weed looked up and nodded, walking off with Fido behind him.

"That kid is acting weird." Grimmjow muttered.

"Do you think so?" Blue asked.

"I think it's pretty fucking obvious." Grimmjow grumbled.

Ulquiorra walked out of the bathroom, apparently just having got out from the shower and the instant he entered the living room Grimmjow turned on the TV and immediately started reading a book.

Ulquiorra sighed softly and left the room.

"Grimmjow," Blue began.

"Talk to him."

"No."

"Grimmjow—"

"No."

"I think he'd like it."

"No."

"What are you going to do, sleep on the couch?"

"Yes." Grimmjow answered his tone calm as his eyes stared blankly at the book. His eyes weren't moving. Blue sighed.

"Men…"

"What?" Grimmjow snapped, turning to glare at her.

"Why do you just insist on being angry at him, can't you just…it's a stupid thing to be angry over, now, go and talk to Ulquiorra."

"No. It'll make me look like I actually want his company."

"But you do!" Kyoshiro said, coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey, he—he started the whole thing! Can't he just be grateful that I did something for him? He's such a stupid little fucking prick sometimes!" Grimmjow ranted, punching the book he had just set down in his lap.

"I am grateful."

Grimmjow jumped and looked towards the stairs where he could see a half naked Ulquiorra standing there, his hands in his jean pockets, his hair wet and messy… Grimmjow found his eyes stuck on him, allowing his gaze to run over his slightly muscular form.

Blue coughed and Kyoshiro began to chuckle under his breath.

Only they and Ulquiorra were aware of the blush on Grimmjow's face.

Finally Ulquiorra said, "You should make sure people are out of the room before you start ranting about them, though." Ulquiorra remarked casually, starting to feel a little self conscious.

"S-shut up…uh…crap." Grimmjow said, blinking.

It seemed Grimmjow's vocabulary was failing at this point.

"Uh…" Grimmjow said his voice almost a squeak.

Ulquiorra cocked his head, his hips leaning to the left.

Blue and Kyoshiro were in small fits of laughter from where they were, Kyoshiro next to the couch and Blue actually on it.

"My, my, I didn't know I had such an effect on you, _Grimmjow_." Ulquiorra's voice was almost a seductive whisper as he said Grimmjow's name and Blue saw Grimmjow lean back against the side of the couch.

"Guh…" was all Grimmjow managed and then he shook his head rapidly and said, very loud. "Oh for fucks sake, Ulquiorra put some damn clothes on!"

Ulquiorra blinked.

"I do have clothes on." Ulquiorra said pointing to the jeans he wore.

"Quit fucking around!"

"You're not making any sense."

"Screw you!"

"Oh wouldn't you love too."

And Blue and Kyoshiro burst out laughing. Grimmjow simply gaped at the top of the stairs before he glared at the two laughing and said. "You guys! Shut up!"

He then turned to glare at the top of the stairs and saw the corner of Ulquiorra's lips twitching. "Good night." And he turned and walked away towards his room.

Grimmjow let out a yell of frustration and stomped to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Weed appeared on the top of the stairs with Fido at his side.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Blue let out a sigh and said, "Nothing, nothing…Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are just ridiculous that's all…" she answered, grinning.

Kyoshiro heaved in a deep breath and said. "Oh god…I didn't know Ulquiorra was capable of flirting." He added, blinking.

"What?" Weed asked, jumping down the stairs only to slip and tumbled down the stairs. Kyoshiro jumped up and made to ask him if he was hurt when someone started laughing.

To their great surprise it was Fido!

"That was hilarious! You're like all eager and then you fall!" he said between laughs.

Weed's eyes widened as he looked up at the stairs at the dog laughing at him. Weed bowed his head and straightened up before proceeding to the front door and walking out through the new dog door.

Kyoshiro's eyes narrowed. "That's not funny." He growled.

Fido stopped laughing and he looked down.

"It isn't funny, you moron!" Kyoshiro yelled and he turned and stomped towards the door.

Fido blinked and said, "Well I thought it was…"

Blue glared at him, "How about you go to sleep, Fido?"

Fido yawned in response and said quickly, "Yeah…I'm tired…will you guys be able to return me to my home tomorrow?"

"We'll do it very soon." Blue growled and she began to climb the stairs, passing Fido.

Fido watched her leave and then decided to find a place to sleep. _I wonder why on earth they all took that so seriously…_ he thought.

He saw movement and stopped walking. It was Ulquiorra, leaning against his bedroom door.

"Oh, hello, mind if I sleep in your room?" he asked, tail wagging.

The man was silent and then his green gaze traveled down to meet Fido's brown gaze.

And without an answer Ulquiorra pushed open his door and walked through it, closing the door behind him.

Fido just stood there, staring at the door.

"…I guess that's a…maybe…?"

* * *

Kyoshiro pulled himself from the dog door and looked around. The street was dark; the house light was on so that the little garden was thrown into light. Weed was sitting by the gate, looking up at the moon.

"Yo."

Weed looked over at Kyoshiro as the older dog padded over and sat down beside him. Weed simply looked at him and managed a small smile. It was fake.

"Hi, Kyoshiro." Weed said, smiling slightly as he returned his gaze to the stars.

Kyoshiro sighed and glanced over at his friend. "Talk. C'mon."

Weed looked at the ground. "It's nothing, Kyoshiro."

Kyoshiro moved closer and nudged his black nose against Weed's ear, Weed let out a small laugh as Kyoshiro began sniffing and licking his ear. "O-okay, okay, stop, I'll tell you!" Weed exclaimed, laughing. Kyoshiro's eyes softened and he gave a small doggy smile.

"Well then talk."

Weed looked at the ground and then back at Kyoshiro, unsure of where to start.

"Okay, well how about you tell me what was bugging you awhile ago?"

"Alright…"

Silence fell for a moment as Weed pieced together exactly what to say. Kyoshiro looked up at the stars while he waited.

"I'm…I'm disappointed...and I really don't want to be but…I am. I'm disappointed in Fido…and that's really mean but…I can't help it…he never did anything really amazing in the studio, it was his stunt double, even Fido admitted that his stunt double was more of a hero than…I sound really mean don't I…?"

"See, I was right." Kyoshiro exclaimed softly, standing up. "He's a fake!"

"You don't need to rub it in! I shouldn't even be disappointed in him…I mean, it's not like I could do what he doesn't do anyway…I understand why he doesn't do it…so why am I so…?"

"Because he was your hero and it turns out he's a pathetic loser."

Kyoshiro pointed out. "Not to mention he just acted like a total jerk."

"He probably never even saw someone fall down the stairs before so maybe that's why he laughed?" Weed suggested, and Kyoshiro could tell he was trying to defend him.

"Maybe I just did it in a way that—?"

"Stop it." Kyoshiro snapped. "Don't try to talk yourself into looking bad because he's stupid. He's not worth it."

Seeing that Weed still looked sad Kyoshiro sighed and said, "Look, how about…how about you spend sometime with him, just to get to know him more, maybe you two can become friends…or something." Kyoshiro grumbled.

Weed looked over at him and said. "What if I make myself look stupid?"

"If he laughs at you let me talk to him. I'll beat him up for you." Kyoshiro said, smirking.

"Please don't."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Kyoshiro said, pawing Weed playfully in the face, Weed laughed. It was a real laugh and a real smile on his face this time. Kyoshiro found himself smiling back.

And the two dogs turned to look up at the sky together.

"Thank you, Kyoshiro. I feel a lot better now." Weed whispered and Kyoshiro could see the stars twinkling in the younger dog's eyes.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

It was 11: 50 at night. Ulquiorra turned over in his bed and tried to sleep but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't. For one it was cold in here and for another the bed just felt…empty. Ulquiorra pulled the covers tighter around him and groaned softly. He wanted to sleep…

It seemed Grimmjow really had been serious about not sleeping with him. Not that Ulquiorra missed him or anything of course…he didn't miss him at all but he really couldn't ignore the fact that the bed was so empty…it just felt too spacious and almost cold…well, it really was cold in here.

It had started raining hard a while ago and the sounds of thunder and lightening could be heard and the rain lashing violently against the house was another reason he couldn't sleep.

Finally Ulquiorra decided to go downstairs and at least get some water or some hot chocolate if he wasn't going to be able to sleep.

Ulquiorra threw the blankets off, crossed the room and opened the door before stepping out into the hallway, leaving the door ajar. The floor was cold and Ulquiorra shivered lightly as he walked towards the stairs. A sight caught his eye from where he stood and he glanced over.

It was Grimmjow.

He was curled up on the couch and it was obvious he was too long for it since he was curled into a ball, the tips of his toes pushed against the arm of the couch.

Another thing Ulquiorra noticed was that he didn't have a blanket at all. Ulquiorra frowned. _Idiot. He's going to get sick at this rate._

Ulquiorra walked down the stairs and reached the bottom before making to cross over to the kitchen when Grimmjow groaned loudly and Ulquiorra stopped, he glanced over and saw that Grimmjow's form had shifted.

Grimmjow suddenly sat up with a loud growl and began punching the couch. "Stupid freaking—_argh!_" Grimmjow knocked the cushions off and put his face on his arms, propping his feet up on the arm of the couch and mumbling under his breath.

The blue haired man gave a soft shiver and he hugged himself slightly, his toes curling. "Fuck. The air is off and it's so freaking cold. Stupid weather…"

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow freeze to death on the couch before he walked into the kitchen. He heard Grimmjow stop his grumbling and saw the man look around out of the corner of his eye.

Ulquiorra searched the cabinets for the hot chocolate mix. Ulquiorra finally spotted the hot chocolate mix; it was on the third shelf in the cabinet. Ulquiorra stared at the shelf for a moment, trying to think of how the heck he was going to get it. Ulquiorra simply stared at it as if hoping that if he stared long enough the box would know he was too short to reach it and magically fall of the shelf.

Just when Ulquiorra was inwardly cursing his friends for not getting a bar stool, something warm and solid pushed right up against him from behind and within seconds the box was set down in front of him.

Ulquiorra looked at the box and then looked up at the man behind him. Grimmjow glanced down at him, his handsome, tired, face set in a frown; his eyes lingered on Ulquiorra's for a moment before he felt Ulquiorra lean back against him. Ulquiorra sighed softly when he felt how warm the other was.

He felt Grimmjow slowly raise an arm as if considering whether or not to hold him when the taller man stopped and instead set his arm against the counter. "…The hell are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Ulquiorra responded.

"Missed me?"

"No. It's just cold that's all."

"Well it's freakin' freezing down here. Try sleeping down here." Grimmjow growled, still not moving away.

"If it's so cold then come upstairs. I have a heater in the closet."

"Did you even turn it on yet or are you just trying to get me up there with you, Ulquiorra? Well forget it. Get a life." And Grimmjow walked away towards the couch.

"If I don't have a life then how come you're still angry about what happened back at the park?" Ulquiorra asked, starting to set up his drink.

"I am not." Grimmjow growled moodily, crossing his arms and glaring out the window from where he sat on the couch.

Grimmjow heard the microwave beeping and he looked around and saw Ulquiorra taking the mug out of the microwave. He set it down on the counter and stared into it.

Grimmjow watched as Ulquiorra reached for a sugar packet, ripped it in two over the steaming mug and then reached for another.

_He's ridiculous…what's with him and sugar anyway?_

Ulquiorra took a sip and seemed satisfied, he left the kitchen and began to walk away only to stop as Grimmjow let out a soft sneeze. Ulquiorra stared at him for a moment, as if considering something and then he turned and began to walk away up the stairs.

Grimmjow watched him leave and heaved a sigh. He suddenly felt lonely, not that he was about to admit it though. Then without warning Grimmjow felt something being thrown over him and his eyes opened. Ulquiorra had thrown a large woolen blanket over him. Grimmjow recognized it as the one that they normally kept under the bed.

"What—?" Grimmjow began.

"If your going to sleep down here at least use a blanket. I don't want to be the one getting sick because of you." Ulquiorra explained briefly and with such conviction that any other person would have believed him. But Grimmjow didn't.

"I can see right through you, Ulquiorra. You don't want me to get sick. You're worried about me." Grimmjow said, smirking slightly.

"Rubbish." Ulquiorra responded, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"You didn't need to do that, I could have—!"

"After you spent the last three hours on a couch without them, you were going to suddenly decide to get some? You weren't even prepared to step into my room."

"Shut up. I was going to—you know what, forget it! This is a stupid argument anyway…" Grimmjow grumbled, his voice trailing away as his temper dropped.

He heard Ulquiorra settle down beside him, pulling the blankets up to his chest. Ulquiorra had just finished his drink and set the mug down on the coffee table. Silence fell between them until finally Ulquiorra said, slowly, "Are you ever going to let that ridiculous argument go?"

And Grimmjow immediately retorted, "Not until you admit that you were wrong."

"But I wasn't. You were the one who threw the guy."

"Yes, I did throw the dude but I did it for you, so why did you start bitching about it?" Grimmjow growled, glaring at him.

"I said I appreciated what you did, Grimmjow, but I really can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but seriously! You were going to let the guy hit you in the face!"

"_Kick_, Grimmjow, he was going to _kick_ me in the face."

"I know that!"

"I wasn't going to let him. I simply didn't have enough time to react, that's why that I am grateful for your interference. Maybe we should just accept that neither of us did much wrong."

"I still think that you—!"

"Oh drop it. What is the point?"

Grimmjow went silent, apparently actually trying to find the point of this argument; his gaze returned to Ulquiorra, the man seemed to have just thought of something because Grimmjow saw his eyes narrow slightly as they usually did when he was in thought.

"Grimmjow, could it be that you got so upset about what happened today because you were worried about me?"

"Absolutely not!" Grimmjow snapped. "I was just alarmed by your—stupidity of—No! I wasn't, where'd you come up with an excuse like that?" Grimmjow immediately retorted, crossing his arms over his chest, unaware that his cheeks were turning pink.

Ulquiorra's arm wrapped around Grimmjow's shoulders, pulling himself into Grimmjow's lap, his face against his shoulder.

"Just be quiet. You make up the most ridiculous excuses when you're embarrassed. Is there anyway to prove to you that I can take care of myself? Though, I admit, it is nice to know that you care about me."

"Ulquiorra, how about you shut up?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra could practically feel the heat coming off of him in waves. Ulquiorra buried his face in Grimmjow's neck, nuzzling him and inhaling his comforting scent. He felt Grimmjow put his arm around his shoulders and he sighed contentedly.

Ulquiorra's other arm wrapped around Grimmjow's chest, his fingers sliding across Grimmjow's ribs as he put his arm around his waist.

Grimmjow laughed softly and Ulquiorra whispered, "What's so funny?"

"I…don't know." Grimmjow said his tone confused.

Ulquiorra's hand removed itself from Grimmjow's waist and ran across his ribs again and strangely enough Grimmjow laughed, though it was more like a chuckle.

Ulquiorra stared at him questioningly.

Grimmjow blinked and said impatiently, "What? Leave me alone."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and his mouth turned up in a small smirk.

Grimmjow growled threateningly. "Ulquiorra, don't you even fucking dare—!"

Ulquiorra's fingers immediately attacked Grimmjow's sides and Grimmjow started laughing uncontrollably, falling onto his side in an attempt to stop Ulquiorra's right hand, but failing to stop the other.

Grimmjow was grinning from ear to ear when Ulquiorra stopped, his blue eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily. "Shit…! Don't do that again!" Grimmjow snapped sitting up and glaring at him only to immediately be attacked again by Ulquiorra's hands that left him speechless with laughter.

Ulquiorra's eyes brightened and a small smile was on his face as he watched the other man below him. Grimmjow's laughter was almost infectious for some reason and Ulquiorra found himself being affected by it. This strange surge of affection had hit him, an affection he couldn't quite explain.

Be he knew one thing. He loved hearing Grimmjow laughing like this.

"S-shit—Ulqui-Ulquiorra, stop, stop it!" Grimmjow gasped, grinning hugely, attempting to push him back but failing.

"Why should I stop if you like it so much?" Ulquiorra asked, attempting to wipe the small smile off his face but completely failing as Grimmjow continued to laugh.

"The fact that you are ticklish is actually rather adorable—"

"S-shut up…!" Grimmjow wheezed, continuing to laugh, his eyes closed a happy grin on his face. His laughter was different; it wasn't the kind of psychotic laughter that Ulquiorra heard when he was fighting. It was happy, almost hysterical, but there was just something different about it. It was a warm type of laughter, and Ulquiorra liked it.

"Stop—stop grinning, stupid! I'm—I'm going to k-kill you!" Grimmjow exclaimed between laughs.

"I'm finding it hard to take you seriously." Ulquiorra said, feeling his slight smile growing.

Grimmjow stopped laughing momentarily when he saw Ulquiorra's expression—only to immediately burst out laughing again. "I hate you! S-seriously—stop!" Grimmjow gasped but gave up trying to talk.

Ulquiorra meanwhile was finding the urge to hug the man very hard to resist.

"Hearing you say 'I'm going to kill you' and 'I hate you' only serves to make you look more adorable." Ulquiorra noted and Grimmjow suddenly shoved him in the chest and staggered off the couch and tore away up the stairs.

Ulquiorra shook his head and ran after him, reaching the bedroom door and immediately opened it and was ambushed by Grimmjow who wrapped his arms around Ulquiorra's head, holding him against his chest.

Grimmjow flung him down on the bed, suffocating his face in his chest. "Just try and break free now, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow growled, psychotic grin in place. He suddenly felt Ulquiorra go limp in his arms and Grimmjow stopped grinning. "Uh…Ulquiorra?" he exclaimed, looking down. Ulquiorra simply lay below him, not moving.

"Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow said, his eyes widening. Ulquiorra's emerald eye opened and Grimmjow sighed with relief. Ulquiorra's other eye opened and then a dangerous scowl was on his face.

"No!" Grimmjow yelled, making to back away only to be attacked by Ulquiorra's fingers, causing him to double over laughing, his face pressed against Ulquiorra's shoulder. Ulquiorra stopped and Grimmjow took in a huge gulp of air and said, "I am going—!" but Ulquiorra immediately started tickling him again and Grimmjow fell against Ulquiorra's chest.

Ulquiorra stopped and Grimmjow lay breathless against his chest until he sat up and said a scowl on his lips. "Ulquiorra, I swear I am going to—" but before he could finish Ulquiorra kissed him, completely silencing him and to his surprise Grimmjow immediately responded to the kiss, his hand sliding into Ulquiorra's soft hair and his other arm wrapping around Ulquiorra's waist.

They only stopped when the need for air became too much and then Grimmjow immediately returned to the kiss, his arms tightening around Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra slid his arms around Grimmjow's shoulders and let out a soft groan of disappointment when Grimmjow moved away.

Grimmjow smirked and said. "Aw, you liked it that much? Well if you liked it so much..." and he kissed Ulquiorra again, the kiss was chaste, something that was unlike Grimmjow and it somewhat surprised Ulquiorra. Grimmjow's arms pulled him closer, pressing them closer together and Ulquiorra moaned softly, his fingers tangling in Grimmjow's soft blue locks.

Grimmjow moved away and judging by the smirk on his face he was about to say something smart-alecky but the instant he saw the expression on Ulquiorra's face he stopped, his expression softened and a smile spread across his face.

What he was seeing really couldn't be described as beautiful because, really, it wouldn't be enough. Ulquiorra's eyes were closed, his head turned slightly to the side, and a smile was on his face, it was a small smile but it was a beautiful one none the less. But still, beautiful didn't seem enough. Grimmjow momentarily wondered if there was a word that could describe what he felt at the moment, looking down at him.

Ulquiorra's eyes opened when Grimmjow's arms wrapped around him. "Grimmjow?"

"God dammit…how the hell can I expect to stay angry when you look like that…?" Grimmjow whispered.

And only seconds later, both of them were asleep.

* * *

"We need milk." Grimmjow grumbled.

Blue looked up from where she sat across the table from him. "Then go get some. We also need pretty much half the store."

"You go get it!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Today's the fourth of July…maybe it's not open…?" Weed suggested.

"I'm sure it will be." Ulquiorra said, his eyebrow twitching as he heard just how loudly Fido was eating. Kyoshiro glared over into the kitchen and said. "Oi! Do you have to sound like a freaking pig?"

"Sorry, it's just the milk combined with this dog food is soooo good!"

"What?" Grimmjow yelled, turning around.

"You drank the milk?"

"Yes. Is that wrong?"

"There was half a carton left! You can't tell me you drunk all that!"

"Oh, but I did! Anyway, milk is good for you! And anyway, I figured since I was a welcomed guest in this household I might as well help myself to some of your delicious milk!"

"Welcomed? _Welcomed?_" Grimmjow exclaimed. "You aren't welcome—!"

"So," Blue said, talking over Grimmjow. "Since Fido drank all the milk, he and Grimmjow can go and get some more."

"What? No!" Grimmjow said loudly. "Don't pair me up with that stupid—!"

"Grimmjow, he isn't stupid." Weed said, jumping down from the sofa to stand beside Fido in the kitchen. "He was hungry and he drank the milk which is what milk is there for—drinking."

"Don't go all smartass on me, kid." Grimmjow growled.

"But he's right!" Fido said dramatically. "If I hadn't drunk it, it would have spoiled and been disgusting to drink and it would have made you all very sick! I saved you all from terrible indigestion and possible death! Now, get on your knees and thank me!"

"HELL NO!" Grimmjow roared.

"I think Grimmjow is still sore about what happened earlier." Ulquiorra said, looking over his shoulder as he spoke.

Previously;

_It was 4:00 in the morning. Grimmjow was lying in bed beside Ulquiorra, asleep. And then without warning he felt something hairy brush against his leg. Grimmjow's eyes jerked open and his breath hitched when he heard it—breathing…and the feeling of something brushing against his leg…_

"_AGH!" Grimmjow screamed and he kicked whatever it was, sending it tumbling onto the floor. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow looked over the side of the bed and saw Fido on the ground with his tongue sticking out, wheezing. _

"Apparently he crawled into our room because Kyoshiro kicked him out." Ulquiorra said.

"I did." Kyoshiro said. "I kicked him out because I woke up with him literally on top of me! It scared the living shit out of me!"

"But it's not my fault! I was cold and everything! And plus sleeping out in the hallway by the door scared me, especially when I heard someone laughing his head off during the night!"

Grimmjow immediately began shoving food down his throat.

"I think it was—!" Fido began, looking over at Grimmjow.

"The neighborhood freak shows, it was coming from outside." Ulquiorra cut in, calmly sipping his tea. He heard Grimmjow sigh with relief.

"Oh…are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay!" Grimmjow said, standing up. "We're going to the store! No more on this subject, Fido!"

And Grimmjow crossed to the door, shoving his wallet into his pocket, dragging Fido with him, just wanting him out of the house before they could discover form him just who had been laughing.

"Um, Grimmjow?"

The man looked around and saw Weed standing there, his tail wagging hopefully.

"Could I come, possibly? I'd…I'd like to get to know Fido more."

"Fine, but you have to help, especially if I am getting half the store! Blue, you owe me!"

Blue shook her head. "Alright, alright."

"And Ulquiorra,"

"What, what can I possibly owe you—?" Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow instead said, "Thanks."

Blue looked over at Ulquiorra in surprise.

Kyoshiro smiled at Weed as he watched the three of them leave. "He remembered my suggestion. Heh, good kid."

* * *

They had gotten milk, bread, cheese, some snacks, and a few more things that were needed. Weed walked behind him with Fido, carrying the groceries in his mouth along with Fido. Fido, who had never been outside before nor ever been in a grocery store, was often getting distracted and walking away to sniff something.

Grimmjow seized the dog's collar with a growl of frustration and said. "The sooner we get this guy home the better!" and he dragged them towards the registers.

After leaving the store Grimmjow lead them up the street.

"Where are we going?" Weed asked.

"Pharmacy." Grimmjow responded.

"Why are you sick?" Fido asked.

"No! I'm getting the dog food they have there that they didn't have at the stupid grocery store!"

Fido was suddenly distracted by a place they had just started passing by. It was a nightclub by the looks of it and through the glass doors people could be seen dancing and drinking.

"Wow…look at that! Can we go inside?" Fido asked immediately. Grimmjow stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at the excited German shepherd.

"No. Let's move." And he continued walking. Fido looked disappointed and followed, catching up to Weed who said, "Don't worry, I bet when your owners see you, you can do plenty of dancing with them!"

The doors opened behind them and Grimmjow turned. What he saw made his blood freeze. Four boys were following them up the street, all of them hooded and masked, all wearing gray jackets.

_Masks, jackets and four guys... That matches exactly with Ulquiorra's description…but for all I know they might not even be following us, their probably just punk/emo/gothic wannabes. Never mind._

But Grimmjow kept listening intently; he even called the dogs up to walk ahead of him so he could keep his eyes on them. Maybe he was being paranoid, he didn't know.

All he knew was that those boys hadn't changed directions since leaving the club.

Half way towards the pharmacy, Grimmjow spotted a store a little ways ahead towards the right. "Weed, Fido," and both dogs looked over their shoulders at him. "Go in that store and get me something to drink."

Weed's eyes blinked. "Anything in particular?"

"No. Just get in there, now."

Fido was beginning to look nervous as he sensed Grimmjow anxiety.

"Go in the damn store, now. Go!" Grimmjow snapped and Weed hastily took the money that Grimmjow gave him, and he and Fido immediately headed towards the store. Fido gave Grimmjow one last look before entering. The door to the shop swung shut and silence fell.

Grimmjow stopped walking and listened. It was so quiet that Grimmjow even hoped that they were gone, but his senses told him better. He listened, waiting.

And then all at the same time, they charged at him.

Grimmjow spun around and slammed his fist into one of their masked faces; the boy flew backwards and smashed into a garbage can. The other three tore forward and leapt at him. Grimmjow reached out and seized one of their heads; the second came at him from behind. Grimmjow reached behind him and seized that boy's head as well and pulled hard! Both of the boys got their heads smashed together and Grimmjow immediately planted kicks in their sides, throwing them into the wall.

The fourth boy lunged at him and Grimmjow prepared himself but the boy changed direction halfway there and made to attack him from the left, Grimmjow lunged to the left just as the boy moved to the right and slammed his foot right into his jaw. Grimmjow was thrown backwards and he slid across the floor all four ran towards him and Grimmjow sat up and smashed his head into one of their stomachs, sending the man flying backwards and tumbled down the street.

Grimmjow made to attack again but was struck from behind. Searing pain hit him and he barely had time to register anything except that one of the boys had smashed a bottle into the back of his head. A foot connected with his side and then right in his back, throwing him to the ground. All of them attacked at once, punching, kicking, Grimmjow barely had time to react.

Grimmjow was lifted up and thrown against the wall, then pulled back and slammed into it again and again. A foot connected in his stomach as he fell onto his side. Grimmjow seized the foot again, pain turning to fury as he focused all his energy on twisting the boy's foot.

The man gave a scream of agony and Grimmjow sat up and knocked him to the floor, slamming his face with punches before another flung himself forward, smashing himself into Grimmjow's ribs, throwing him into the wall. Grimmjow was hit again, the hit sent him flying backwards and smashing into a garbage can, the contents spilled everywhere.

Grimmjow sat up, staggering. Before he could turn around he felt a terrible pain in his back and fought back a scream of pain as he felt his back being ripped open as whatever it was cut its way down the back of his ribs. Grimmjow kicked out and he heard a gasp of pain and he turned around but his movement wasn't fast enough as he felt a punch hit his jaw.

He fell on his back, gasping for breath.

"Aw, what's wrong, bitch, can't get up? Get up!" a voice screamed at him. Grimmjow let out a fierce snarl and flung himself to his feet and latched onto the side of the boy's neck with his teeth, sinking them in. The boy screamed and pushed him away and made a mad dash away up the street.

* * *

Fido looked up as Weed approached the counter, holding a can of V8 juice. "Weed…do you hear that?"

Weed looked around, listening and his eyes widened when he heard screams and yells outside. "Grimmjow!" he yelled.

* * *

Grimmjow was thrown to the floor, the three boys held him there. One of them released their hold and instead pulled out a knife and leaned over him, pressing the knife against the corner of Grimmjow's mouth. "Why don't you smile a bit, you little bitch?" he whispered. Grimmjow's eyes widened and a feeling of terror momentarily appeared in him.

"Scream of help? You can't scream for help? Aw…does it hurt that _much?_" and he slashed him across the cheek. Grimmjow's eyes momentarily closed.

"You little shit…" Grimmjow breathed. And he kicked him in the stomach. This only resulted in him being thrown into the wall.

Grimmjow made to shove his two attackers but the boy reached his hand into Grimmjow's pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Hey, hey! What do we have here—?"

Grimmjow's hand shot out but within seconds a knife was thrust right into the back of his hand. Grimmjow's eyes widened.

A low growl resounded form the back of his throat and he raised his foot and kicked the boy in the stomach. But two others grabbed him and slammed him into the floor. Grimmjow struggled hard, despite the pain in his hand but they only pressed harder against him.

The doors behind him flew open and Grimmjow gasped. _No!_

"Grimmjow!" Weed cried out.

Both men turned around and stared at the young dog with Fido at his side. The dogs gasped as they recognized the faces before them.

"It's the dog. Get him." said the taller of the two.

The other boy started forward and Fido coward behind Weed.

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he flipped himself over and kicked the boy in the chest. Grimmjow slammed himself into the masked man's shoulder and yelled. "Run! RUN! Get the hell out of here, NOW!" Grimmjow roared.

But Weed wouldn't here of it, Weed ran forward to help him. The man next to Grimmjow leapt over Weed and the pup turned around just as the man landed directly above him, stepping on the dog's side.

"Weed, no, get out of here!" Grimmjow yelled, running forward.

The boy turned around and reached into his pocket, whipping out a gun. The bang went off and Grimmjow's eyes widened as terrible pain shot through, Weed gave a scream of horror and Fido shrieked in shock.

Grimmjow fell flat on his back, unable to breath properly, gritting his teeth together tightly to prevent any sound of pain from escaping him.

"You seem to like this dog." said the masked man, lifting Weed up by the scruff of the neck. "How about I hurt him a bit?"

Grimmjow's eyes widened and a sound of terror escaped him. "You—you son of a bitch…" he gasped, coughing up blood, attempting to stand up, his other arm was out of use from the bullet, but he could still use his other one to fight, as well as his feet.

Weed began struggling madly and somewhere behind them Fido was being cornered by the other two men. "One of you, get over here and restrain him, let him watch while I rip this dog to shreds."

"YOU BASTARD!" Grimmjow bellowed, standing up and making a mad dash forward, ignoring the gun still being pointed in his direction.

One of the men advancing on Fido tore away from his comrade and charged at Grimmjow. Grimmjow met him head on and slammed himself against him, planting his elbow into the man's chest, but the man's hand slammed right into Grimmjow's bloody arm and Grimmjow was momentarily frozen and the man took this opportunity to throw Grimmjow into the wall.

"Enough." said the one holding Weed and Grimmjow frozen, his blue eyes widening as he saw the leader turn his gun on Weed, pointing it right into his face. Weed gave a gasp of horror and started struggling fiercely. "Goodbye puppy." The man whispered. Grimmjow heard himself scream out in terror, "NO!"

And the gunshot resounded throughout the streets.

_To Be Continued_

_

* * *

_

_I had to leave the chapter at a cliff hanger. Other wise it would have been waaaay too long. xD_

_I'm about to start work on the second half. Oh and could you tell I had fun writing the tickle scene? That was so cute. The reason this chapter took so long to get up was mainly because of stupid Fido, I just couldn't figure out how to portray him, so finally I went for pathetic and stupid. I think it works, I like how paranoid he is of the outside. I can't wait to write Ulquiorra's reaction to Grimmjow's major beating! 8D (I feel sadistic!)  
_

_Hope you enjoyed this way too long chapter! 8D  
_


	8. Adventure 8

**Adventure #8**

**Hero Part 2**

The gunshot resounded through the street as the man holding Grimmjow to the wall fired right at the other man, knocking the gun away from him. The man holding Weed yelped in shock as the gun was blasted out of his hand and thrown across the street. Weed gave a low whimper and Fido looked up hopefully.

Grimmjow swallowed, letting out a soft breath of relief, not realizing just how badly he was shaking.

"What the hell was that for?" the man asked calmly, turning to look at the smaller man holding Grimmjow against the wall. "We came to get that large dog—not to shoot innocent puppies, Rick." said the man sternly.

"You little weakling…" the man called Rick growled but he dropped Weed and instead turned to the man cornering Fido. "What the hell are you waiting for? Grab the dog!" he yelled. Fido made to run to Grimmjow but was seized around the middle.

"Fido!" Weed cried and he ran forward only to receive a sharp kick in the ribs that sent him tumbling into a parked car on the left.

Grimmjow shoved his capture away from him with a roar of anger and charged at Rick, ripping the small knife from his hand and brought it inches from the middle of Rick's head. But just before the knife could pierce through the mask a bang went off and Grimmjow staggered back with a yell of pain as blood burst from his leg, right where his knee cap was. Grimmjow fell on one knee, gasping.

Rick had drawn a gun from his pocket at the precise moment Grimmjow prepared to kill him. He raised his hand and smacked the small knife from Grimmjow's bloody fist and Grimmjow seized his arm and twisted it. Rick screamed in pain as the cracking of bones was heard.

"Alright…you can take me, you can kill me, you beat the living shit out of me, but guess what you piece of shit—_you_ _don't ever mess with one of my friends!_" Grimmjow yelled a look of fury on his face as he spoke this and he felt a grin forming at the corner of his lips as he heard Rick gasping in pain.

"What—does that hurt?" Grimmjow slammed him against the wall, grinning when he heard his skull crack against it.

The two other boys just stood there, watching in terror.

"Rick…! What do we do?" one of them whispered.

The boy holding Fido just shrugged. "Leave 'em. The less there is of us, the more money we get. Just make sure you don't die before we get home."

"What?"

Bang!

The boy fell flat on his back as a bullet pierced his skull.

Fido screamed and attempted to get away from his captor but the gun was brought down over his head and he gasped in pain as his vision started to blur.

"Fido…!" Weed whispered, blinking.

Fido managed a tiny smile. "I'm glad I met you…help your friend…okay?" and he was thrown over the man's shoulder.

Weed tried to stand, but the ache in his ribs made him feel like he was going to thrown up and he slumped against the vehicle, his head throbbing as his vision blurred.

The boy with Fido over his shoulder tore away up the street at top speed and disappeared around a corner.

"Tom! Tom! Come—!" but Rick was cut off as he was thrown to the left, crashing into the car that Weed was lying next to.

Grimmjow advanced on him and then ran at him and Rick's eyes widened and he turned around, picking up the gun that had slid across the floor when one of his henchmen had been shot.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he screamed and he fired and Weed's yell of horror was lost amongst the gunshots.

Grimmjow was struck once, twice, three times, four times and then a fifth time just as he hit the ground.

Rick was breathing heavily and he advanced on Grimmjow's limp form only to cry out as Weed bit his foot, his claws digging into his leg, tearing it. Rick pointed the gun down at the dog's skull and prepared to fire only to gasp in pain as the gun was thrown out of his hand—again!

Grimmjow had managed to throw the small knife into Rick's hand, it wasn't deep but it was still painful. Rick gave a snarl and wrenched the knife out, kicking Weed off of him and advancing towards Grimmjow.

"You try way too hard. I shot you in the arms, the leg, the chest, your foot…what the fuck is it going to take to make you—?"

But he gave a gasp and turned around, people were starting to appear in the streets and he could hear sirens. "Shit!" he cursed and he ran forward, throwing himself towards the car and Weed immediately jumped away from it and instead ran towards Grimmjow.

Rick removed the license plate and pocketed it before he raced towards the door, threw it open and jumped inside. The car drove off at top speed and was gone within seconds.

Weed reached Grimmjow and immediately began licking his face.

"G-Grimmjow?" Weed choked, tears sliding down his face as he looked down at him. Grimmjow's face was almost completely covered in blood; his entire body seemed to be stained with it.

"Grimmjow? P-please, please don't die! Wake up!" Weed yelled, pulling at his shirt with his teeth, trying to rouse him.

The man stirred and his eyes opened. "Weed…?"

"Yes, Grimmjow, it's me, I'm here…" Weed whispered, licking Grimmjow's face.

"…Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow whispered and his voice was so weak it terrified Weed even more. "I…I…want…"

"Okay, I'll get him!" Weed whispered, trying to control his breathing as he pulled Grimmjow's cell phone from his pocket. He used his nose to press the number that would contact their home.

"I'm calling him, Grimmjow…I'm calling him…please don't die…please…" Weed whispered, nudging the phone towards Grimmjow so the man could see what he was doing.

Grimmjow's blue gaze was on him and he gaze softened slightly. "…you're a…good kid…" Grimmjow gave a gasp of pain and his eyes closed.

"Grimmjow…?" Weed whispered. The man simply lay there on the ground, silent.

"Grimmjow?" Weed asked his voice louder as panic filled him.

But Grimmjow didn't move. He was silent.

And then Weed heard a voice from the phone at his feet.

* * *

Ulquiorra heaved a sigh and looked out the window. The sun would be going down in an hour. It was ridiculous to worry.

Blue looked over at him and saw Ulquiorra sigh, his foot tapping at the floor.

"Ulquiorra, everything's fine."

"I never said I was worried."

Kyoshiro, who was lying by the door, turned his head. "You smell agitated. If you're so worried call them. They probably all died." He added sarcastically.

Just then the phone rang and Ulquiorra jumped up. Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. "Sure you're not worried!" he called.

Ulquiorra ignored him and held the phone up to his ear. "Grimmjow, where are you, I don't understand how—" but Ulquiorra stopped talking, for he could hear soft sobs on the other line and he felt his heart jump.

"Who is this?" he asked and Blue looked over at the phone in interest.

"Ul…Ulquiorra…" the voice gasped, sobs making it almost impossible for the person to speak.

"Weed…? What's wrong?" Ulquiorra asked, immediately feeling uneasy.

"It's…its G-Grimmjow…"

"Is he alright?" Ulquiorra asked and when he received no response he said, his voice slightly louder, "Is he alright?"

"No…he's not…! He's…hurt…he's really hurt…"

Ulquiorra eyes widened and he felt himself step backwards.

"What do you mean?"

_Is my voice shaking…?_

"Please…please come down…it's just past the grocery store, outside the pharmacy…please hurry…!"

"Is he…?" Ulquiorra couldn't bring himself to ask. He was afraid of the answer; he didn't want to know what had happened.

"I'm coming down."

Ulquiorra hung up the phone and headed towards the door.

"What happened?" Blue immediately asked, fear in her voice.

Ulquiorra opened the door and said, "Grimmjow's hurt." And he was out the door, Kyoshiro and Blue exchanged horrified glances and hurried after him.

Ulquiorra reached the gate and felt himself growl when it wouldn't open. He jumped it and hurried away up the street.

_What's happened?_

Ulquiorra's walk quickened.

_How bad is it? Why is it so bad that you can't even talk to me on the phone?_

He felt his hands clench at his side and his walk turned into a run. He ran up the street, unable to calm the thundering in his chest as terrible thoughts ran through his head, different accidents, whether or not Grimmjow was alive…

_You…_

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he felt his jaw clench.

_You had better be alive…!_

And despite the terrible theories, nothing could have prepared him for the sight he was about to be met with.

* * *

The red and blue lights could be seen at a distance and the instant he saw them, Ulquiorra felt something inside him become overwhelmed with fear, so much so he momentarily felt sick.

Blue whispered, "Oh my God…"

Ulquiorra wasted no more time. He ran forward, the lights got brighter and brighter and he could see more as he ran, he saw people gathering in a circle around something, saw police trying to make their way forward, saw an ambulance driving towards the crowd…

Ulquiorra reached the crowd of people and pushed his way through, not caring about anything else except what he had come for.

He broke through the crowd, which at this rate had already begun to make room for the other two arrivals, and Ulquiorra's heart sank at what he saw.

Grimmjow, lying on his back on the ground, covered in shockingly wet, scarlet, blood, unmoving. Ulquiorra couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he could only stare, horrified beyond comprehension.

"Grimmjow…" he whispered, his voice shaking.

Weed looked up, curled against Grimmjow's side, and his eyes filled with tears at the sight of him.

Ulquiorra fell to his knees beside the body and simply stared, unable to speak.

Weed was explaining to him, but Ulquiorra hardly heard a thing, he could see nothing except the man before him, everything else was a blur. Ulquiorra reached out hesitantly and placed his hand against Grimmjow's cheek and felt something in his eyes start to burn. He blinked, willing it away.

His hand found Grimmjow's and he was relieved to feel that it was still warm. "Grimmjow…" his voice no longer sounded like himself, it was small, shaking, lost…

Scared.

Weed looked up when he saw Kyoshiro and he tore forward and put his face against Kyoshiro's fur. Blue simply stood there, her eyes wide, her mouth half open in horror. "Grimm…jow…"

"How the hell did this happen?" Kyoshiro asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Ulquiorra wasn't aware of the footsteps until a hand fell upon his shoulder, he didn't even turn around. "Sir, I am going to have to ask you to move for a moment so that we can get him to the hospital." Said a voice from behind him, but Ulquiorra couldn't move, he didn't think his legs would allow it. His hand tightened on Grimmjow's.

"Sir?"

The pediatrics made their way through the ground baring a stretcher. They set it down next to Grimmjow and lifted him up; Ulquiorra's hand slid from his and fell limply to his side. The stretcher was pulled away towards the ambulance and another one was brought out for another body to the left.

A man he didn't know, dead.

How long would it be before Grimmjow was dead?

And Ulquiorra straightened up shakily and headed towards the ambulance. Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed followed him. They were allowed inside and sat around their friend, all silent except for Weed's soft whimpering.

When they all arrived at the hospital they followed Grimmjow through the halls until they reached a ward where the surgery would be performed.

A man stepped out and began hastily talking to one of the women who had brought them all here.

He looked over at Ulquiorra and the other three, all of them were seated in chairs and they all looked anxious and miserable.

"Hello." He greeted. Ulquiorra looked up at him and said, his voice low, "How bad is it?"

"There are bullet wounds in both of his arms, one to the kneecap, and two to the chest. Various cuts and bruises on his body, none of them are very deep but will probably scar…"

Blue swallowed hard and said, "But those are all…they're not going to…?"

"The ones to the chest might." The doctor admitted his tone gentle.

Ulquiorra's fist clenched in his lap.

"He'll be alright." Kyoshiro looked over and said, "No he won't, Ulquiorra! He's bleeding to death in there; he had the shit beaten out of him—!"

"Grimmjow is not the type of man to die because of—" Ulquiorra retorted.

"Ulquiorra," Kyoshiro snapped, interrupting him. "It's going to really smart when he dies because of this, you've got to accept that maybe there is a possibility that Grimmjow could—!"

"I know of the possibility!" Ulquiorra said and his tone was loud. Kyoshiro recoiled; eyes wide in shock at seeing Ulquiorra raise his voice.

Ulquiorra realized what he had just done and went silent and looked at the floor. "Excuse me." He whispered.

"Is that the worst of his injuries?" Blue asked.

"No. He has a huge gash running down his back; it just narrowly missed his rib—"

"That's enough." Ulquiorra said and the doctor immediately went silent.

"I'll do the best I can to help your friend." The doctor promised.

Ulquiorra's emerald gaze looked up at him and then immediately looked back down at the floor.

"You have to help him…" Ulquiorra whispered.

"I will, I promise. I'll let you know how he is the instant we're done." And the doctor walked inside the room.

Blue sighed and stared into her lap, closing her eyes. Kyoshiro put his head on his paws and sighed softly, glancing at Weed, who was asleep next to him, occasionally whimpering in his sleep.

And Ulquiorra tried his best to believe that Grimmjow would be okay, tried to block out his worst thoughts, but the fear was too much. He was sure he had never been this afraid in his life.

_You've got to be okay, Grimmjow._

_Please be okay…_

_

* * *

_An hour passed, an hour spent in fear and worry, and finally the door opened and the doctor stepped out, his hands clasped together, wringing his fingers together as he pondered what to say to them as he approached.

Ulquiorra sat up at once and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed jumped up.

"How is he?" Ulquiorra asked immediately.

"He's…we've stitched up his wounds, removed the bullets, so his wounds are alright."

Weed gave a sigh of relief.

"Is he alright?" Ulquiorra asked, noticing that the doctor had avoided mentioning if Grimmjow himself was okay.

"That's just it. He had already lost too much blood and the result of that is that he's gone into a coma."

"What?" Blue exclaimed, her eyes widening as she spoke.

"A coma?" Kyoshiro said, "But… he'll wake up right?"

Ulquiorra just stood there, his emerald eyes wide, he felt too shocked to speak, he felt himself sit down in the chair and his heart was racing fast in his chest as he tried to process what the doctor had just said.

"That all depends on him. Most people if they are lucky can wake up, some just stay asleep forever."

And Ulquiorra couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and walked to Grimmjow's room and pushed the door open, he needed to see Grimmjow for himself and he needed to confirm that Grimmjow really was still alive.

The doctor didn't protest and even if he had Ulquiorra would have still gone in.

His friends didn't follow, and really Ulquiorra was grateful for that because he swore he didn't know how he would react. He was almost afraid of how his emotions would handle this.

The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room as Ulquiorra entered, closing the door softly behind him.

Grimmjow was lying on his back, his eyes were closed and his body was relaxed, he showed no signs of pain or even of life, except for the beeping of the heart monitor that showed he was still alive.

Ulquiorra walked to the side of his bed and pulled up a chair to the left, staring into the face below him. He almost seemed asleep, and in a sense he was. Now the only thing that mattered was that he could pull out of it.

And at the thought his fear returned, if Grimmjow never woke, what would he do? How would he—how could he possibly move on if he didn't?

Ulquiorra reached out slowly and placed his hand on Grimmjow's, entwining their fingers. He swallowed as he felt a burning behind his eyes and he tried to calm the shaking in his hands.

"Grimmjow?" he whispered, he closed his eyes fighting back a soft sob that threatened to escape him. "I…" his voice was choked and he cursed himself. "I know you probably can't hear me, but…I want you to wake up…" Ulquiorra whispered and he could feel himself becoming overwhelmed.

"I know it's going to be difficult for you, but I need you to wake up, okay? Because you know what, I don't think I could stand it if you didn't, I can't imagine…I can't imagine my life if you're not in it, Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra said and he could feel tears sliding down his face, he fought them back.

He grit his teeth, feeling pathetic as more tears slid down his face, following the exact trail as the fake tear tracks on his face, letting out a shaky sigh he continued to speak.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you, I'm sorry I let them do that to you…!" he gasped, closing his eyes tightly.

"I need you…" he whispered again, gently kissing Grimmjow, giving up on talking as the grief overwhelmed him. He buried his face in Grimmjow's neck and allowed the soft sobs to escape him, he held him in a gentle embrace, his hand resting protectively at the back of his head.

"I'll wait for you," he whispered, his arms tightening around him. "So please come back to me…"

And Ulquiorra allowed himself to cry for the first time in his life, he cried for the one he cared for more than anyone else in the world, cried for the one he loved.

* * *

In just an hour the story was already being spread, reporters were attempting to get into the hospital and police had arrived to see if they could question the victim, Weed—and Kyoshiro— took his human form when he heard them coming and answered the police's questions while Kyoshiro and Blue watched on.

"What did these attackers look like?"

"They all wore the same thing, gray jackets, and white masks. They all seemed about the same height, the smallest one had to be…at least… as tall as you."

"Okay. One more question where did you first see these men?"

"I didn't really notice them until I saw them beating up my friend, but I would have recognized them immediately if I had seen them following us, they attacked us once before, while in central park."

"Yes, we were informed of that incident. They kidnapped Fido."

"This time they did…"

"And he of course just let them!" Kyoshiro said angrily.

"Now, now…" the police man said, trying not to start any possible arguments. "I was told from the doctor that I won't be able to question your friend due to his condition, but I do have some good news that I have gained without having to talk to him."

Blue and her two friends looked up with interest.

"What is it, officer?" Blue asked, immediately interested.

"We caught one of those guys, he was running past us and we immediately recognized him from the description Fido's crew members gave us."

"Really?" Blue exclaimed and Weed gasped.

"We've manage to identify him as Harrison Parker, but he refuses to give us information about his hideout, as most criminals do."

"Can we meet him? I've got a few things I'd like to say to him!" Kyoshiro growled.

"No, unfortunately I can't allow that."

"Why not?" Kyoshiro snapped, angry.

"I'll keep you posted on information he may give out. My friend James will stay here with you. We'll be looking into the kidnapped dog."

"Wait a minute!" Weed suddenly exclaimed, making Blue jump.

"Yes?"

"One of the bad guys, the leader I think, he got into a green car, he removed the license plate and he started heading north!"

"Thanks, Weed." said the officer, smiling. "I'll do the best I can with the information you've given me…" his smile faltered. "Tracking him without his license will take time."

"Yes," Blue said, looking up. "But without his license he'll be identifiable."

"Good point. I'm heading out." And he walked away down the hall towards two of his men.

Suddenly a voice could be heard it was coming from James' communicator. "James here."

"Parker confessed."

Everyone looked towards James in immediate interest, listening intently.

"Apparently he thought confessing the whereabouts of the place they all reside in would keep him out of jail. He's wrong to say the least. The place is on Greenwich Street, so it is somewhere near the grocery store your friend got attacked by, the problem is he didn't give a name to the building or what it looks like. Now, did you walk past any building and after passing that building, did you see them?"

"I don't remember passing anything…" Weed murmured, thinking.

"Well, if you remember just let me know, okay?" said James and Weed nodded, still trying to think.

Weed gave a sudden exclamation and he said, "We did pass this one building and right after that Grimmjow told me to go inside a store to buy him a drink…I should have know—"

"What did this building look like?"

"It was a club," said Weed excitedly. "And right after we passed it Grimmjow ordered me inside…" Weed murmured his voice trailing away as he remembered.

"And that's where we're going."

Blue looked towards Grimmjow's ward and said, "Ulquiorra."

The pale man was standing in the doorway; apparently he had just been in the process of coming out of the room.

"Can we see him now?" Kyoshiro asked somewhat impatiently and he saw Ulquiorra give a slight nod. "Thanks for…giving me time." He murmured.

"No problem." Kyoshiro said, starting to walk by him only to freeze as James said, "What do you mean that's where your going?"

Ulquiorra looked up, his emerald gaze staring unblinkingly into James'. "We're going there—or I am."

"Hey, I'm going too." Blue said, standing up.

"No you are not." said James determinedly. "I cannot just let you walk down there, it's dangerous!"

"If the police cause a scene then they'll flee. I don't want that." Ulquiorra stated and his tone suggested one thing. Nobody was going to make him change his mind or stop him.

Kyoshiro had stopped halfway through the door and looked over his shoulder at Ulquiorra, he turned around and stared along with Ulquiorra at the police officer, determined to do his duty.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot go down there! It's just way too—!"

"I've faced worse. It's nothing I can't handle. You can call your friends down after I'm inside, it's the fourth of July so it should be crowded which means I should be able to sneak in unrecognized."

James' eyes narrowed and he looked into Ulquiorra's emerald eyes, the determination there was obvious. Nothing was going to make him change his mind now.

"Alright, I'll let you go there but under one condition, you are not to kill anyone. Anyone you find you can bind up and leave there for me. Understood?"

And Ulquiorra didn't respond.

"Ulquiorra, do you agree to those conditions?" Blue asked, but she knew full well that right now Ulquiorra had no intentions of not hurting the men who did this.

Kyoshiro and Weed watched, hoping that some how Ulquiorra would be able to agree.

Finally after a few seconds of tense silence Ulquiorra said, "Understood."

"Alright then!" Kyoshiro said loudly and several people glared at him and shushed him loudly. Kyoshiro winced. "Geesh… let's go!" Kyoshiro said, quieter this time.

Ulquiorra took one last glance into the room that Grimmjow was in. The heart monitor was beeping reassuringly and Ulquiorra was suddenly afraid it would stop.

Blue put her hand on his shoulder and said softly, looking in at the other man. "Ulquiorra, Grimmjow is a strong man. I really think he can make it through this. Let's go." She whispered softly, her voice was comforting but Ulquiorra could hardly feel comforted.

"I'll catch you up."

"No, I want to say goodbye to him too." Blue said and at the sound of her voice, Kyoshiro and Weed hurried towards the room as well.

The four of them looked down at their companion in silence, gathered around him.

"You know…it's really hard to believe he's not sleeping." Blue whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

Weed nodded his tail down.

"We'll be back soon, okay?" Blue said to Grimmjow, her hand resting against his cheek. "Please wake up soon, we all really miss you, Grimmjow." And she blinked as she spoke, fighting back sudden tears.

Kyoshiro looked at the ground as he cleared his throat and said, a little awkwardly, "Yeah, don't you go dying on us, okay, Grimm? That would be the most pathetic thing you done!"

"Grimmjow," Weed said tearfully. "Thank you for protecting me, I promise I'll pay you back, you were really brave and strong and I miss you, we're all really worried…so…wake up soon, okay?"

They looked at Ulquiorra expectantly.

Ulquiorra, who had already said what he needed to say when he was alone with the man, instead bent down and gently placed a kiss to the other man's lips, his hands holding Grimmjow's face.

He whispered to him softly, his lips brushing against Grimmjow's as he spoke, "I've said all I needed to say to you, Grimmjow…"

He didn't want to move away and even with the prospect of the exciting evening ahead he still didn't want to leave Grimmjow alone.

He heard the others start to leave and he kissed Grimmjow again briefly before whispering, "I'll be back soon." And he left the room, not looking over his shoulder.

* * *

"It's just around here…" Weed said, moving fast up the street, his nose bent low to the ground as he sniffed.

Ulquiorra walked beside Blue and Kyoshiro, who was also sniffing. "New scents…" Weed murmured, frowning.

"I don't think that matters," Ulquiorra said, his gaze staring ahead. "We've already found them."

There was a large crowd ahead, a _very_ large crowd!

"They look like they've got half of New York down there!" Blue said, staring at the huge crowd. Ulquiorra had to agree with her, the line of people coming in was very long and it was probably packed.

"That's it alright, and there's the green car!" Weed said excitedly pointing to a green car without a license plate.

"Great, it looks like a private club!" Kyoshiro growled.

"It isn't, the sign says 'open to all for 4th of July party'. The bouncer won't stop us from entering." Ulquiorra explained pointing to a white sign tied to a tree in the shape of an arrow pointing into the club.

"Oh…and I saw the sign by the way…" Kyoshiro said sheepishly.

The four friends go in without problems, Weed and Kyoshiro were barely noticed at all and people didn't seem to mind two cute dogs inside as Weed and Kyoshiro received some attention.

Ulquiorra's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for gray jackets, he saw none. "Blue, keep your eyes open for gray jackets and possibly masks, though I doubt they'd wear masks here…"

Blue nodded and stared into the crowd and said excitedly, "There!"

And Ulquiorra turned and spotted a man wearing a gray jacket. "Weed, can you smell him from here?" Weed inhaled deeply and shook his head.

"You're not going near him!" Kyoshiro snapped, prowling forward. He sniffed at the man's leg and hurried back to the group, shaking his head. "Nope, smells nothing like him."

"My friends!" said a loud voice and the music from the dance floor ceased and people's heads turned towards the source of the voice, it was a man up on the stage, holding a microphone, grinning down into the audience. Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue all let out gasps as they saw him.

And Ulquiorra recognized him the instant he looked into the man's face.

It was the man from the theme park, the exact same man who had shoved his way through the crowd to see Fido, yelling that he had to see Fido.

And suddenly things began to fit together in Ulquiorra's mind.

Those boys didn't capture Fido, this man did. This man had ordered the four boys to capture Fido because the man held an interest in him.

This man was their boss.

And he was dangerous.

"Blue…" Ulquiorra whispered. "He's the one who's done all of this…"

"What?" Blue whispered sharply.

"He's the one responsible for Fido's capture and Grimmjow's injuries." Ulquiorra whispered, lowering his head so that the man wouldn't see his face and Blue immediately did the same.

"As you all know—or I don't know, do you?—this is the fifteenth anniversary of this club—Red Oak. It was opened on the Fourth of July, today—"

A door to the left behind the bar opened and Ulquiorra turned his head and his eyes narrowed when he spotted a familiar gray jacket. "I found one." He whispered and Blue looked around, Weed immediately crouched away as the man walked through the crowd.

The man was unmasked, he looked around 20 years old and he also looked very pale and nervous.

"Oh, Rick?" said the man on stage, interrupting his speech. Rick jumped and turned around. "Y-yes sir…?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed in suspicion. _Where's the other one…could it be that he was killed?_

"If you'll wait a moment I'll let you know about your pay sum, just go back in the room, please I'll be done in a second."

It was obvious Rick was nervous when he replied, his lips stumbling over the words, "Y-yes, uh, sir…uh…right…is there any way it can wait?" he asked, clearly eager to avoid being in the room with his boss.

"No, no it won't take long at all, now go in the room and wait for me there."

Rick nodded, biting his lip as he walked away towards the door.

_His boss definitely killed the other one… _Ulquiorra thought, his suspicions confirmed by Rick's actions.

The man on stage finished his speech and the crowd clapped loudly. Ulquiorra's gaze followed the man as he jumped off stage and went to shake hands with the bar tender as the music started up again, this time playing a song to fit the theme of the day.

Ulquiorra immediately made a move towards the bar tender, moving slowly as the owner of Red Oak walked right past him towards the door.

The instant he left the room Ulquiorra approached the bar tender.

"Yes what'll it be?" the bar tender asked and Ulquiorra responded, "I would like to know the name of the owner."

The bar tender looked up as Ulquiorra spoke and Ulquiorra immediately began to feel self conscious as the man's gaze began to roam all over his body.

"What's it to you?" the bar tender asked, setting down the glass he was cleaning to smooth back his blonde hair.

"A friend of mine is a fan, he wants to get his name, but he was unable to come tonight."

"Oh okay, his name is Aleron Blair."

"I see." And Ulquiorra made to walk away when the bar tender said, "What about telling me your name?" and he smirked at him, moving closer.

And Ulquiorra immediately walked away.

Blue stared through the crowd, trying to find Ulquiorra somewhere, but she couldn't. "Ulquiorra!" she called. Kyoshiro and Weed moved quickly behind her, trying to avoid being stepped on.

She spotted him at last, and she called out to him. "Ulquiorra!" and he turned around and beckoned. Blue made her way forward.

"What is it?"

"Can you go and talk to that idiotic bar tender? Just distract him while I get to the door, he won't leave me alone."

"Got it." Blue said and she hurried over to the bar tender and began to ask him about random drinks and how strong they were.

Ulquiorra hurried towards the door and opened it, quickly slipping inside. Before he could close the door however, Kyoshiro and Weed were inside.

"You two stay with Blue."

"No way," Kyoshiro protested. "I can't let you have all the fun beating those bastards up."

The room they were in seemed to be a small kitchen where food and drink could be made; they were lurking in the back, away from the cooks so that was why nobody had seen them yet. Ulquiorra really wanted to keep it that way.

He scanned the area, looking for any door that would take them away from this room.

He looked to the left and saw a door in the shadows. "This way." He whispered, leading them forward, he pushed the door open and he, Weed and Kyoshiro proceeded downstairs.

The stairs were creaky and the fact that it was darker in here than in the room above made it more difficult to watch where they were going.

Weed suddenly whispered, "Can you hear that?" and his two other friend stopped walking. They could hear raised voices coming from below.

Ulquiorra reached the door below and stopped, listening intently to the voices coming from the other side.

"No! You promised me money; you are not going to do this to me!"

"Shut up Rick, I've got the dog, that's all I wanted; now you can get your ass out of here!"

"Look, you son of a bitch, I risked my life to get that stupid dog to you and I expect payment! Now give me my money!"

"No."

"Say that again!"

"I said no, you stupid—!"

There was the sound of footsteps and then a thud and someone was thrown into the door, Weed gasped and jumped away from it and Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra both winced and moved back a step.

"You are so stupid, aren't you?" it was Blair's voice. "You know what I did to Creg when he asked for his payment, right?"

"I saw it the instant I entered this room!" Rick bellowed. "You try and shoot me, go on! I'm in front of the door, you shoot at me and I'll go and tell everyone upstairs who you really are—now give me my money!"

"Make me."

With a roar of fury the sound of running footsteps started up, apparently Rick was running at Blair.

Without warning a series of bangs went off, a scream tore through the room as bullets pierced through the wooden door. Weed gasped and dove underneath Kyoshiro, shaking terribly.

Blood began to trickle underneath the door and Kyoshiro clicked his tongue sadly. "Idiot." He muttered. "Oh well, he deserved it."

There was another sound from within the room and Weed gave a sound of surprise. "Fido!" he whispered.

The whimpering noises were drowned however when Blair screamed, "SHUT UP YOU FUCKING BITCH!" and he fired.

Weed and Kyoshiro gasped but were relieved the instant they heard Fido's whimpers start up again, they were not pained cries, only scared ones.

Apparently Blair had fired at the floor.

"When are those morons going to send me the reward money for this damn dog? He's been here for what—two hours? Fucking idiots."

"It's ransom." Ulquiorra murmured. "Blair is holding him ransom."

"What a greedy guy." Kyoshiro growled, glaring at the door. "He's just like the guy who captured Weed, only I think I hate this guy even more."

"Do you think it's possible he is?" Weed asked.

"No," Ulquiorra whispered. "It isn't. Takayashi is in jail and he looked different. Their goals were different, Takayashi wanted money because he was desperate. This guy wants money just because he can't get enough of it; he's not poor at all. If he was he wouldn't be able to afford a fancy place like this. He's just greedy trash."

The footsteps started again but this time they grew more and more distant and after a moment of soft footfalls on the ground outside there was the sound of a door slamming.

"And he's about to get what he deserves…" Ulquiorra whispered.

And then Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and his hand seized the door knob and he opened the door and peered out into the room. This room was basically a basement, nothing special about it whatsoever.

Stepping over the body in front of the door, Ulquiorra proceeded into the room.

The room was lit by lamps that hung from the ceiling and because of the light from above he immediately spotted Fido in a large cage to the right. Fido however hadn't seen him because he was staring so intently at the opposite wall.

"Fido," Ulquiorra whispered, but Fido didn't hear him. Ulquiorra noted how scared Fido looked, how wide his eyes were and turned his gaze to the opposite wall.

It was truly a grotesque sight.

A body was nailed to the wall, completely covered in blood. The skull was crushed in and blood completely covered the face, several bullet holes were in the gray jacket and blood soaked almost every inch of it. The neck was almost hanging off his body because of the large nail driven right into his neck, keeping him pinned into the wall.

Ulquiorra stared in some shock before he reminded himself that he had to work fast and get Fido out of his cage but the instant he turned around his foot crunched on something and he looked down.

He had stepped right into the mouth of a human skull.

Disgusted he kicked it off his foot and it flew into the wall, Ulquiorra staggered backwards and fell against something behind him.

Ulquiorra looked around and saw a white couch behind him…along with something else and Ulquiorra moved away from the couch the instant he saw what it was.

A man lay sprawled on the couch, his stomach torn open and bullet wounds to his skull and chest.

Before he could move or do anything else the door at the end of the passage banged open. A figure stopped and then his gaze met with Ulquiorra's and then he bellowed, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Kyoshiro and Weed leapt out to assist Ulquiorra as the man ran towards him, pulling a large knife from his pocket.

"Ulquiorra, move!" Kyoshiro yelled.

But Ulquiorra didn't, his eyes narrowed and he felt his hand clench at his side as the man tore towards him. Ulquiorra sprung forward towards him, raising his fist and blocking the knife sent for him by smacking away the hand. Ulquiorra raised his foot and smashed it in Blair's chin. Blair flew backwards and fell onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Well look at that, it's the emo kid from the theme park! What the hell are you doing—?" but he stopped talking when Ulquiorra appeared inches from him, his fist headed right into his face!

Blair didn't have time to block the punch and yelped as the fist smashed into his face.

Blair sat up and raised his foot just as Ulquiorra ran towards him, the foot caught Ulquiorra in the chest and he flew backwards into the couch, falling onto the body. Disgusted, he pulled himself away only to be grabbed around the back of the head and thrown into the wall.

Ulquiorra gasped in pain as he felt the impact but managed to recover just in time to block an attack sent right towards his chest.

"Your pretty good, Emo!" said Blair, grinning hugely at him. "But what brings you here? Could it be because I captured that stupid dog? Well you can't get him back—!" Ulquiorra smashed his knee into Blair's diaphragm and punched him in the face.

Ulquiorra seized the front of his jacket and said, "No. I haven't come for the dog. I've come to kill you, Blair." He whispered his voice almost a growl.

Blair grinned and said, "Alright, try it!" and he raised his fist and almost punched Ulquiorra but Weed latched onto his arm. Blair yelled out in pain and threw him off.

"Alright, you sick bastard!" Kyoshiro yelled, running forward.

"Stop." And Kyoshiro stopped running and looked towards Ulquiorra.

"What?"

"I want to do this by myself, Kyoshiro. Take Fido and go."

"Ulquiorra, don't kill him, okay?" Weed said his voice urgent.

"I never promised I wouldn't." Ulquiorra responded.

Blair began to stand up, groaning in pain.

"And I was in such a good mood too…oh well. Let's go, Emo-kid!" Blair bellowed and Ulquiorra turned around.

"Yes…lets." Ulquiorra agreed, stepping forward.

And then there were footsteps and a call of "Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed!" and Blue burst into the room, Ulquiorra's eyes momentarily stared at her and in that moment of distraction, Blair shot forward.

"Watch out!" Blue said, running forward.

Ulquiorra turned around and dodged the knife which scraped across his cheek.

Blair cursed and turned around; his knife point hit Ulquiorra's shoulder.

Ulquiorra raised his hand and made to smack the knife out of his hand but Blair raised his fist and aimed a punch right for him! Ulquiorra seized the man's shoulder and Blair's eyes widened when Ulquiorra stepped right on top of his shoulder.

"What the…hell…?" Blair gasped and then Ulquiorra swung his foot forward, the foot connected right into Blair's face and Blair was sent flying backwards, crashing into the door of his room.

Ulquiorra ran after him. Blair wasn't moving, he was either knocked out or in too much pain to move. Either was fine.

Ulquiorra raised his foot, about to kick him in the ribs when his foot was seized and twisted. Ulquiorra fell on the ground with a slight gasp of pain.

Fido looked up when Weed ran to his cage.

"Weed! Kyoshiro, Black!" he exclaimed.

"Blue." Blue corrected him.

"Blue!" he amended happily.

"Is Grimmjow alright?" he immediately asked.

Blue kicked the lock on his cage, breaking it and Weed and Kyoshiro opened the cage. "He's…he's alive." Blue said and Fido grinned. "Yay!" Fido exclaimed and immediately starting to tremble, Blue noted the twitching of both his eyes immediately. "N-now…can I p-please g-go home?" he asked, putting his paws over his eyes. "I-I-I have seen so much…!"

"We'll get you out of here!" Weed promised.

Fido tried to stand up but winced. "OW!" he screamed. "What's wrong with my leg? It hurts! Ow, ow, ow!"

Blue took her wolf form and knelt down. "You can ride on my back if you like?"

"Thank you…!" Fido wheezed, limping out of the cage and lying down on her back.

"What about Ulquiorra?" Weed asked, looking towards Blair's room.

"He can take care of himself. Once we get Fido out of here we'll come back for him." Blue said, but she looked like she didn't want to leave him.

Kyoshiro frowned. "Why are we needed?" he asked, clearly wanting a reason to stay and fight.

"I won't be able to fight if I am carrying Fido. That's where you two are needed here."

"Right…" Kyoshiro murmured.

"Let's go." Blue said, getting to her paws with little difficulty.

"Wow, you are strong!" Fido exclaimed, but Blue ignored him, her eyes narrowing as she started to walk up the stairs. "We will have to be fast when we get up there, so the instant I open the door, run like you have never run before."

They reached the top of the stairs and Blue nudged open the door which she had left ajar when she came down. "Ready…go!" and the three dogs raced into the bar and tore towards the door.

Ulquiorra dodged the blow aimed at his head and Blair attacked to the left, Ulquiorra stumbled into a shelf, dislodging the items stored on it.

Skulls rained down on him and Ulquiorra leapt away from the shelves in shock as skulls fell from the shelf.

"Like my collection?" Blair asked, licking his lips as he spoke, advancing on Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stepped backwards from him, preparing himself for an attack that was sure to come.

"Unfortunately now that you've seen those bodies and these skulls I am afraid I will have to kill you even faster, Emo." And he ran at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra leapt, grabbing a lamp that hung from the ceiling and kicking Blair in the face. Blair staggered backwards, yelling in pain as his nose broke. Ulquiorra leapt down behind him and kicked him into the wall.

Blair fell against the wall and flung open a door! Ulquiorra's eyes widened. _I didn't even see it!_

Blair disappeared into the darkness and Ulquiorra raced after him, determined to not let him escape.

Blair looked over his shoulder as he saw Ulquiorra hurrying after him and he grinned, he disappeared around a corner and Ulquiorra followed him only to freeze in his tracks when he realized he could no longer see him.

And then Ulquiorra was pounced on from above, two arms wrapped around his neck and Ulquiorra reacted immediately, flipping himself over, Blair was flung from his back and he smashed into the stone wall.

Ulquiorra made to step on his face but Blair tumbled out from underneath him and sent an elbow into his side. Ulquiorra dodged and reached out his hand, shoving Blair in the head right into the wall again.

"You know my name I see…" Blair hissed, removing himself from the wall.

"So?" Ulquiorra growled attacked him again, Blair dodged, grinning.

"So, if you know my name you should probably learn my real name, the name I gave myself, as a privilege before you die! My real name is _Skull_ _Aleron Blair!_" and he moved fast to the right, Ulquiorra made to attack to the right but Skull immediately moved to the left and sent his knife flying towards Ulquiorra's head.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he ducked just before the knife could hit him and Ulquiorra raised his hands and shoved them right against Skull's stomach, the man flew backwards and tumbled down the stairs.

"I'm going to die, am I?" Ulquiorra whispered, his eyes glaring down at Skull.

Skull spat out blood and looked up as Ulquiorra walked down the stairs towards him. "I didn't come here to die." Ulquiorra whispered and he jumped down the stairs and kicked Skull in the stomach.

"I came here," Ulquiorra whispered, seizing the front of Skull's shirt and meeting his wide gaze. "To kill you, trash. And that is exactly what I am going to do."

And he wrenched the knife from Skull's hand and drew it back, preparing to sink it deep into his chest but at the instant the knife flew towards his chest, Skull drew back his feet and planted them hard in Ulquiorra's stomach, throwing him into the wall.

Ulquiorra was drawn away from the wall and then slammed back into it; Skull then hurled him to the floor. Ulquiorra turned over and kicked him in the chest. With Skull momentarily stunned; Ulquiorra was able to throw him into the stair case.

Skull lunged at Ulquiorra before Ulquiorra could pick up the knife and smashed himself into Ulquiorra's ribs, throwing them both down the stairs. They tumbled head over heels down the stairs and hit the bottom, disorientated.

Skull quickly recovered and turned to Ulquiorra, only to see he was gone!

He heard movement above him and looked up and saw Ulquiorra on an old wooden beam in the ceiling above him.

Skull sneered at him. "Like it? This place use to be an old factory. A lot of people rushed to get it when they sold it, but only I got to it in time, that's why I can't afford for you to make it out of here, you see if anyone found out what I did—they'd get all pissed and shut me down. Now, get your ass down here so I can skewer you, like I had my men do to your stupid friend."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he whispered, "Okay, then…"

And he vanished right into thin air. Skull gave a yell of shock which turned into a scream as his neck was seized by something invisible. Beads of blood formed at his throat as something began cutting into it. "Holy shit!" he screamed, and he was released. Something smashed into his side and he tumbled across the floor.

He smashed into an old container which tipped over and fell to the floor. He sat up, terrified as he looked around, breathing heavily.

"Where are you, Emo?" he yelled, pointing the knife into shadows.

"Hello?" and then something seized his shoulder and he was sent flying forward, tumbling head over heels in the dusty ground.

Something stepped on his back and he gasped and began struggling. "What the hell are you?" he shrieked, desperate to get away as he felt something sharp poking into his back.

Ulquiorra glared down at him, his sword pointing right at Skull's back. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he brought his sword down the man's back, ripping open his flesh as the man below him screamed in agony and terror.

"No, please! I'll stop! I take it back, I'm sorry!"

"It's too late for that." Ulquiorra said, knowing the man wouldn't be able to hear him.

"You pathetic human waste." And he kicked Skull, sending him tumbling across the floor again, this time leaving a trail of scarlet blood.

Skull's eyes widened and he sat up just as Ulquiorra flew towards him. Desperate, Skull's knife shot out but Ulquiorra's blade smashed against it, shattering it. And Skull screamed and began to run for his life, terrified. Ulquiorra caught up with him and kicked him in the ribs; Skull flew into the wall, causing the wall to explode as he hit it.

He fell from the small crater in the wall and Ulquiorra kicked him as he fell and he smashed into some old machinery. Ulquiorra flew towards him, his sword pointing right towards the man's chest.

"ULQUIORRA, NO!" someone screamed and Ulquiorra turned in time to see something flying towards him. Ulquiorra raised his hand but the object smashed into his ribs and sent him flying to the ground.

Ulquiorra looked up, feeling annoyed but he was surprised when he saw who it was. It was Weed!

"Weed, what are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked. "I told you to go home!"

"Fido's been taken to a safe place!" Weed retorted, neither of them noticing Skull's movement as he reached into his pocket.

Something flew at Weed and Ulquiorra shot forward, seizing the dog in order to avoid him getting stabbed as a small dagger flew onto the ground.

Ulquiorra stopped and Skull looked down at him, staring at the dog floating in midair.

"You…you think I'm gonna…die? Get real!" and he shot towards Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra, still holding Weed, ran towards him, drawing back his sword. Skull made to stab him in the stomach but Ulquiorra simply dodged and sank his sword into Skull's arm. Skull cried out as his throat was seized by Ulquiorra's hand.

"Ulquiorra, don't kill him!" Weed said but Ulquiorra simply lifted him up until his toes dangled from the ground. "Weed, I am beyond reasoning." He whispered and he threw Skull into the wall behind him.

There were footsteps and Blue and Kyoshiro burst into the room, panting. "Are you okay?" Blue called but Ulquiorra ignored her and walked over to Skull who lay limp on the floor.

Ulquiorra pressed his sword tip into Skull's throat.

"Ulquiorra, don't!" Weed cried, running forward.

"Are you stupid?" Ulquiorra asked, glaring at Weed. "You want me to spare him? After what he's done, after what he did to Grimmjow you want me to spare this piece of trash?" Ulquiorra said, his voice was almost a growl.

Weed's eyes narrowed as he said. "Yes, I want you to spare him."

"I knew you were a kind dog, but Weed I never thought you were stupid."

"I'm not stupid, Ulquiorra. But do you really want to lower yourself to this man's levels? Do you really want to become a killer?"

"I already am a killer. I am an Espada, Weed." Ulquiorra said, getting tired of the argument and pressing the sword into Skull's throat.

"Okay, you have killed before but Ulquiorra…these men did terrible things, their disgusting, their evil…they hurt Grimmjow, they terrified Fido, this guy killed his own henchmen…do you really want to lower yourself to the levels of the people who hurt Grimmjow like that? Your better than that I know you are, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he was silent.

"Put down the sword, Ulquiorra." Blue said, stepping forward. "Weed is right. Although this man would deserve it, please don't lower yourself to his level."

Kyoshiro simply growled and said, "Do it, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra stared down at the man and then he whispered. "Your right Weed. This man…is trash and he…isn't worth killing." The last words were forced out and all of them could tell Ulquiorra still wanted to kill him. And he removed his sword and the instant he did, Blue gave a yell of warning as Skull reached into his pocket and hurled something across the room. Whatever it was exploded! The explosion was strong, but not enough to obliterate the whole room; in fact it only shot out some foul smelling smoke.

Blue gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Gas!" she yelled.

Skull began to stand up and then half way up he hurled another explosive from his pocket! Ulquiorra grabbed Weed and jumped away from the explosion, this time the ground actually exploded, bits of concrete flew everywhere. Kyoshiro was struck by a small piece which cut across his cheek and he yelled, "Guys, we have got to get out of here!" as the smell grew worse and worse.

Ulquiorra unzipped his jacket and pressed Weed against his stomach, zipping up his jacket and then put his arm over his own mouth. "Let's go." He said.

Skull however was not just about to let them pass after stealing his dog.

"Don't think this is fucking over!" he bellowed, pointing his knife at them as he staggered towards them.

Ulquiorra stopped walking and his eyes narrowed.

Kyoshiro growled and said, "Ulquiorra, the smell is getting worse, now c'mon—!" and then he saw something out of the corner of his left eye. It was a camera. Like everything in here, it was dead. Kyoshiro's eyes narrowed as a plan quickly began running through his head. "I've got an idea…" he murmured to Blue and he hurried towards a door marked 'power room'.

"Even if you do escape, even if you have got my dog, the press won't believe you! The police won't believe you! I can destroy all evidence! Apart from you, not everyone out there hates me! Even if I can't see the other guy…I can see you, girl!" and he quickly attached a piece of his jacket to his mouth in order to avoid the fumes.

"Ulquiorra," Blue gasped, coughing. "Let's go!"

Ulquiorra didn't move instead he turned around and stared at the man charging towards him. "I'm sorry Weed, but this guy really does have to die." Ulquiorra said, pointing his sword at the man.

Ulquiorra looked around as Kyoshiro appeared from around an open door and dropped something onto the ground. "Let's go, alright, now!" he yelled and he grabbed the small box like object and ran away.

Ulquiorra's green gaze narrowed and he released Weed from his jacket and said, "Run." And he flew towards Skull who was running towards Blue. Blue prepared to attack him but Ulquiorra beat her to it and proceeded to punch every inch of him that he could reach.

Skull fell to the floor and Ulquiorra seized the body by the back of the neck and began to walk away with the body. He walked through the door to the factory and his friends followed him.

"Thanks for not killing him, Ulquiorra." Weed said and Ulquiorra ignored him.

Ulquiorra ripped off some of Skull's shirt and began to tie his wrists and feet very tightly. He tore off some more fabric and used it to strengthen the bonds.

Blue slammed the door to prevent more gas from getting through and used Skull's jacket to prevent the toxic gas from creeping under the crack.

"Let's go, guys." Kyoshiro said, through the tape in his mouth. Ulquiorra stared at it and asked, "What is that for?"

"Evidence." Kyoshiro explained, smirking.

And Ulquiorra nodded, proceeding up the stairs.

An hour later, James and some of his men fought his way through the laughing crowd in Red Oak. "Excuse me, pardon me…" he said, gently pushing through people. He stopped near the TV which was situated just past the dance floor and he beckoned one of his men closer and said, "Tell the bartender to stop the music."

"Right."

James looked down at the tape, going over the note on the front of it, and smirked when he heard the music stop. People began grumbling but their attention was instantly drawn towards the TV as a loud voice said, _"Even if you do escape, even if you have got my dog, the press won't believe you! The police won't believe you! I can destroy all evidence! Apart from you, not everyone out there hates me! Even if I can't see the other guy…I can see you, girl!" and he quickly attached a piece of his jacket to his mouth in order to avoid the fumes._

"_Ulquiorra," Blue gasped, coughing. "Let's go!"_

Silence fell in the room.

The bartender dropped his glass.

"Hey…isn't that Skull?" asked a man.

James removed the tape and picked up the note he had removed from the tape.

It read 'Check behind the bar, Blair is tied up in the basement. The dog was rescued.' And it was signed Ulquiorra Shiffer.

* * *

"That was a really good idea, Kyoshiro." Blue said, smiling at her friend as they walked up the street, heading towards the hospital.

"I know, right?" Kyoshiro said excitedly.

Weed was walking beside Fido who had brought the police along, but it had taken an hour because he was so jumpy and even more paranoid than before.

"Y-you guys were r-really brave…I mean to do all of that s-stuff!" Fido said, smiling at them while his left eye twitched constantly.

Weed just nodded and said, "Well, we're glad your okay."

"I am glad I'm okay, too!" Fido said his voice pitching slightly as he shuddered. "What a monster!"

"He was a monster…" Ulquiorra said his voice low.

"Oh Fido what about your owners?" Blue asked.

"I don't know. That monster said he had called them…they probably g-g-got l-l-lost!" Fido squeaked.

Ulquiorra knelt down to examine Fido's collar and saw the phone number on the back.

"Hello, is this the—?"

"HAVE YOU FOUND FIDOOOO?" came a man's loud desperate voice.

Ulquiorra winced, almost dropping his cell phone.

"Yes. He's been with us for at least two days now. Can you meet us at Saint Vincent's Hospital on the 8th floor, ward number 6?"

"WHY? IS FIDO HURT? OH POOR FIDOOOOO!"

"No, he is fine. One of our friends got hurt and we're going to visit him and—"

"DONE! I'LL BE DOWN THERE SOOOOOOON!"

Click.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes as he pocketed his cell phone.

Fido looked up questioningly. "I am going to see Grimmjow?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, you are." And then Ulquiorra gave a sharp gasp and said, "The fireworks, Grimmjow will miss them!"

"He's sleep anyway, he probably won't—" Kyoshiro began but Ulquiorra said, "I know…but I still want to be there with him when—let's just go." And he hurried away up the street with Fido and the others after him.

They reached the hospital in two minutes and Ulquiorra hurried to the top floor at a run now.

A nurse came walking out of Grimmjow's room and Ulquiorra asked immediately, "How is he?"

"The same—well actually he's showing more signs of consciousness than before—"

"Good." Ulquiorra said and he slipped inside the room with the other four after him.

The window to the left had its curtains down and Blue hurriedly lifted them while Ulquiorra and the others assembled themselves around Grimmjow's bed.

There really didn't seem to be any changes and seeing him like this made Ulquiorra's fears return. What if he really never woke up?

Fido looked down at him and sighed before saying softly, "He's…he was so brave back there! I never would have been able to do that stuff that he did!"

"Yeah, we already know _that_ one." Kyoshiro growled and Blue elbowed him.

Fido looked down at the blankets in shame and said, "Your right. I've always known I was a coward and I don't really want to imagine how anxious I am going to be on the set from now on…and it's because I am a coward that I really, truly, respect the things you guy's do. Because I could never do them! You guys are the _real_ heroes, all of you, every one of you. And you all have gained my absolute trust and respect."

Weed smiled at him. "Thanks Fido…but even though you're a coward, you'll still be my hero."

Fido blushed and said, "Don't make me cry, please!" he said, sniffing.

Kyoshiro looked at the ground as Weed said this to Fido.

"I really…" Weed murmured, looking over at Kyoshiro, Blue and Ulquiorra who were sitting next to each other. "I really have a bunch of great, kind, brave friends. You guys are…you're my heroes." Weed said and Kyoshiro's eyes widened and Blue blinked. "R-really?" she asked, feeling touched.

"Yeah. I mean, you guys are always there for me, there's never a moment when you aren't, and I can never tell you guys how much it means to me through words! So…can I give you guys a hug?" Weed asked and Blue immediately hugged him.

"I'm glad to be there for you…" Blue whispered, smiling into his soft hair.

Weed smiled back and gently removed himself from her in order to hug Kyoshiro who blushed very deeply and said, "Uh…okay, Weedy, I get it." But Weed only hugged him tighter and Kyoshiro smiled slightly and returned the doggy hug. "I'm glad to be your hero, Weed…" he whispered.

Ulquiorra gently patted Weed on the head when he received his hug around the ankle. "Thank you, guys." Weed said, jumping up on Grimmjow's bed in order to lick his face, nuzzling the crook of his neck. "You're my hero too, Grimmjow…" he whispered.

Fido sniffled loudly and then jumped when he heard the distant boom of fireworks. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder to stare out the window but from where they were, the fireworks were impossible to see.

"Damn…" Kyoshiro muttered.

Ulquiorra however returned his attention to Grimmjow's face and sighed softly.

"He's…" Ulquiorra whispered and Weed looked over and so did Blue and Kyoshiro from where they sat to his left.

"He's my hero too." Ulquiorra whispered and Fido looked up at him in interest.

"It sounds stupid, right? To possibly rely on him like that but…he's there for me, when I really need it, he knows…he knows how to make it better—and he makes the stupidest choices sometimes and he's annoying, loud, arrogant and rude but, despite all of that…despite everything he does wrong, he always just somehow finds a way to redeem himself. I just feel like I can always count on him, and that is a crazy thing to say but—"

"I agree with you," Blue said. "He's not perfect, but really, hardly anyone in this world is. You can count on him just to do the best he can and to somehow just put everything right in the end, to look after you…" Blue's voice trailed away as she spoke and she looked over at the blue haired Espada lying in bed, unmoving.

"He's such a pain in the ass," Kyoshiro muttered, looking in Grimmjow's direction. "But, yeah, he does try his best to fix things he messes up really bad—especially when it comes to you Ulquiorra. That time you got kidnapped by Shizaa, he was ready to raid every inch of Paris until he found you, I could see it in his eyes."

"He really, really, cares about you." Weed added softly, looking over at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra put his hand on top of Grimmjow's and sighed softly. "Maybe it's a good thing he's asleep because I wouldn't be able to say any of that to him while he's awake."

"Actually," Blue said "I think he'd be really touched, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra just shook his head. "My pride wouldn't allow it."

They were silent, simply listening to the fireworks outside. Ulquiorra's hand gently caressed Grimmjow's cheek and Fido suddenly gasped. Ulquiorra had heard it too. The heart monitor had speed up.

Blue's eyes widened and she stammered, "W-was that…?"

"It was." Kyoshiro responded.

"Do it again." Weed said excitedly. Ulquiorra's hand brushed against Grimmjow's cheek again and the beeping of the heart monitor increased.

"Could it be that he's waking up?" Blue asked, moving closer to the bed, excitement on her face.

"Kiss him." Fido ordered, smiling.

"No." Ulquiorra said immediately. Blue let out an exasperated sigh and said, "Oh for God's sake!" and she pushed Ulquiorra's head down, crushing his lips against Grimmjow's.

The heart monitor's beeping exhilarated and Weed said, "Blue, you're giving Grimmjow a heart attack!"

"No I am not; Ulquiorra's the one doing it." Blue protested, still holding Ulquiorra's head down.

Blue released her hold on him and Ulquiorra moved away, his face inches from Grimmjow's as the heart monitor began to quiet down.

"Bark, everyone!" Weed said suddenly.

Kyoshiro barked along with Weed and Blue took her wolf form in order to bark as well. Fido just stood there and then he said, "Okay, here goes!" and he inhaled deeply and let out a very deep—squeak.

"Oh what the shit was _that_?" Kyoshiro said, glaring at him.

"Sorry…" Fido wheezed, clearing his throat and inhaling deeply he let out a very loud, deep, bark and everyone in the room jumped.

"Oh wow…" Fido said, clearing his throat again and continuing to bark along with Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue.

Ulquiorra's gaze remained on Grimmjow's face, looking for a reaction. He saw Grimmjow's eyebrow twitch and then the other one and he heard a soft groan escape him. His eyebrows knitted together and his jaw clenched and unclenched and Ulquiorra could feel something inside him waking up along with Grimmjow.

The next second they all got a very _big_ reaction when Grimmjow sat bolt up right and bellowed, "SHUT UP!" and everyone in the room gasped, except Ulquiorra who had jumped back in shock and nearly fallen over.

Grimmjow stared at them, his blue eyes wide, the look of frustration on his face died away and he simply stared at them, wide eyed.

"Ow…" he moaned, falling back against his pillows as if he suddenly remembered his wounds. "What the fuck happened to me…" he groaned, trying to move his arms but winced. "Shit…" his gaze traveled over to them and he blinked, his gaze running over their shocked faces.

"Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed, Ulquiorra?" He blinked a few times as he said their names, as if trying them out for the first time, his eyes narrowing.

"Y-yes…?" Fido squeaked.

Grimmjow's gaze fell on him and he gasped. "Wait a minute! What the hell—? You—how did you—what the hell is going on here? How did I get here, why is Witless Wonder here, how am I still alive?" he asked loudly, his eyes huge with shock.

"Your friends rescued me from my kidnappers." Fido explained.

"Huh?" Grimmjow just stared at Fido then his gaze traveled over to Ulquiorra and he gave a loud exclamation of, "What the fuck happened to you, Ulquiorra? You look like you've just—!" but before he could even finish his sentence Ulquiorra was hugging him so tightly Grimmjow felt like his head was going to pop off.

"Ow—Ulquiorra—ow—o-okay I get it, Ulqui stop it!" Grimmjow wheezed.

Ulquiorra's hold loosened on him so that he was able to breath properly without being in pain but Ulquiorra continued to gently nuzzle his neck and chest.

Grimmjow blinked slightly.

"Uh, hey, are you okay?" he asked, feeling a little alarmed.

"Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra murmured, burying his face in the crook of Grimmjow's neck, inhaling his scent.

Grimmjow blinked and he gave a small smile and nuzzled the man's soft hair. "I'm glad to see you too, Ulquiorra…" he whispered.

"Don't ever leave me again, Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

"Alright, alright, I won't." Grimmjow said softly but the words had barely left him when Ulquiorra kissed him, his hands holding Grimmjow's face almost desperately.

Grimmjow responded to the kiss, closing his eyes, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Blue smiled at this and Fido started crying.

And the door banged open and Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue jumped and Fido screamed.

It was none other than Fido's whole crew!

The director stared into the room and then grinned hugely and said, "Oh, now I understand why you wanted to come to the hospital!" he said happily. "It's because you are lovesick!" he said, a squeal of happiness in his voice when he spotted Grimmjow and Ulquiorra look over in shock.

"So cute!" he said, spinning on the spot.

"FIDOOOO!" he screamed and Ulquiorra automatically covered his ears.

Fido bounded forward and began to lick his owner's face.

"How can we ever thank you enough?" said the happy director while his crew greeted Fido.

"You can leave." Grimmjow said immediately.

"Okay! But what about money? Don't you want the reward?"

"The only reward we would like is your leaving!" Grimmjow snapped, groaning as he raised his hand to rub his ear.

The director grinned and said, "Okay! Say goodbye Fido!"

Fido smiled over at them and said, "Thanks a lot you guys, for everything! Good bye Weed."

"Bye, Fido!" Weed said, now smiling widely.

"Goodbye…Kyoshiro? It's Kyoshiro right?"

Kyoshiro raised a paw and waved. "See ya round! Just don't get dog napped anymore!"

"Oh I won't! Knowing my owner he'll never let me out of his sight now…Goodbye…Blue? Right?"

"Yup!" said Blue happily. "Bye, Fido. It was fun knowing you."

Grimmjow snorted at that.

Fido then looked at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and made to speak but stopped, apparently trying his hardest to remember their names.

"Goodbye…Ulqui…orra?"

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Great! Goodbye Ulqui-orra!" and Ulquiorra face palmed mentally.

"And…Grimmist! Goodbye Grimmist!"

"It's Grimm_jow_ you idiot!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Oh, right. Goodbye Grimmjow. Thanks for everything!" and he skipped out the door and the crew waved once more before departing.

However the director skipped back in and said, "I just really feel the need to do something for you guys. We took a wrong turn on this floor and there is an empty room there and I noticed you can't see the fireworks from in here so…how about it? I asked one of the nurses and she said it probably wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Grimmjow looked up hopefully and Blue nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, we'll move…just after this."

"After what?" Grimmjow asked.

Blue glomped him, hugging him very tightly and nuzzling his face. "Grimmjow!" she exclaimed happily.

"Hi…" Grimmjow gasped.

And Weed gave a cry of joy and began to lick his face. Kyoshiro gently jumped up on the bed and nuzzled his neck happily. "Glad to have you back man!" Kyoshiro said.

"Okay, great." Grimmjow said, feeling somewhat smothered but he smiled all the same. "Hey, Ulquiorra, get over here." Grimmjow said, grinning now. Ulquiorra walked to the right, next to Kyoshiro and gave Grimmjow a hug.

The director and his crew all "awed" happily while watching the reunion.

"So…cute!" said the director, taking pictures of the group hug, and all of them cooed when they saw Grimmjow nuzzle Ulquiorra's hair, the smile on Grimmjow's face growing.

And minutes later the five friends watched the splendid fireworks from the new room. Fido and his crew stayed with them for a bit to watch as well, mostly so Fido could spend a few more minutes with his friends.

The nurse popped in as well to check on Grimmjow and said that visiting hours were over and that the crew would have to leave.

"Great," Blue said sadly. "I guess that means we all have to leave too, right?"

The nurse smiled sadly. "I'm afraid so."

"Bye guys," Fido said, smiling widely. "And…Grimmjow?"

"Hm?" Grimmjow looked down at him.

"Thank you for protecting Weed and I. You were really brave." And he raced from the room and slipped and fell, crashing into all the crew members.

Blue rolled her eyes and said, "Goodnight, Grimmjow. We'll see you in the morning."

"No." Grimmjow said suddenly. Blue blinked. "Huh?"

"Nurse?"

The nurse looked over. "Yes?"

"Let these guys stay overnight. They won't keep me awake."

The nurse considered this and said, doubtfully. "Oh…I don't know."

Grimmjow stared, the nurse looked away. "Oh c'mon, loosen up a bit will you?" Grimmjow said and he won the instant he flashed her one of his charming Grimmjow-Grins.

The nurse blushed and said, "Oh, alright, sir." And she left the room, giggling.

Grimmjow laughed softly. "Works every time."

"Nice one." Kyoshiro said, smiling. "You know if she didn't know you were gay she'd be throwing herself at your feet, man."

Grimmjow smirked and then blinked. "Uh…where are you guy's sleeping?"

For an answer, all of them looked at his bed.

"No." Grimmjow said immediately. "This bed is too small, you guys can't possibly—!"

"We have our ways." Blue said, taking her wolf form and jumping onto his bed. She lay down at his feet and said, "C'mon, loosen up a bit." Grimmjow frowned. "Haha, funny." He said sarcastically.

Kyoshiro jumped onto the bed and lay down on Grimmjow's right side at the foot of the bed like Blue. Weed jumped onto the bed, circled on Grimmjow's large pillow and lay down on his left, nuzzling his face close to him.

Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra and said, "C'mon, come here." Ulquiorra walked over slowly, looking over the bed. "It's too small."

"Hey, if it can fit me it will fit you without a problem. You're tiny anyway."

Ulquiorra frowned. "I'm not that small."

"Oh just shut up and lie down." Grimmjow said, patting the bed.

"It's dangerous to do this."

"What are you going to do, crush me in my sleep? Ulquiorra, I am feeling fine, I swear. Now just shut up and get over here."

Just when it seemed like Grimmjow had won Ulquiorra said, "Ask me nicely."

Grimmjow scowled at him and after a moment of silence he said, somewhat reluctantly and with obvious embarrassment, "Please…lie down, Ulquiorra."

"And so I shall." And Ulquiorra curled up on Grimmjow's right, sighing contentedly when Grimmjow put his arm around his shoulders. Ulquiorra tired to avoid putting his head on Grimmjow's chest in case it hurt him too much but Grimmjow broke that barrier of distance by whispering, "I said I'm fine, Ulquiorra, now just stop worrying about me and sleep."

And Ulquiorra put his head against Grimmjow's chest, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck, his arm draped over Grimmjow's stomach.

"Grimmjow…?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for waking up."

"How could I _not _wake up, idiot?" Grimmjow whispered, his lips brushing against Ulquiorra's forehead as he spoke to him and he felt Ulquiorra cuddle closer to him.

_Like the afterlife would be any fun if your not there with me…_

And with all his friends beside him, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques drifted into a very comfortable sleep.

* * *

Thank God this chapter is over. It seriously drove me nuts! I don't think I am very pleased with it, but oh well. Now I can start working on the planned chapters.

OOC is a wonderfull thing. Not. I tihnk I made Ulquiorra too OOC, I hate it when I do that. xP

Anyway, I seriously almost cried writing Ulquiorra when he was crying over Grimmjow, probably because of the music I was listening too. I hate making Ulqui cry. ): I'll try not to take too long writing chapter nine, but I seriously feel like taking a bit of a break from the story for a bit. Maybe it's just this chapter.

I hope you enjoyed this two part chapter. Hopefully there will be no more two part chapters.


	9. Adventure 9

**Adventure #9**

**Much Ado about Nothing…almost**

The cherry blossoms blew softly against the wind, scattering their blossoms across the sky and then finally down to settle on the ground.

And also on some people.

Grimmjow swatted the petals out of his hair and shoved his hands into his pockets before spitting a few petals out of his mouth. How they'd got in there, he didn't even know.

Right now, although it felt like it, they were not actually in Japan; they were still in New York and currently walking through the Botanic Gardens. They'd come all the way here to see the Cherry Blossom Festival or as the Japanese called it, Sakura Matsui.

The way the place was designed for a start was great; there was even a Japanese house by a large lake full of Japanese fish! And then a little shrine guarded by dogs—statues of them anyway. The shrine had been dedicated to the God of Harvest. They had walked through a little field a while ago, with a stream and a forest of bamboo and then over a little bridge above the small stream. It had been interesting but kind of boring at the same time up until they got lost and wondered around for a bit, walking past some big bushes that Grimmjow said was probably hiding a homeless man and Weed had immediately jumped away from them.

Out of the things they'd seen so far, Ulquiorra seemed to like that small Japanese house over looking the lake.

The place was great, but the people in it were annoying. There were cosplayers from different anime and manga there and they were all noisy and annoying. Most of them anyway. Grimmjow and the others had watched for a while in interest as two boys sword fought with fake swords on a hill until one of them tripped and tumbled down the muddy hill.

It would rain soon, which would mean the blossoms would all be gone.

Weed was bouncing ahead, scattering the fallen petals as he joyfully sniffed around.

"Guys, this is really, really, great!" Weed said joyfully, his tail wagging as he looked over his shoulder at the four others following him. "Thanks for taking me!"

"No problem," Blue said, smiling, "I'm glad you're enjoying it so much."

"Yeah, it's great, but haven't we come this way before?" Kyoshiro asked.

"No shit Sherlock." Grimmjow said, rolling his eyes. "We've been through here already, you moron."

"I was just asking, I didn't know if you guys were either oblivious or half concussed!" Kyoshiro snapped.

"Now, now, children." Blue said, looking over at the two arguing with a 'my, aren't you two _mature_' tone in her voice. Although it was meant in a teasingly playful way, Grimmjow got defensive, as always.

"Well, he's the one who decided to be stupid and—!"

"Grimmjow, just stop." Ulquiorra murmured, walking up next to him and shoving him gently in the ribs. Grimmjow glared over at him but didn't pick up the argument.

"It's Weed's birthday anyway and he hates it when you and Kyoshiro argue."

"He doesn't hate it…" Grimmjow muttered.

"Then by all means, argue some more." Ulquiorra added, glancing around the area and spotting the same boys from before, playing with their swords.

"No—never mind."

They headed back up the path towards the Japanese house by the lake and Ulquiorra and the others stopped inside for a moment to view the scenery. Ulquiorra sat down on one of the benches provided inside the small house and stared over the lake, spotting a small sculpture in the water, the fish swimming around it.

"You look like you like this place, Ulquiorra." Blue noted, standing beside him.

Ulquiorra didn't respond but he simply continued to stare over the lake and he let out a soft sigh. "Yup, he likes it." Grimmjow said. Kyoshiro jumped up on the bench and lay down, staring into the glassy surface of the lake. "Look at these freaking fish! They're huge!"

Weed jumped up beside him and stuck his head below the railing, Grimmjow stood behind him with Blue, watching their three friends look into the water. Grimmjow and Blue moved closer as well until they were both able to see the fish.

"Look! There's a Grimmjow-Fish!" Weed exclaimed, smiling.

"A—wait, what?" Grimmjow asked, as if he couldn't believe what stupid stuff he was hearing.

"There's a blue fish!" Weed said cheerfully.

"But why is it a _Grimmjow-_fish?" Grimmjow asked. "I mean, Blue is even bluer than I am! I mean even her name is Blue!"

Then he paused and added, "Never mind, the whole thing is retarded anyway."

"Oh look, there's an Ulquiorra-fish!" Weed said and Blue laughed.

Ulquiorra looked down and saw a greenish white fish in the water.

"Oh yeah, it's an Ulqui-fish." Grimmjow said interestedly.

"What happened to 'the whole thing is retarded'?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow looked away.

* * *

One train ride later they all found themselves back at their apartment gathered around the table, celebrating Weed's second birthday.

"Here Weed," Blue said, handing him a squeaky blue ball.

Weed gasped dramatically and began sniffing it, his tail wagging fast.

"I noticed how you seemed to stare at it in the store we went into, so here you go! Happy Birthday!"

"Thank you, Blue!" Weed said, grinning from ear to ear.

Grimmjow kicked the ball and Weed tore after it, his nails scrabbling on the wooden floor.

Ulquiorra watched Weed play with his new toy and heard Grimmjow say grumpily, "That thing is going to drive me up the wall, I swear to God." Grimmjow winced slightly as the toy squeaked loudly.

"Oi, Weedy, I have something for you too!" Kyoshiro called and Weed walked over holding his squeaky ball.

Kyoshiro, who was sitting in a chair, seized a package in his mouth and dropped it in front of Weed.

Weed opened the package with his teeth and began sniffing the item with interest, and then he noticed the shape on the front and smiled. The item turned out to be a soft blue blanket with a little lamb sewn onto the soft fabric. "Oh it's so cute!" Weed exclaimed, grinning at Kyoshiro as he nuzzled the blanket. "Thank you Kyoshiro, thank you!"

"Hey, no problem! Just don't have a heart attack." Kyoshiro said jokingly, watching as Weed lay on his back and began rolling around on the blanket, his paws playfully waving in the air, letting out playful growls.

"Grimmjow, did you take time out of your busy life for our friend?" Blue asked and she saw Grimmjow shuffle the ground nervously with his feet.

Blue frowned at him and Grimmjow said, annoyed, "Hey, don't look at me like that, Blue!" he snapped and he raced up towards his room.

Ulquiorra looked around and cocked an eyebrow as he heard a bang from upstairs.

_He didn't get a present for him, did he? _Kyoshiro, Blue and Ulquiorra all thought.

Grimmjow raced down the stairs, something dangling from his hand. It was—a sock.

Ulquiorra blinked, raising an eyebrow at Grimmjow, and Blue stared at him like he was a moron and Kyoshiro had a 'what the flying fuck is that?' look on his face.

"Hey, kiddo!" Grimmjow said loudly and Weed stopped playing and looked up at Grimmjow in curiosity unable to see exactly what Grimmjow had for him because Grimmjow had it behind his back.

"I here doth present—!" and Grimmjow held up the sock. "A sock!"

"Oh my gosh thank you so much Grimmjow!" Weed exclaimed.

Grimmjow sweat dropped, looking away as he thought, _Kid, I swear sometimes you are so stupid…_

"And as a plus it is the smelliest I have so far!" Grimmjow said, swinging the sock before throwing it towards the door and Weed tore after it.

Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra simply stared at Grimmjow in silence.

Grimmjow looked around as he felt their gazes on him and he said angrily, "_What?_ Alright, so I didn't exactly get him a present! But now I've given him something and he's happy 'bout it so stop looking at me like that!"

"It's not that we're angry at you," Ulquiorra said, "We're just astonished that you gave him a sock."

"Shut up! He likes it so why are you all whining about it?"

"Hey Grimmjow? and Grimmjow looked down and saw Weed smiling up at him, his eyes closed, his tail wagging and the sock dangling from his mouth. "What?" Grimmjow asked unenthusiastically.

"When were you born?" asked Weed, dropping the sock next to his things.

"How the heck should I know?" Grimmjow asked, scratching the back of his head, blue eyes gazing up towards the ceiling as if in thought, a frown on his lips.

"Weed, I have something to give you."

And Weed turned to look at the fifth member of his party and said, "What is it, Ulqui—oooooh!" for what he was staring at was one of the most beautiful things in the world! It was a huge dog bone! And it smelled so wonderful that Weed's eyes began to water as well as his mouth.

"Here." Ulquiorra said, dropping the bone in front of him and Weed pounced on it and began nom-noming on it.

Kyoshiro and Blue looked longingly at it. "Wow…it's beautiful, Ulquiorra…" Blue whispered.

"I knew this would happen." And Ulquiorra reached into a bag and pulled out two other bones. Blue took her wolf form and she and Kyoshiro eagerly approached him, looking up at him with big soulful doggy eyes. Ulquiorra gave them their bones and they ran off to chew them on the couch.

Ulquiorra then turned to Grimmjow and Grimmjow scowled at him, an angry look on his face. "Don't even say it, Ulquiorra!"

"I win."

"No you don't!" Grimmjow yelled.

"Yes I do." Ulquiorra said, even allowing a slight smirk to cross his face.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!" Grimmjow ordered, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted.

"No."

"Why you—?"

"Who won what, when and why?" Kyoshiro asked, looking up from his bone.

"Before Weed's birthday the both of us, Grimmjow and I, were pondering what to give him. Somehow Grimmjow decided that his gift would be better than mine and of course I disagreed and, well, you see who won." Ulquiorra added almost smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in all you want! But—!"

"Grimmjow, you got him a _sock_." Ulquiorra said, exasperating the word 'sock' as if saying that Grimmjow had done the stupidest thing since stupidest things. Grimmjow moved in until his face was inches from his and said, through clenched teeth, "I _know that, you idiot!_"

"Then why of all things did you—?"

"I—I just didn't—!" Grimmjow began.

"Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, thanks." Weed said gratefully. "I really like both of the presents you got me, so please don't argue."

"Yeah, even if Grimmjow's gift sucks ass it's alright!" Kyoshiro added. "Anyway, what's not to love about a nice, big, smelly, sock?"

"Shut your hole." Grimmjow growled.

"Guys, when were you all born?" Weed asked, suddenly rolling onto his back and tossing the bone into the air, occasionally smacking it with his paw.

"I have no idea whatsoever." Ulquiorra answered. "I don't even remember when I became a Vasto Lorde. I suppose that would count as birth…but I don't even remember the date and anyway, in Heuco Mundo time almost seems to stand still."

"I wouldn't remember…" Blue said thoughtfully, "Like most, my brain had barely even developed when I was born, so I don't remember the exact date. But I know it was somewhere in July."

"Oh, that's a shame we passed it then." Weed said.

"I was born some time in winter." Kyoshiro murmured, his gray eyes looking upward as he thought about it. "But I don't even remember the day."

"Like I already said I don't have a freakin' clue." Grimmjow said, joining in the discussion.

"Alright, I just got an idea!" Weed exclaimed, looking around at his friends as he spoke.

"I'm going to give you all birthdays!"

"Really?" Blue said, looking surprised.

"That's dumb." Grimmjow growled.

"Who asked you Grimmy-chan?" Kyoshiro asked and Grimmjow glared at him.

"Go on." Ulquiorra urged.

"Okay, Blue, your birthday can be in July, since you said you were definitely born sometime in July. Any day you'd like?"

"How about on the first day of July?" Blue asked.

"I was actually thinking that maybe it should be on the Fourth, since that day is cool like you and pretty like you."

Blue blushed.

"Not to mention loud and annoying." Grimmjow added and Blue casually stepped on his foot.

"Sounds good to me!" Kyoshiro said.

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Kyoshiro, your birthday is in winter, since you were born in winter. Let's make it December?"

"Sure."

"Any day?" Weed asked.

"Hmmm…hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm—"

"Stop it!" Grimmjow snapped and Kyoshiro said loudly, "Alright! How about…the 24th of December?" Kyoshiro suggested.

"Okay," Weed agreed, "Now for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra…how about...for Ulquiorra the fourth of August?"

Ulquiorra looked over in interest and said, "Its fine with me."

"And Grimmjow can be the Sixth of August?"

"Whatever." Grimmjow said.

"Well, that's that, is that okay with all of you?" Weed asked.

All of them agreed but Grimmjow instead said, "It's all fine and dandy but c'mon, Ulquiorra and I…we won't even know how old we are when our so called birthday's come around! Then again…I don't even know how old _I_ am! Crap…just how _old_ _am I_?" Grimmjow exclaimed his eyes widening as he realized he really _didn't_ know how old he was!

While Grimmjow panicked over how old he really was, which Blue found absolutely ridiculous, Ulquiorra watched Weed playing with his new toys.

"Why do you care enough to do this for us?" Ulquiorra asked and Weed looked up and said, "How could I not? I just think it would be fun to actually celebrate everyone's birthdays rather than just mine."

Ulquiorra nodded, feeling a little touched that Weed actually cared enough about them all to do that.

"I wonder why Pops never made a birthday for me," Blue mused and Kyoshiro looked over and said, "Who is Pops?"

"My old owner…sadly he and the rest of my family all died in a fire. His real name was Quent."

Grimmjow growled, sitting next to Ulquiorra and wincing when he heard the squeaking of Weed's new toy.

"Grimmjow?"

"Hm?" Grimmjow grunted moodily, reaching across the table for the box of cupcakes, he saw Ulquiorra's gaze immediately flick over towards them.

"I don't think it really matters if you gave Weed a bad present," Ulquiorra said, glancing down at the happy puppy before looking back up at Grimmjow.

Grimmjow reached into the box and pulled out a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and a few sprinkles on it. "Your point being?" he asked a little moodily, taking a bite of the cupcake.

He tried not to smirk as he saw Ulquiorra's gaze fall on the cupcake in his hand.

They had got these delicious cupcakes from a place called Billy's Bakery and they had all snacked on them while in the Botanic Gardens, they had gone through a whole box and this cupcake was the last one left.

"So, because Weed likes it, I think it is possible to get over the fact that I won the contest—challenge or whatever it was," Ulquiorra said, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the cupcake slowly disappearing before his eyes.

"What the hell are you on about?" Grimmjow asked, looking over at him.

"Just saying that it would be stupid and childish if you held such a grudge and—"

"Hey, I'm not that pissed about it!" Grimmjow retorted.

"I hate rushing in a conversation but…what I'm trying to ask is— if you're not so angry about what I said then—what I mean is, if your not too angry, would you allow me too—?"

"Jesus, Ulquiorra, get to the fucking point!" Grimmjow snapped, making to take another bite of his cupcake.

"Alright…" Ulquiorra moved closer to him and said, hurriedly and in a low tone as if he were slightly embarrassed to ask, "May I have half of that?"

Grimmjow stared and let out a bark of laughter, "Shit, Ulquiorra! That whole thing was over _this?_" Grimmjow asked, half exasperated, mostly amused and holding up the cupcake for emphasis.

Ulquiorra sighed and closed his eyes. "Just answer my question."

"Yes, but grant me a favor in return for giving you this." Grimmjow said, smirking as he scooted his chair closer to Ulquiorra's.

Ulquiorra sighed again, saying softly, "I expected that much…what do you want?"

"I've got to love how much you like this stuff, it's adorable," Grimmjow, his smirk turning into a smile. "Just get on with it." Ulquiorra pressed, eager to get his cupcake.

"You," Grimmjow said, pointing to him. "Give me a hot kiss and I'll give you the cupcake, fair enough?"

Ulquiorra looked at the ground and Grimmjow swore he saw a blush on his pale cheeks.

"Oh c'mon, it's not like I'm poisonous!" Grimmjow exclaimed, exasperated.

Ulquiorra looked at him and then at the cupcake and said, "Very well." And he straightened up, walked right in front of him and stopped and by the look in his eyes Grimmjow could tell he was considering how to do it.

"Ulquiorra, before I die." Grimmjow said, getting impatient with waiting.

Ulquiorra moved closer still in thought and then just shrugged as if thinking 'to heck with it', Ulquiorra moved in and placed his lips to Grimmjow, relaxing once he heard the man sign softly. Ulquiorra put a hand on Grimmjow's face, his other arm sliding around Grimmjow's waist. Grimmjow stood up to eagerly return the kiss and neither of them noticed Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue watching, wide eyed, until Kyoshiro wolf whistled and started clapping along with Blue and Weed and both men turned to look with raised brows at the other three.

"Cupcake?" Ulquiorra asked slash requested, holding out his hand.

"I'm fine, dear." Grimmjow said a huge grin on his face and everyone except Ulquiorra burst out laughing.

"Funny." Ulquiorra said, not noticing the blush on his face as he snatched the cupcake away from a laughing Grimmjow. But as Ulquiorra returned to his seat he couldn't help the slight twitch of his lips as he watched Grimmjow laughing, a look of pure joy on his face.

And the night passed by in serenity.

Before they all went to bed however, Weed decided to watch a movie he had rented from the store. It was called The Lion King.

"It's Disney, it'll suck." Grimmjow deadpanned and he immediately slumped back down on the couch.

"No, this one is considered to be one of his very best animated films ever," Weed disagreed. "It'll be good, Grimmjow."

"It's a kid's movie! Grown men do not watch kid's movies!" Grimmjow argued.

"Oh, are you really a grown adult?" Kyoshiro asked in complete mock surprise.

Grimmjow made to retort but Blue said loudly, "Let's just watch it, okay? It's Weed's birthday so how about we be quiet and watch it with him?"

"I don't—!" Grimmjow began to say but Ulquiorra said, cutting him off. "Grimmjow, in return for what I did earlier you will watch this Children's film with us."

"Quit acting like I forced you into something you didn't like! Face it Ulqui, you _love_ it when I kiss you."

Ulquiorra was silent.

"Why do you always feel the need to make yourself sound so stupid?"

"Shut up!" Grimmjow snapped. "And fine! I do realize I do indeed owe you a freaking favor so fine I'll watch it!"

Ulquiorra walked over and looked once at the couch and then at Grimmjow and said, "I want to sit down."

Grimmjow straightened up and said, "Alright, alright."

Blue sat next to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra frowned slightly and then a better idea occurred to him! Ulquiorra sat down right in Grimmjow's lap and Grimmjow gave a start and said, "What the he—oh, okay, never mind stay right there." And he wrapped his arms around Ulquiorra's chest and smiled when he felt Ulquiorra lean back against him.

Kyoshiro sat next to Blue, his head on his paws while Weed inserted the DVD. Weed sat next to Kyoshiro and all of them began to watch the movie.

The movie was nothing short of absolutely amazing.

It was beyond what Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had had in mind and they immediately began to enjoy it—right up until Mufasa died and almost everyone in the room started to cry, even Grimmjow got teary eyed at that part and Ulquiorra excused himself to go to the bathroom for 'no reason' but quickly emerged seconds later looking perfectly normal. No one cried form then on right up until the scene where Mufasa's ghost appeared in the sky which made everyone get teary eyed and then at the end when Simba climbed up pride rock with epic music playing which was an extremely moving scene.

In other words the movie was one of the most moving ones they had ever seen. Grimmjow didn't even really mind the songs, even though he thought they were unnecessary.

And so the day ended that way with all of them staying up until one in the morning discussing their favorite scenes and characters.

* * *

A day after Weed's birthday, Grimmjow found himself inside the house, lounging around on the sofa. Ulquiorra had gone to the grocery store and would have to leave soon for his part time job when he got back and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed had all gone for a walk so Grimmjow was left alone to do nothing. Which was what he hated. Doing nothing.

Grimmjow groaned and turned over onto his side, scratching at his blue head of hair as he did so. "God damn I'm so bored!" he said aloud and then he realized that he had just spoken aloud to no one in particular. Grimmjow stretched out, yawing as he did so, ever since Weed's birthday Grimmjow had had a hard time sleeping for some reason, Ulquiorra had suggested that his sleeping time was changing and Grimmjow had to admit Ulquiorra was probably right because Grimmjow now went to sleep right around 1: 00 in the morning.

It was not exactly his preferred time schedule but he found he couldn't help it. Sometimes he would just stay up and talk to Ulquiorra, which annoyed the other man to no end, often getting so tired of Grimmjow's pointless babbling that he would actually almost beg Grimmjow to shut up. Grimmjow didn't really babble, more like just either poked him and teased him or just said whatever the hell was on his mind, and Grimmjow was often amazed of just what the heck he could think of when he was bored!

Grimmjow was just pondering over whether or not to call Ulquiorra just to annoy him when the door opened and Blue walked inside, followed by Kyoshiro and Weed.

"Hey, Grimmjow." Blue greeted.

"Hm." Grimmjow grunted.

"Thank you for the warm welcome." Kyoshiro said sarcastically, walking inside.

"Your welcome." Grimmjow replied unenthusiastically. He sat up and looked towards the door and almost as if knowing what he was thinking, Blue said, "Ulquiorra is still at the store."

"He _is_?" Kyoshiro said, his voice filled with mock surprise. "Wow he's been gone forever!"

Grimmjow glared over at him. "Not funny. Don't act like he's been gone two hours when he only left two minutes ago."

"But, really, Grimmjow sometimes you act like he's been gone for hours!" Kyoshiro said, dropping the mocking tone of his voice.

"Do not."

Weed interrupted. "So, uh do you guys have Ulquiorra's presents?"

Grimmjow looked up in interest and said loudly and exasperatedly, "Weed, that's like two months away! Why the hell are you guys getting presents _now_?"

And Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed stared at him like Grimmjow had just said the stupidest thing in the world. Grimmjow frowned. "What?"

"Uh, Grimmjow," Blue said, stepping towards him, "This is going to be a bit shocking but Ulquiorra's birthday is in three days."

Grimmjow stared and Blue saw his jaw fall open and his eyes widen.

"What?" he said snappishly but his tone was still shocked.

"His birthday is in three days."

"No it isn't." Grimmjow immediately denied.

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't. We're not even in the month of August!" Grimmjow said, relaxing back against the couch.

"Are you stupid, Grimmjow?" Kyoshiro asked, giving Grimmjow a WTF-have-you-been-sniffing look. And when Grimmjow raised an eyebrow Kyoshiro exclaimed loudly, "Oh for crying out loud, Grimmjow! Weed's birthday is in the freaking month of freaking August! And that means that in three days it will be Ulquiorra's artificial birthday because his artificial birthday was given to him on the fourth of freaking august!"

And Grimmjow sat bolt up right and choked on his own spit. After choking for a few more seconds, Grimmjow turned to look over at Kyoshiro and the other two and said, "What the fuck? Why the hell didn't you tell me it was in three days?" Grimmjow yelled and to their surprise it seemed that Grimmjow was more panic stricken than angry.

"Well, we all thought that you of all people would remember." Blue explained honestly. "I mean, you _are_ Ulquiorra's boyfriend and everything so you definitely should have remembered that it was in three days—"

But Blue stopped talking when Grimmjow let out a low moan and put his face his hands. "Well isn't this just fucking great!" Grimmjow said, falling back against the couch with a huff, his hands clenching and unclenching in his lap.

"I don't even know what the hell he'd like!"

"I don't think you should worry," Kyoshiro said, "I mean, Ulquiorra probably won't even care."

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't care!" Grimmjow said loudly and Kyoshiro went quiet.

"I didn't manage to get him anything either, so you aren't alone for now," Weed said, clearly hoping this would comfort Grimmjow but only received silence from Grimmjow.

"I would like to get him something though…especially since he got me such a nice present…" Weed murmured, trying to think of things Ulquiorra would like.

"Grimmjow, don't worry, you have three days to plan ahead," Blue said, "Kyoshiro didn't get him anything either."

"I just can't think of anything he likes! He never shows interest in anything!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, frowning. "I have to admit he probably won't care."

"Your right, he probably wouldn't," Grimmjow growled, glaring up at the ceiling. "But I still…I…" Grimmjow's voice trailed away as he instead turned his gaze towards the wooden floor, clearly embarrassed.

Blue smiled slightly at him and said, "Grimmjow, your blushing." And Grimmjow sat bolt up right and said, "Alright, fuck it!" and he stomped into the bathroom with his hand over his reddening face. The door slammed and Kyoshiro started to laugh.

"He makes such a big deal about everything, he kills me!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, laughing harder.

Blue heard Grimmjow say, "Shut up!" through the bathroom door and she sighed and knelt down in front of the bathroom door and said, "Grimmjow, I can tell your really heart set on getting something for him."

"N-no I'm not!" Grimmjow denied, his voice somewhat muffled because of the door.

Blue sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yes you are and it's because he's someone special to you."

"No he's not."

"Oh good grief! Would you get out here so I can actually talk to you?" Blue asked exasperatedly.

"Why, do girls feel the need to talk face to face with someone _all the freaking time?_ Just talk, dammit it!"

"Talking face to face with someone is better then locking yourself in a _bathroom_! So at least girls don't avoid confrontation with other people over something ridiculous unlike boys—or maybe only you do that?"

"I'm not avoiding confrontations!"

"Then come out—oh never mind," Blue groaned, giving up on arguing with him. _Sometimes he is so ridiculous; I swear…_she thought, shaking her head.

"Alright, I'll just talk; you don't need to come out." Blue said and before she could speak Kyoshiro called out, from where he lay on the couch, "Ulquiorra would probably like something simple; he's not the type of guy that wants like…an ice cream stand or something."

Blue heard Grimmjow laugh behind the door and say softly, "You wouldn't know that."

"Would you get it for him if you could?" Blue asked.

"Get to the point."

"Okay, Grimmjow…I agree with Kyoshiro, I think Ulquiorra would like…maybe all of his friends just to be nice to him—especially a certain someone whom, need I remind you, isn't all that nice to him." she added as an afterthought.

"I'm nice enough!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at the door as he spoke.

"Grimmjow, in all honestly there isn't a day that goes by when you two don't argue over something stupid, did it ever occur to you that maybe Ulquiorra gets tired of arguing all the time?"

"Well," Grimmjow began, getting defensive, "It's not like he's the nicest guy in the world!"

"I know he has his flaws, Grimmjow, but a hundred percent of the time you start the arguments."

"So what? You know what, never mind!" Grimmjow growled, leaning back against the wall. He was currently lying on the floor right next to the door, his back against the hard wall and his arms over his chest.

_What does she mean 'not nice enough'? _He thought moodily, scowling as he pulled his knee up to rest his elbow against his kneecap, his fingers curling in his hair. _I mean what the hell; I've saved his ass a good few times, isn't that good enough? I'm not that nasty to him! Yeah, okay, we argue a lot, we fight, that's what all couples do! It's normal enough!_

_Or is it? _Whispered a voice from the back of his head, Grimmjow felt something sink into the pit of his stomach, something like nerves.

_You argue a lot, every single day at least. Is that what you call normal? _

_We make up later!_

_You sound pathetic; you're worried right now, aren't you?_

_Shut up! I'm not in the mood to argue with myself._

Grimmjow groaned and closed his eyes, putting his head back against the wall. Grimmjow had to admit it, he knew he wasn't nice to Ulquiorra, he knew that sometimes he said things he didn't mean to him and didn't care, he knew that sometimes he hurt his feelings even though Ulquiorra wouldn't show it.

_But it's not like Ulquiorra doesn't do the same to me! _Grimmjow's mind argued defensively.

_How long will it last? _And Grimmjow's eyes widened as the thought crossed his mind.

_How long will it be before an argument happens that neither of you can get over? How long will it be before one of you crosses the line? How long will this whole making up thing last? How long will your relationship last if all you do a hundred percent of the time is argue? He will get tired of it eventually and seek different people, you know it._

_No._

_Oh stop ignoring it! Your different, your both different, very different, you look different, you talk different, you settle things differently, you don't agree on a lot of things, Ulquiorra can hardly stand you, he hates you, the only reason you got together was because you were both forced to work together!_

_No, he liked me before that!_

_Liar._

_I'm not lying!_

_How long will it last, huh? If you don't learn to just maybe loosen up a bit, loose a bit of your fatass pride, it's going to end, you'll loose him, in fact maybe he's already gone off to find someone else?_

"Be quiet!" and Grimmjow realized he'd said it allowed and for a moment he lay there, amazed by just how many of his fears were pouring inside of him, all the thoughts he held back, all the worries…everything…

Grimmjow closed his eyes and shivered as he realized just how cold the bathroom suddenly was.

He straightened up and opened the door and looked around. Blue was sitting on the couch, resting with Kyoshiro and Weed.

"Blue." He said.

She didn't respond. Grimmjow growled and walked over to her and shook her. "Hey!"

Blue's eyes opened and she jumped. "What? And don't shake me!" she snapped, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"I'm going to follow your suggestion, now teach me."

"Excuse me?"

"Teach me."

Blue blinked and said, "What exactly?"

Grimmjow closed his eyes and sighed and Blue could tell he was a little reluctant. "Teach me how…uh…dammit…how do I put this?" Grimmjow muttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"How to be nice?" Weed suggested and Grimmjow immediately said, "No!"

"But that's obviously what you wanted to ask." Weed said.

Grimmjow could feel his neck getting warm as well as his face and he scowled and said, "You seem to…uh…"

"Know how relationships work?" Blue suggested.

"I know how they work too."

"Uh sure."

"But I do!"

"Look, never mind, I'd help you anyway." Blue said and Grimmjow sighed. "Thanks I guess…"

"…Being nice…" Kyoshiro muttered as if the idea were ludicrous.

"You shut up!" Grimmjow snapped, turning to glare at him. "And don't think that I'm being nice to everyone! This is for Ulquiorra, that's all, no one else!"

"Grimmjow, the first step to being polite is to be polite to others. If you want to be nice to one person; you have to be nice to other people." Blue told him and Grimmjow scowled and said, "You know what forget about this shit!"

Blue sighed and said, "Fine, don't give Ulquiorra anything."

Grimmjow immediately said, "That's not what I meant! I—!"

"So, are you going to try it?" Blue asked.

Grimmjow sighed and said, "Alright, alright. I'll do it."

And then he added immediately. "But it's only for one day and then I'm back to normal!"

"Wow, I can't believe you're actually going to do it!" Weed exclaimed softly, apparently impressed. "I'm sorry but I _can't_ imagine this…" Kyoshiro said, shaking his head.

"I think Grimmjow can do it." Weed said loyally. "I think Ulquiorra will really appreciate it Grimmjow."

"Okay…okay, I get it…" Grimmjow said, hanging his head. "As long as I can have it done in three days then its fine."

"Alright well you better start lesson one because Ulquiorra's home." Kyoshiro alerted them, pointing towards the door with his opposable paw.

Grimmjow jumped and Blue put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Alright, go and greet him, just act normal—well not _normal_-normal, but be friendly." Then she called out, "Welcome home!" And Weed and Kyoshiro joined her, Grimmjow was silent, his heart was racing a hundred miles a minute in his chest.

"Go on." Blue coaxed.

Grimmjow walked to the door and saw Ulquiorra take off his shoes and set them down before straightening up. His gaze met with Grimmjow's and Grimmjow suddenly couldn't think of anything to say.

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra greeted.

Grimmjow nodded. "Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra stared at him for a moment and Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra felt that there was something amiss. Ulquiorra walked by him and Grimmjow felt like slamming his head into the wall. That had been the most awkward greeting in the history of awkward greetings!

"Hi, Ulquiorra, how long will you be home?" Weed asked his tail wagging as he approached Ulquiorra. "I've got at least a minute here. I left something important." Ulquiorra went upstairs to fetch whatever it was and Grimmjow sat down on the couch and growled.

"How about you help him look?"

"He doesn't need my help."

"Grimmjow, do you want to make him happy or not?"

"I do, but he doesn't need my help to look for a—fine, okay, okay…" Grimmjow said, recoiling at a look from Blue that said 'do you want my help or not?'

"Want help?" Grimmjow called.

"It's okay. I found it." was Ulquiorra's response.

Ulquiorra hurried downstairs and Blue whispered, "Maybe offer to cook something for him?"

"Want food?" Grimmjow asked.

"I can make it myself."

"C'mon, just because I nearly blew up the stove once doesn't mean it'll happen again!" Grimmjow said, stomping into the kitchen and pulling a box of grits from the shelf and starting to prepare them.

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow with an expression of mild curiosity on his face. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"Hell yeah." Grimmjow replied, watching the grits boiling in the pot.

"Oh, okay."

"Here, eat up." Grimmjow handed the food to him with his gloved hand and Ulquiorra stared at the bowl. "Thanks." He took the bowl and gasped as he felt how hot it was. Grimmjow winced and snatched it from him muttering, "Idiot." as he walked to the table. He set the grits down and said, "There you go. See, no accidents!" he said proudly, a smug smile on his face and his eyes closed as he leaned against the table.

Ulquiorra seated himself and made to scoop the spoon from the grits to start eating but stopped when he realized that the spoon would not leave the bowl. Upon looking properly at the food Ulquiorra could see that the grits were so thick and clotted that the spoon was as stuck in the grits as it would be if it were in cement.

"Grimmjow, just how much water did you add?"

"I put in 1/4. Why?" Grimmjow asked, looking over his shoulder at the other Espada.

"The instructions called for ¾." Ulquiorra informed him. He saw Grimmjow's head slump. "Fucking instructions." He groaned and then he turned around and said, "Just add more water!" and he jerked hard on the spoon and instead pulled out the whole bowl's contents, still attached to the spoon. Grimmjow stared in shock when he saw the grits still frozen in the shape of the bowl; he experimentally turned the spoon clockwise and watched the grits rolling along with the spoon.

Kyoshiro stared to laugh and that was when Grimmjow decided that the bowl, along with the rock hard grits, looked better on Kyoshiro and threw them both at him.

The time came for Ulquiorra to leave and Grimmjow went to see him off, but not on Blue's suggestion. "When will you be back?" Grimmjow asked. "Around eleven o' clock." Ulquiorra answered, putting his shoes on.

"I trust you can survive that long on your own?" Ulquiorra asked, looking over his shoulder as he opened the door. "Will you give me time to answer?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

Ulquiorra stopped in the doorway and was silent, waiting for his answer.

"Look at me." Grimmjow growled impatiently and Ulquiorra looked over at him and felt his heart beat speed up as Grimmjow's hand caressed his cheek. Grimmjow leaned in closer until his lips met Ulquiorra's in a brief kiss. He felt Ulquiorra move closer to deepen it and heard him sigh softly as Grimmjow stepped away from him and Ulquiorra staggered slightly, unaware that he had been leaning against Grimmjow.

Grimmjow chuckled and ruffled his hair, a grin on his face. "Your fucking adorable, you idiot." Ulquiorra looked away from him, a slight blush on his face as he cleared his throat softly. "See you later." And he made to leave only to be pulled back and kissed again by a grinning Grimmjow who held him in a tight embrace. "See ya, Ulqui." He whispered and he felt Ulquiorra nuzzle his chest.

* * *

The following day Grimmjow resumed his training. Blue had told him a few basic suggestions like cleaning, minus cooking since Grimmjow was bad at it, offering to carry things for Ulquiorra, asking if there were things he could do for Ulquiorra. And so far—none of them had gone right! Blue said it was either because he was new at it or because he was just being way too awkward.

The first attempt had been bad.

Earlier!

"_Grimmjow, you should try cleaning. I mean I know for a fact that Ulquiorra would probably like the place cleaner."_

"_Alright…wait what?"_

_Seconds later!_

_Grimmjow got a mop, a bucket and set to work on cleaning the kitchen. Kyoshiro was watching him along with Weed and Blue. "Grimmjow, there's dirt under the counter." Kyoshiro informed him._

"_Alright."_

_Grimmjow scrubbed furiously at the floor and then he swung the mop right under the counter, bringing out all the dirt. Of course as he swiped the mop out, water and dirt flew into the faces of his friends. Grimmjow was oblivious to their small sputters._

_Kyoshiro asked nervously, "Uh…are you using water or bleach?"_

"_Neither."_

"_Then what exactly are you using?" Blue asked._

"_Shampoo." Grimmjow said simply, cocking an eyebrow. "Why? Oh c'mon, don't look at me like that! You said clean the floor so I cleaned the fucking floor!"_

"_Language Grimmjow." Blue reminded him._

"_Fuck that!" Grimmjow yelled, slamming the mop in the bucket and starting to mop at the ground viciously._

"_I'm going to move twenty feet over in that direction…" Kyoshiro whispered as sop suds and water flew everywhere. "Me too…" Weed agreed and they both moved several feet away._

"_Grimmjow, you're going to tear up the floor." Blue murmured but she stopped talking when the soap suds were cleared away and the floor sparkled like diamonds. Grimmjow stood there proudly while the others admired the clean floor._

"_Wow…it looks great!" Weed exclaimed, looking around._

"_What looks great?" and the others jumped as Ulquiorra entered the room, his hair disheveled, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. "Well you do." Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra cleared his throat and straightened his collar a little as he made to say something but he stopped and looked at the kitchen in shock._

"_Wow. Grimmjow did you do that?" Ulquiorra asked his eyes wide._

_Grimmjow smirked hugely and said, "Yup!" and he leaned against the mop. "Piece of cake!" and the mop fell over, bringing Grimmjow with it. Grimmjow smashed into the bucket and the water spilled everywhere. "Oh shit!" Grimmjow snapped. Kyoshiro face palmed. "Yup. Real piece of cake." The Kishu muttered._

"_Oh shut up!" Grimmjow yelled. Ulquiorra walked into the kitchen to help Grimmjow out but slipped the instant he touched the extra shiny surface of the kitchen floor and he fell flat on his butt. "Ow." _

That attempt hadn't been too much of a failure to everyone else but to Grimmjow it was _the_ failure.

"But, Grimmjow, really it wasn't bad!" Weed said soothingly, nuzzling his hand. "It sucked." Grimmjow groaned.

"Yeah, it kind of did—but you never know you might get better!" Kyoshiro added. "But c'mon, sitting on the couch and moaning is not going to get you anywhere…" he muttered, looking away from the depressed aura surrounding Grimmjow.

"Your right." Grimmjow immediately perked up and said, "What was the next task, Blue?" he asked.

"Offer to help him out." Blue said.

"Right!" Grimmjow said, sitting up and clenching his fist. "I will not fail this time! On my honor, on my pride, I will not fail this task!"

First attempt!

Ulquiorra was just coming inside the house when without warning Grimmjow was in front of him. "Yo, Ulquiorra, that thing looks heavy; can I carry it for you?"

"This? Okay." Ulquiorra said, shrugging.

He handed Grimmjow—a textbook.

Grimmjow just stared at it and then he handed it blankly back to Ulquiorra and walked away to sit in a corner of shame.

Second attempt!

"Hey, Ulquiorra, give me that it looks heavy." Grimmjow said, the instant Ulquiorra straightened up from his seat at the kitchen table, something in his hand.

Ulquiorra looked over at him in amusement, tilting his head. "This? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever you want." And Ulquiorra handed Grimmjow—a pencil.

Grimmjow stared at the pencil and then handed it back to Ulquiorra and silently went up to the bedroom and locked himself up in it.

"Well that was…an epic failure." Kyoshiro muttered and Weed simply smiled sheepishly.

Third attempt!

Ulquiorra was heaving something inside the house.

"Hey, Ulquiorra, give me that." Grimmjow said, popping up from out of nowhere behind him just as Ulquiorra heaved the large box into his arms. "Sure." And Ulquiorra handed him the box and the instant Grimmjow held it he realized that it really _was_ heavy!

Grimmjow staggered backwards and fell flat on his back with the box crushing him and Weed and Kyoshiro gasped and hurried over with Blue.

Fourth attempt! 11:00 at night!

Ulquiorra was getting ready to sleep that night. He was tired and he needed to get up early for his lesson tomorrow. Grimmjow entered the room and said, "Ulquiorra that looks heavy, may I carry it for you?" he asked, in a tone that said 'please no more torture!'

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…" Grimmjow groaned.

"Okay, whatever you want." And Ulquiorra handed Grimmjow his pillow.

Grimmjow stared at the pillow and then at Ulquiorra with such an expression of embarrassment on his face Ulquiorra almost felt bad.

Grimmjow stared back at the pillow and then blankly handed it back to Ulquiorra, lay down in bed and went to sleep without a sound.

Ulquiorra frowned and said, "I wonder what's up with him." and he turned over and went to sleep.

* * *

The following day Grimmjow followed Ulquiorra around the house, asking if there were things he could do for him, but there just never seemed to be anything Ulquiorra wanted done!

Finally, Grimmjow gave up on asking after Ulquiorra got impatient with him.

"I give up! His birthday is tomorrow and so far everything I've done has been a fucking failure!" Grimmjow snarled, kicking the side of the couch.

"Maybe you're just not asking properly." Kyoshiro suggested, looking at his paws.

"Try harder." The white dog suggested and Grimmjow shot him a furious glare.

"I am trying, I am trying! What the fuck do you think I'm doing, _picking daises?_ You can talk, you don't even care!" Grimmjow said angrily.

"I do care it's just I was never very—you know what never mind. How about you just do something Ulquiorra would like instead of bothering him, I mean Blue has some good suggestions but they aren't really Ulquiorra-ish suggestions."

"How about dancing?" Weed suggested eagerly.

"Fuck no." Grimmjow said immediately.

"Oh," said the pup, apparently disappointed. "How about…chocolate? Ulquiorra _loves _chocolate!" Weed said excitedly and Grimmjow looked over just as Blue entered the house and said, "Grimmjow, here you go." And she dropped something into his lap. It was a pair of sunglasses.

"What the—Blue what do you expect me to do with these?"

"You look hot in shades and people like it when their lovers look hot." Blue explained, smiling when she saw Grimmjow flush at the word 'lovers'.

"By the way, I was thinking maybe you should just be a little more gentlemanly." And Grimmjow choked. "What?"

"I don't mean you should wear a suit," Blue said quickly, walking out in front of him. "But just you know…close your legs when you sit."

"What's wrong with how I sit?" Grimmjow asked and Blue looked him over, frowning when she saw how far apart his legs were spread. "It is considered very vulgar just to sit like that anyway; it's like your exposing your genitals."

Grimmjow stared for a moment and then dangled his hand right over his crotch and said, "And we don't want that?"

Blue frowned deeper and Grimmjow said quickly, "I was joking, Blue, joking!" and he crossed his legs. "Very nice, actually I'd say it improves your looks even more."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yes, now go try those glasses on."

Grimmjow straightened up and shoved his hands into his pockets along with the glasses and then Kyoshiro called out, "Don't slouch!" and Grimmjow winced and muttered, "Alright, alright…!" and he straightened his spine a bit, holding his head higher as he walked into the bathroom.

As of yesterday, Blue had started telling him not to slouch. Old habits died hard. Grimmjow swore that sooner or later he was going to go on overload from the suggestions and crack!

Grimmjow tried the shades on and blinked. He _did_ look hot with shades!

He smiled widely at his reflection before trying a few new angles. He wolf whistled at himself and felt his grin widen. "Hot." He muttered and then he frowned when he realized he was slouching again and straightened up.

_I hate to admit it but…I just don't feel right, at all. I know Blue probably isn't trying to do it, but it feels like I'm changing for good, even though I know I'm not._

_And I hate it. I hate pretending to be something I'm not, dammit. It feels so…weird and I think Ulquiorra thinks it's weird, too. I feel so freaking strained, like I'm being pulled away from my old self…maybe this whole thing wasn't such a good idea after all? Then again, I never thought it was a good idea in the first place but—_

And then he remembered what he had thought about, more like what he had questioned himself about only a day ago. The reason why he had started doing this whole thing was out of fear that their relationship would worsen, so he had tried to make it better by doing this. Would it get better if he continued?

Or would it worsen?

"Dude, your forehead is going to have so many freaking wrinkles." And Grimmjow jumped when he realized it was Kyoshiro, sitting right on the toilet seat.

"What do you want?" Grimmjow asked tiredly.

"Just came in here to see what was taking you so long and damn! You do look good in shades, wow."

Weed poked his head in and gave a slight gasp. "Nice glasses, Grimmjow!" he said, his tail wagging. "Actually they almost look like Lady Gaga glasses for some reason."

"How the hell do you know about Lady Gaga?" Grimmjow asked, sending a look at Kyoshiro that said 'what have you been letting this kid listen to?' and Kyoshiro looked at him oddly. "What?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

And then Kyoshiro laughed and hurried out of the room, calling out, "Follow me I have an awesome idea!"

Grimmjow and Weed looked at each other oddly and began to follow him up towards the bedroom.

"Have you noticed how Ulquiorra hasn't been around lately?" Weed asked him and Grimmjow nodded.

"Yeah."

"Where do you think he goes?" the young dog asked.

"To his part time job but to be honest I think he's either staying longer or going more often."

"Maybe he has two things he's working on?" Weed suggested.

"Hell if I know." Grimmjow said, opening the door to the bedroom and walking inside. Kyoshiro was sitting on the computer table. "Alright, you both go stand in front of the mirror."

"Why?" Grimmjow asked, his tone implying that he really didn't want to do it.

"Because I'm going to do something awesome." Kyoshiro said excitedly, opening a document on the computer and going into the music folder. He clicked on something and music began to play.

Grimmjow's eyes widened when he realized that it was none other than Poker Face by Lady Gaga!

"Kyoshiro, what the—?"

But Kyoshiro simply said, "Muh muh muh mah!"

And Grimmjow said, "Oh I see what you're getting at!" and he grinned as he spun around towards the mirror and said as well, "Muh muh muh mah!"

And then Weed joined in. "Muh muh muh mah!" and the loud part of the song started as Grimmjow spun once in front of the mirror and began tapping his foot as the dogs chorused in the back ground.

Grimmjow began to sing,

"I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas, please  
Fold em' let em' hit me, raise it baby, stay with me  
Luck and intuition play the cards with spades to start  
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart," he sang, thrusting his pelvis.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh!" sang Kyoshiro and Weed, jumping up and down.

"I'll get him hot, show him what I've got," Grimmjow sang, grinning from ear to ear as he spun again in front of the mirror, strutting on the spot, moving his shoulders to the music.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh!" Kyoshiro and Weed howled. Grimmjow shook his head and said quickly, "We look so stupid—I'll get him hot, show him what I've got!" he sang, nearly missing the line and then the three of them leapt and hit the ground just as the music started up.

"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face!"

"He's got to love nobody!" sang Kyoshiro and Weed, laughing as Grimmjow danced in front of the mirror.

"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my _poker face!_" Grimmjow said, stressing the word 'poker face' and sounding a bit like a wannabe cowboy as he leaned back, running his hand down his side and jerking his shoulders.

"He's got to love nobody!" sang Kyoshiro and Weed.

"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face!" Grimmjow said stressing all the P's and shaking his shoulders.

"Mum mum mum mah!" Weed barked, shaking his rear end while Kyoshiro laughed his head off.

"_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face!_" said Grimmjow, still stressing all the letters and shaking his shoulders, moving downward towards the ground as he sang.

"Mum mum mum mah!" Kyoshiro wheezed. "Oh my God you guys look so stupid!" he said, laughing.

"I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be!" Grimmjow sang, this time in a deep voice. "A little gambling is fun when you're with me  
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun  
And baby when it's love, if its not rough it isn't fun!"

"Fun!" Weed barked.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh!" Grimmjow sang, this time in a deep British accent.

"I'll get him hot, show him what I've got!" Kyoshiro sang, strutting.  
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh!" Grimmjow chorused, still in the British accent but it was instead more girly sounding this time and he burst out laughing and staggered away from the mirror.  
"I'll get him hot, show him what I've got!"

And all of them leapt and landed in front of the mirror, the dogs on their hind legs. The three of them began strutting, moving their shoulders in time with the beats and putting their feet down in time with the beats as well.

"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face!" Kyoshiro sang in a very high voice and his voice cracked.

"He's got to love nobody!" Grimmjow sang, half laughing.

Blue looked up at the ceiling in wonder and said, "What the heck are those guys doing?" and she walked up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door and just stared at them in amusement.

Grimmjow looked over and strutted towards her, one arm going out in front of him in time with beats and Blue shook her head and said, "What the heck are you guys doing?"

"I won't tell you that I love you  
Kiss or hug you  
Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin  
I'm not lying  
I'm just stunnin'  
With my love-glue-gunning!" Grimmjow sang, circling around her once before strutting back to the mirror.

"Join us, Blue!" Weed called and Blue just laughed softly and said, "Oh okay, this looks like too much fun anyway." And she walked over and began to sing with the others in front of the mirror.

"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face!" Blue sang but stopped in order to laugh properly as Grimmjow said in a high squeaky voice which instantly pitched to very low and deep,  
"She's got to love nobody!"

"Oh that's good, Grimmjow!" Blue said, laughing harder.

"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
She's got to love nobody!" they all sang.

"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
Mum mum mum mah!" they sang, spinning in front of the mirror and shaking their shoulders while Grimmjow did a girly pose in the background.  
"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
Mum mum mum mah!"

And they all turned and posed towards the doorway, all frozen in some ridiculous pose.

"What are you guys doing?" and all of them gasped when they saw Ulquiorra staring at them blankly.

"Oh hey, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow said, grinning broadly, still laughing.

"We're just goofing off and singing Lady Gaga songs in front of the mirror, wanna join us?"

Ulquiorra closed the door immediately.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Ulquiorra!" Weed exclaimed, jumping into Ulquiorra's room and bounding onto the bed. Ulquiorra groaned in his sleep and murmured, "Stop, Weed, stop…I'm trying to sleep…"

"Oh okay, sorry, got excited. Happy Birthday anyway!" Weed said and he jumped out of the room and hurried downstairs.

"He's still asleep." he explained and Blue sighed and said, "Well let's let him rest, we don't want him to be grumpy anyway."

Blue looked around nervously and said, "Okay, so we'll hold the party sometime in the evening and let's just be nice to him today, alright?"

Grimmjow nodded, clenching his hands nervously in his lap from where he sat on the couch. Kyoshiro was still trying to wrap his present properly. He had gotten Ulquiorra the complete Sherlock Holmes collection in one novel. Weed had gotten Ulquiorra a green blazer which was sure to look good on him and Blue had gotten Ulquiorra a box of chocolates.

Grimmjow had…nothing. And he felt like such a schmuck for not even remembering what Ulquiorra liked, why hadn't he thought of chocolates or of Sherlock Holmes?

_Because you don't know him as much as you think you do that's why._

Grimmjow groaned and Blue looked over and said, "Grimmjow, really don't worry. Just be nice to him that's all."

"No! I feel like such a fucking schmuck!" Grimmjow exclaimed, clearly in a panic.

"Just calm down okay, everything will be fine."

"He's coming!" Kyoshiro said and he hurried upstairs to hide his present quickly followed by Weed and Blue.

Grimmjow felt his heart leapt in his chest and he swallowed hard. _Calm the fuck down…calm down, calm down, calm down! What's the big deal anyway—hey that's it, just act like it's another ordinary fucking day! That's it, yeah!_

And he called up the stairs, "Hey, Ulquiorra!" he called, grinning. Ulquiorra looked down as Grimmjow came to greet him halfway up the stairs and gave him a tight hug. "Grimmjow, can I talk to you?" Ulquiorra whispered and before Grimmjow could reply Blue called from downstairs, "Happy Birthday Ulquiorra!" and Ulquiorra said, "Thank you, Blue." And Blue smiled at him. "Want something to eat?"

"As long as Grimmjow didn't make it." Ulquiorra replied and Grimmjow growled and ruffled his hair and said, "Ah haha. Funny." Weed and Kyoshiro bounded downstairs, almost tripping Grimmjow in their haste.

"I know I already wished you happy birthday," Weed said, his tail wagging furiously. "But happy birthday, Ulquiorra—again!"

"Thanks." Ulquiorra said, feeling somewhat smothered by all the 'happy birthdays' he was receiving, it was almost embarrassing.

Kyoshiro nudged Ulquiorra's leg as he said, grinning, "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Kyoshiro."

"I was actually thinking we could eat out," Blue said thoughtfully and Ulquiorra immediately said, "No, its okay you don't need to go that far."

"Oh, okay."

"I think we're overdoing it." Kyoshiro whispered to Blue and she said, "Perhaps…but really you never know what's going on in his mind so I really actually don't know what to do. He's kind of put us in a difficult position."

Ulquiorra stared up at the top shelf, trying to think of how to reach the grits when Grimmjow was beside him; he reached up to the top shelf and pulled them down. "Next time just ask." He grumbled and Ulquiorra murmured a hasty "Thanks." and started to make them.

"Do you need any help? I mean we'll be glad to offer it." Weed offered.

"I can do it myself."

"Alright." Weed smiled but inside he was nervous. _I don't know what to do…I keep feeling like I'm annoying him! _

Ulquiorra stopped stirring the grits for a moment as his mind suddenly spoke to him; _the atmosphere is tense, why? Am I doing something I shouldn't be doing? Should I let them help me? I feel like I'm making them feel bad for some reason…but what should I do, let them wait on me head and foot? Definitely not, that would just be embarrassing. But what am I supposed to do, this situation its…it's something I am not entirely use to…_

"Ulquiorra, how about you just let us do the work, alright?" Ulquiorra jumped when he heard Grimmjow's voice next to his ear. "We're not going to spoil you or we'll at least try not to, if it starts to get too much just tell us, but everyone in this room wants to help you out, just to help you relax. If you don't let us do that we're all going to start to feel like either we're annoying you or that we shouldn't have bothered. You're making the place tense so just loosen up a bit already."

Ulquiorra looked over at him in surprise.

"How did you know—?"

"That you were thinking about it? You stopped moving, your frown deepened, your eyes traveled over to us and plus you're the kind of person who knows when something's wrong, now move over I'll stir—and no I am not going to burn this shi—!" but Blue cleared her throat loudly and Grimmjow winced and said, "I'm not going to burn this stuff or fuc—mess it up." And Grimmjow immediately stopped slouching and moved his legs closer together even though he was standing up.

Kyoshiro cocked his head from where he stood behind Grimmjow, about to get a drink from the water bowl. _What the hell is with him?_

Ulquiorra sat down on the sofa beside Weed and Weed smiled at him, his tail wagging. Ulquiorra took in a deep breath and let it out, closing his eyes. He just couldn't shake off this feeling of nervousness.

Blue raised her eyebrows as she watched Grimmjow. _Uh oh…I think he's trying to follow all of my suggestions…that's definitely going to stress him out, while it's good he's trying to do as I suggested to him, he could go on overload…_

She saw Grimmjow's brow furrow as he stirred and she tried to tell herself to relax. Told herself everything would be fine, anyway there was no reason for anything to go wrong whatsoever.

But she didn't know she couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

By the evening the tense atmosphere had gotten better. The five friends had gone out to see a movie together and they were on their way home. All of them noticed one thing though; Grimmjow's strange behavior was getting worse.

At the movie theatres he had struggled for a moment on exactly how he should sit, repeatedly crossing and uncrossing his legs, and didn't seem to know whether to slouch or sit up straight.

It was obvious he was very confused and it was even more obvious that Ulquiorra was concerned over his behavior but he simply chose not to say anything about it. The feeling of confusion meanwhile was making Grimmjow angry, he was jumpy and his temper was high and the feeling that they had been trying to fight down was returning.

In other words, the walk home was very tense.

When they got home it seemed things would get better.

Blue held open the door for them as they entered the house and she switched on the lights. "I am so glad the air is on…" she whispered, sighing as she felt the cool breeze.

"Me too…" Weed panted. "It's so hot!" and he ran inside and began running around like a crazy dog with Kyoshiro on his tail.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and muttered about 'stupid dogs' as he slammed the door behind him. He made to walk away but jumped when he realized he couldn't and he turned around and saw that he shirt was stuck in the door. Grimmjow wrenched it out and staggered forward and smashed into Ulquiorra and Blue.

Ulquiorra looked around and Grimmjow growled, "What?" when he saw Ulquiorra look at him oddly. "Nothing." Ulquiorra responded, but he looked Grimmjow over for a moment, his gaze was searching and Grimmjow felt uncomfortable and said, "Okay, I'm fine; stop looking at me like that it's annoying."

"Sorry." And Ulquiorra walked into the living room and stopped, his eyes widening when he saw the stuff on the table and how it was all so neatly arranged. "When did you guys do this?" he whispered.

"Before we went to the movies. We made sure you were first out and I hurried back inside, saying that I forgot the movie tickets…I lied." Blue said, smiling.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Blue said, apparently very happy that Ulquiorra liked it.

Weed looked around at the neatly arranged wrapped gifts and the food and said, "It really is amazing, Blue. And you worked so fast, too!"

"Thanks, Weed."

Grimmjow headed for the table but stepped on something which rolled out from underneath his foot and he yelped as he fell on his back.

Weed's squeaky ball rolled across the floor and Weed fought back his natural instincts to chase it. "Are you okay Grimmjow?" he asked hurrying over.

"Yes!" Grimmjow yelled and everyone jumped.

Grimmjow realized what he had done and cleared his throat saying quickly, "I'm fine. What, do you think that would do me in?" he growled, stuffing his hands into his pockets and slouching. He scowled and readjusted his back as he walked into the kitchen to have some water.

Ulquiorra looked over at Blue and saw her biting her lip nervously.

"So," Kyoshiro said quickly. "Can we eat yet, I'm starving."

"Sure." Ulquiorra said, seating himself along with everyone else. Kyoshiro and Weed took their human forms in order to eat properly.

"Grimmjow it's time for dinner." Blue said and she saw Grimmjow jump. "Yeah, yeah, okay." And he walked over to them and seated himself next to Ulquiorra.

"Do you want your presents now?" Weed asked.

"How about after we're done eating?" Ulquiorra said and Weed nodded hastily. Kyoshiro began to eat, trying to clear away the nerves he was feeling.

Grimmjow, who sat across from Kyoshiro, began readjusting his legs under the table. Finally he decided to cross his legs. Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow at him. Grimmjow glared at him and said, "Want something?" and Kyoshiro said, "No. Just…never mind."

Weed looked over to the kitchen as he smelled something and he said, "Is the stove on?" he asked and everyone looked towards the kitchen in interest.

"Yes," Grimmjow responded. "I decided to try those grit-things for myself." And he got up and went into the kitchen to stir them properly to keep them from getting clotted.

Ulquiorra finally sighed and got to his feet. "Where are you going?" Kyoshiro asked.

"I need to talk to Grimmjow."

Grimmjow looked over at the mention of his name and then looked back at the pot on the stove.

Ulquiorra approached him and Grimmjow glanced over his shoulder and said, "What?"

"Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah go on."

Ulquiorra nodded and said, "You've been acting…odd lately. You've been offering to carry things for me almost every second of the day, you've actually cleaned the house, and you've cooked—"

"Wow are you actually complaining, Ulquiorra? I didn't think you'd complain about someone who cleans the house, cooks, helps you out and does a bunch of other weird shit for you."

"I'm not complaining, Grimmjow, but I am curious about your behavior. Normally you wouldn't want to do any of this, so why now?"

Grimmjow groaned and twitched slightly, putting his clenched fist against the counter. "You don't like it, is that it? I guess I shouldn't have bothered."

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Grimmjow growled and said, "Oh God how fucking oblivious can you get?"

"Grimmjow," Blue began, "Calm down—"

"I know, no cursing, I know, I fucking know, Blue! I know!" Grimmjow said loudly.

"What's going—?" Ulquiorra began, completely bewildered.

"Yes, what can I do for you—?" Grimmjow froze. "Oh shit!" he growled, slamming the wooden cooking spoon down on the counter.

Kyoshiro and Weed looked at each other; both of them decided whether or not they should hide under the table or watch.

"Blue, look, I tried, okay, I tried! I can't do, don't you understand! Look what it does to me!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue stood up. "Then you don't have to do it, its okay—!"

"Anyway it's not like I did a good job!" Grimmjow ranted, slamming the wooden spoon back into the pot. Ulquiorra looked over at Blue and said, "What is going on?"

"I think Grimmjow should explain, but I don't think he's capable at the moment." Blue said, looking nervously over at the man.

"Grimmjow, I don't know what's going on but—"

"No, you don't know what's going on and if I tell you, you're going to think it's ridiculous so be quiet!"

"Do you know that for a fact?" Ulquiorra asked him and Grimmjow turned around and said, "No! I…I'm…I wouldn't tell you anyway—because it's stupid, alright, it's stupid! It was a stupid idea that I agreed to but—never mind, okay, just never mind!"

"Okay you don't have to tell me." Ulquiorra said, stepping back and feeling completely unsatisfied with Grimmjow's 'answer'.

Grimmjow just stared at him in silence for a moment before he took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, see, Blue? I shouldn't have bothered; you were right Kyoshiro he doesn't care."

"How can you expect me to care about something I don't even understand, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked him calmly, but he was starting to feel impatient.

Grimmjow looked at him in the eyes and then looked back at the floor and growled, "If you're not going to do something go sit back down or whatever we were doing before you heard me say this shit."

"Grimmjow, your behavior is childish and I'd—" Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow's lip curled. "Who asked your opinion, jackass

"I'm not in the mood to argue with you—" Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow interrupted him.

"Then stop breathing down my neck!"

"If you weren't behaving so oddly then I wouldn't have too." Ulquiorra retorted.

"Don't you understand yet?" Grimmjow yelled.

"How can you expect me to understand you when you aren't even making any sense?" Ulquiorra said, his voice louder than before.

"Grimmjow!" Blue suddenly said and Grimmjow turned and said exasperatedly, "What?" and Ulquiorra realized what they were pointing at and said, "The pot, Grimmjow it's—" and Grimmjow sniffed once and turned to stare at the brownish smoke rising out of the pot and without warning the pot was thrown right off the stove and into the wall behind Ulquiorra with a crash.

Everyone in the room jumped and Ulquiorra stepped away from Grimmjow who was gasping in agony as he clutched his burned hand. Weed gasped and said, "Grimmjow your hand, its—!"

"I know!" Grimmjow yelled and Weed flinched.

Ulquiorra looked at him and Grimmjow looked back up at him and scowled. "What the fuck do you want?" he snapped.

"That was absolutely unnecessary. Grimmjow, why don't you just tell me what is annoying you instead of—"

"I'll tell you what's annoying me, you are!" Grimmjow yelled, his eyes barely open because of the blistering of his hand.

"I am?" Ulquiorra repeated.

"Yes! Now if you don't have anymore question why don't you go and enjoy yourself and in the meantime I'll be standing all the way over here! There, problem solved, now go!"

But it seemed the atmosphere was ruined.

"Never mind what is annoying you." Ulquiorra murmured, tucking his hands back in his pockets. "It doesn't matter. I don't care."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he suddenly forgot all about his burned hand. Ulquiorra didn't care? Ulquiorra didn't care about everything he had done for him, everything he had attempted to do for him; none of it mattered to him. Nothing mattered to him.

And it hurt.

The reason that it hurt so much, and the guilt he felt, and the stress of this whole situation was what probably made him say it, just as Ulquiorra turned to leave the kitchen Grimmjow whispered,

"You're not worth it."

And Ulquiorra stopped walking. Blue saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen and saw him blink once; saw the hand that he had reached out to pick up the pot clench briefly. "I see." He whispered.

And he left the kitchen, walked to the door and said, "I need to get out for a minute, probably longer. Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed, I appreciate what you've done for me, but I feel that my presence is making people miserable." And the door closed softly.

Kyoshiro turned to stare at Grimmjow the man was frozen where he stood, still staring at the wall.

"Well that was fucking genius, Grimmjow!" Kyoshiro snapped, kicking a bit of the broken pot at him. "Jackass!"

Grimmjow didn't seem to have acknowledged what Kyoshiro had just said, he was silent.

"Why did you say that?" Blue asked.

"…I…I don't know." Grimmjow whispered. "I…I got…it's not like he was being all that pleasant either." He murmured.

"I know that, but why have you been—?" Blue began to say but Grimmjow said it for her. "Acting like this? I don't know, I just feel so stressed out and so angry and now…I just feel like a stupid son of a bitch." He groaned.

"Why did I say that to him…?" Grimmjow whispered, closing his eyes tightly. "I hurt him."

"So go and make it up to him." it was Weed. "It seems to me that both of you made a mistake."

"But this—this can't be—he's not going to want to—! I can't—!" Grimmjow began but he was unable to form a coherent sentence.

"You both made a mistake!" Weed said loudly, "So what? Are you going to let that little mistake break you both up? You've been through this type of thing over and over again and suddenly you're worried that he's not going to—?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Grimmjow yelled and Weed went silent.

"We're…me and him…different. How long will this last? We're together but for how long, huh? This type of thing—it won't last!"

Everyone was staring at him in confusion. "When did you start thinking like this?" Blue asked and Grimmjow responded softly, "Every day, thoughts like these have been nagging at the back of my head. I've ignored them, I've tried to convince myself that this relationship with him will last but c'mon who am I kidding?" Grimmjow whispered, putting his face in his good hand.

"If you don't go to him now, then you two won't talk for a while, probably not for ages. You'll both get scared of being hurt." Blue said.

"I'm not."

"Then why are you still here?" Weed asked. "If you're not scared than why are you here, why are you talking about all these bad thoughts? It's okay to be afraid, but if you don't confront your fears they'll take hold of you. You and Ulquiorra can talk about those fears together; you can face them together and you never know, he may be afraid of the exact same thing. And, also, you both have argued so many times before, I think he'll be willing to accept your apology."

"Grimmjow…Ulquiorra really cares about you; I don't think he's willing to drop this relationship either." Blue said.

"Oh for God's sake, get up and go!" she said, pulling the man out of the kitchen.

Grimmjow looked towards the door and sighed. Kyoshiro looked at him and said, "How are you going to find him? He could be anywhere."

"I have a hunch." Grimmjow said, walking to the door.

"Where?" Kyoshiro asked.

Grimmjow opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "Gardens." And he closed the door behind him.

"He means the Botanic gardens, right?" Weed said, confused.

"Yeah," Kyoshiro replied, sitting down and staring towards the door.

Blue sighed and looked around at the mess in the kitchen. "I can't help but feel that this is my fault. I mean I know it probably isn't…but…"

"No, it's not." Blue looked over at the Kishu Inu as he spoke. "But to be honest, I was against this idea from the beginning. I really think that Grimmjow should have just been himself. We all know he hates pretending to be something he's not. So I was really surprised when he actually decided to try it, the fact that he was willing to go that far can only tell me that he's really head over heels over Ulquiorra." Kyoshiro said, but then he added, "Either that or he was just worried about the relationship."

"That's pretty much the same thing." Blue said, closing her eyes.

* * *

The sun was half way down by the time Grimmjow finally got off the train and into the botanic gardens. He was hoping against hope that Ulquiorra actually _was_ here because it would really suck it he wasn't.

Grimmjow headed down the path and looked below, the cherry blossom trees were still there so the rain storm a few days before had probably been nothing more than a bit of a drizzle. Grimmjow walked down through the cherry trees at a quick pace, looking around for that small Japanese house. He finally found it after a few minutes worth of walking.

The sunset was clearly visible from the house and he could see someone sitting inside the small house on a bench, looking out at the lake. Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards the ground, his outline turned golden form the glare of the setting sun. The sunlight sparkling in his emerald eyes, making them brighter, the sunlight cast parts of his face into shadow, bringing out the color and shine of his eyes more, turning his hair from auburn to a reddish color.

He looked gorgeous.

_I sound so freaking cheesy now. Dammit._

Grimmjow felt his heart beat increase and he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, thinking exactly how he should say what he needed to say.

_Oh fuck words. If I get lost, actions will be enough._

Grimmjow sighed again and tried to calm the beating in his chest.

He stepped into the house and made to speak but the words died in his throat when Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards him. Grimmjow saw a brief look of surprise on his face which then turned into a look of mild interest.

They stared at one another for a moment, either unsure of what to say or do. Ulquiorra then raised his hand and gently patted the bench. Grimmjow's eyes widened when he realized what Ulquiorra was asking him to do. Ulquiorra patted the bench again and, silently, Grimmjow walked over and sat beside him but found himself unable to look at him properly.

Ulquiorra finally got tired of the silence between them and said softly, "I…I'm surprised to see you here."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he said, "That's all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say?" Ulquiorra asked, a slightly hint of impatience in his tone.

"Aren't you going to hit me? Call me an idiot? Say that my behavior was disgusting? Because asking me to sit down was the last thing I was expecting."

"I have nothing to say about what happened back at home."

"That's bullshit." Grimmjow said, his tone was not angry, it wasn't even cold, he had no idea what it was, but he wasn't feeling angry at all.

Ulquiorra's emerald gaze met with his and Grimmjow looked away nervously. "I don't know why you did what you did; I can only conclude that you probably didn't want to be around me."

"It had nothing to do with you."

_Although, that isn't really entirely true._

"That's not true, is it?"

Grimmjow looked up, surprised.

"Other wise would you have really said that to me?"

Grimmjow swallowed and suddenly felt the urge to look at the floor very difficult to pass up, but he didn't. Instead he looked up at him and said, "I didn't mean that. I was feeling stressed out."

And in turn, Ulquiorra said, "I see. I'm sorry as well."

"Don't be. I was a fucking jerk."

Grimmjow let out a shaky sigh as he contemplated what he was about to say, "Normally, I'm not big on words, but…I think I need to get this stuff of my chest…or should I explain first?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Thank you for being helpful, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said sarcastically.

Silence fell as Grimmjow pieced together what he wanted to say in his head, truth be told he was afraid. It annoyed him to admit it, but he was. He was afraid, and why he didn't quite know. Was he afraid of an answer he wouldn't see coming? Or was he afraid Ulquiorra wouldn't understand.

Grimmjow looked into the other man's face and sighed, trying to calm the sudden shaking of his hands. "I…I'm worried about us. I'm worried that something will happen, and it's bound too. We're both so different, too different…our powers are different, our personalities, our views, our opinions, everything. We argue all the time, everyday…and I'm—sometimes I swear I don't know what the hell to expect! I…I hardly know what you think of me, sometimes I think you like me, sometimes I think you don't, I never know what the hell your thinking! It drives me crazy! Every time I confront you about an argument, I never know what your going to say, I never even know if your still angry about it even after you try and convince me and to be honest I am now even more worried because I know now that I don't know you as well as I thought I did! One day we're going to go too far, one day we'll both get into an argument neither of us we'll be able to get over! You'll get tired of me, you'll…"

Grimmjow went silent and he simply stared into his lap, unable to speak. Ulquiorra watched the man in front of him in great surprise. "Grimmjow…" he whispered.

"I don't want that to happen…" Grimmjow murmured.

"Then don't let it. I've known from the beginning that we are different, I too had my worries and I still have them. And Grimmjow, I'd be glad to let you know what I'm thinking but the walls I set up in Heuco Mundo, their still there. It's not easy…for me to let others know what I'm thinking, and it's not because I don't know how to describe it, but because…I don't even know. So, how can I let you know what I'm thinking if I hardly even know myself? It's impossible." Ulquiorra said his voice quiet.

Grimmjow's face changed from saddened to a look of great interest and then to frustration. "You don't know yourself? How can you not even know yourself, Ulquiorra? _That _itself is impossible. I'll tell you why you don't tell people what you're thinking. Because Aizen is still there. His influence on you is still there, isn't it? That's why you can't voice what you're saying aloud, you still believe that your opinion doesn't count, that there is still little point in speaking to others about what you feel, that what you feel is useless, meaning less. That you don't exist to live, you exist to be the slave of someone who doesn't even give two shits about you! Well guess what, that's bullshit. Because I care, Blue cares, Kyoshiro and Weed care! We want to hear you, we all want to hear what you want, and we all want to hear you complain. If it were someone other than you it would get annoying, but with you I don't think I would mind. And we want to hear what you're sad about or what you're thinking about, Ulquiorra. We think you exist, in fact we _know _you exist and we're all glad you do, dammit, so just wake up!"

Ulquiorra just stared at him, unable to believe what he was hearing, unable to comprehend just how Grimmjow knew what he was thinking. Grimmjow felt his heart speed up when he saw how Ulquiorra was looking at him, just how touched he looked.

"Uh…what are you looking at me like that for?" Grimmjow asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

And what Ulquiorra did next almost made Grimmjow have a heart attack. A smile was on Ulquiorra's face, one of the truest smiles Grimmjow had ever seen in his life. His expression was so gentle… And god damn it was beautiful.

And Ulquiorra embraced him, his face pressed against Grimmjow's chest as he whispered a slight tremor in his voice, "What am I supposed to do with you? How can you even say for one minute that you don't know me, Grimmjow? How could you possibly know just how much I needed to hear that…?"

Grimmjow raised both his arms in order to hug him properly and held him closer, burying his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder as he felt his chest constrict with emotion and he found that he was completely unable to keep the smile off his face.

He didn't want to speak, he felt it would ruin the moment but he decided Ulquiorra should hear it. But he remained silent for at least a minute before he whispered, "Hey, Ulqui?"

"Yes?"

"I owe you another explanation. My behavior back at the house..."

"Go on."

"Blue suggested to me that I try changing my behavior—just for a day. I didn't want to do it; I thought it was the worst idea in the world. But it's because of all the crap my mind made up that I decided to try it… and I realized something…If I am willing to go that far, to try and change all for you…then you…you really are worth it. Because I would never, never do that for anyone else, so, Ulquiorra…you're worth it, okay?"

Ulquiorra looked up at him in surprise and Grimmjow looked down at him, a flush clearly visible on his face. "So…yeah…just don't go thinking that I hate you and all, because, while you're a pain in the ass and everything…I don't hate you. Okay?"

Ulquiorra only smiled at him.

"Stop doin' that. Your gonna give me a heart attack and shit." But Grimmjow smiled widely at him.

"I honestly can't believe that Grimmjow Jaegerjaques of all people would do that, but really, you didn't have to go that far."

Grimmjow winced and said, "Okay, okay, don't rub it in!"

Ulquiorra's frown returned. "I didn't mean it like that."

"So, I guess that means that Kyoshiro was right in assuming you didn't want anything…!" Grimmjow said, closing his eyes.

"No, Grimmjow you've got it—"

"Oh, so you do want something then?" Grimmjow asked, looking at him in interest.

Ulquiorra gave a sigh of exasperation. "No, Grimmjow, that's not what I—" but Ulquiorra gave up on talking and instead leaned in and kissed him. Grimmjow felt his eyes widen and at the same time felt every thought leave his head and instead focused on returning the kiss.

Grimmjow put his arm around Ulquiorra's waist and one hand at the back of his head, leaning down so that Ulquiorra was pressed against the bench beneath him.

Ulquiorra gasped as Grimmjow gently bit at his neck, Ulquiorra turned his neck slightly to give Grimmjow more access to his skin and shivered when he felt Grimmjow trail hot open mouthed kisses down his neck stopping to nip at his collar bone. Ulquiorra groaned softly and he heard Grimmjow chuckle. "You like that?"

Ulquiorra's hand fisted in Grimmjow's hair and he forced Grimmjow's mouth back on his, moaning as he felt Grimmjow's hips start to grind against his. Ulquiorra bucked upward and he heard Grimmjow curse, his voice almost a growl.

Ulquiorra's tongue ran across Grimmjow's lower lip and Grimmjow let him in, moaning loudly when Ulquiorra's tongue curled around his. Ulquiorra hungrily explored every inch of Grimmjow's mouth, savoring his taste, his hands curling in Grimmjow's hair as he heard Grimmjow moan against his lips, his hands holding Ulquiorra's face gently.

And without warning Grimmjow yelped in shock and seized Ulquiorra around the waist as both of them suddenly fell right into the fish pond.

Grimmjow surfaced, gasping. "Holy shi—Ulquiorra?" he looked around madly. "Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra came up right next to him, his hair plastered to his face. He spat out some water and said, "Why did you suddenly feel the need to take a bath, Grimmjow?"

"Shut up, I didn't—!" Grimmjow snatched up a piece of the railing floating in the water and read the tape on the railing. " 'Railing is loose, do not lean'. Those sons of—!"

Grimmjow broke out with a gasp and reached down his shirt and pulled out a huge fish. "You bastard!" he yelled.

"Grimmjow, if your going to kill the fish do not rip it apart, people will wonder—"

"Why there is a dead fish in the pond, yeah, yeah!"

"Actually what I was going to say was more along the lines of 'people will wonder why there is a ripped up, shredded-"

"Alright, I get it!"

The blue haired man began rapidly splashing about in the water, trying to keep the fish away from him, all the while getting water in his face. Ulquiorra watched feeling somewhat amused—until water flew into his face.

Grimmjow looked around, trying to see if he could spot them. "Where'd they go?"

"Swam away." Ulquiorra replied, trying to pull himself out of the water but failing and falling back in the water instead.

"Good. Little bastards…" Grimmjow muttered, jumping as he felt some plant brush against his leg.

"What, are you scared of fish, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked mockingly and Grimmjow shot him an angered glare but within seconds he was smiling broadly. "What?" Ulquiorra asked.

"You look fucking funny that's all; your hair is all over your face!" Grimmjow said, grinning. "And since it's all laid down, it makes you look cuter than—!" Ulquiorra splashed him and Grimmjow sputtered madly and slipped on a patch of mud, falling right into the water. Ulquiorra gave a start and looked into the water. "Grimmjow?"

Nothing. Ulquiorra scowled and said, "Grimmjow?" and he walked right over to the place where Grimmjow had disappeared and looked down into the water. "Oh come on, it's not that—" but Ulquiorra gasped loudly as someone seized him around the waist and pulled him under water.

Within seconds Ulquiorra was back up, gasping. He quickly heaved himself into the small house, his eyes wide.

Grimmjow came up and climbed into the house, a large grin on his face with his hair completely down and in his eyes. Ulquiorra was about to say something coldly but stopped when he saw how stupid Grimmjow looked. Ulquiorra fought back the urge to smile.

Grimmjow raised a hand to brush his hair out of his eyes, still grinning and laughing but Ulquiorra reached out and shoved him in the head, knocking him into the water again.

And Ulquiorra allowed himself a smile as Grimmjow came back up, spluttering and coughing, throwing his hair out of his eyes as he glared at Ulquiorra.

"What the shit? I got this stuff in my _mouth,_ Ulquiorra!"

"The water won't kill you." Ulquiorra reassured him as Grimmjow pulled he out of the water, crawling under the railing. He growled when he got stuck and said, "When I get unstuck I am going to…"

"I'm terrified."

"Shut up." Grimmjow managed to free himself and he fell right of the bench and onto the floor. Ulquiorra shook his head. "Moron."

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder at him and Ulquiorra felt his mouth twitch when he noticed how Grimmjow's hair was still in his face, making him appear like some sort of human-sheepdog. Grimmjow apparently wasn't amused though because he scowled when he sat up, messaging his torso, "I hope there weren't any turtles in there."

"Well," Ulquiorra said, starting to wring out his shirt, "Apart from the fish pee I think we'll be okay."

"That's gross—!" But Grimmjow started laughing and Ulquiorra blinked. "How is that funny?"

"I don't know!"

Ulquiorra tried not to smile at the grin on the other man's face. "Your hair is all over your face, it looks ridiculous."

Grimmjow blinked and raised a hand, sweeping his hair back and Ulquiorra felt somewhat surprised when he saw the difference in the man before him. He almost looked cute when his hair was down—no, forget almost, he _did _look cute… not that Grimmjow normally didn't look cute but this was just somewhat of a nice look on him.

Ulquiorra was jolted out of his thoughts when Grimmjow suddenly rapped him gently on the head. "Yo, anyone home in there?" and Ulquiorra hastily removed Grimmjow's hand and said, "Yes, and he'd appreciate if you stopped that, knucklehead."

Grimmjow smirked and said, a grin now spreading across his face, "What, little Ulquiorra doesn't like it?" He said in a mock baby voice.

"You sound stupid."

"Duh!" Grimmjow said, pulling Ulquiorra against his chest and ruffling his hair. Ulquiorra pushed him away. "Stop that." He said, but he wasn't angry.

"Idiot." He muttered and Grimmjow followed him away from the Japanese house. He jumped as Grimmjow shoved him in the ribs. "No, you're an idiot." Grimmjow retorted and Ulquiorra poked him in the face. Grimmjow stared and said, "What the hell, Ulquiorra?" and he laughed and shoved him again.

Ulquiorra smirked and shoved him. Grimmjow grinned and said, "Just try that again!" and he ran off. Ulquiorra watched him and then he shook his head, closing his eyes, a small smile on his face. Ulquiorra hurried after him and the both of them tore down the darkening path through the botanic gardens.

Ulquiorra finally caught up with him and Grimmjow turned around and pinned him against a tree. "Gotcha!" Ulquiorra ducked underneath his arm and Grimmjow hurried after him, falling into step beside him.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked down a path, passing a small waterfall, not entirely knowing where they were going and not entirely caring. Eventually the gardens began to darken and the sun disappeared. But the time the sun had disappeared, Grimmjow was walking beside Ulquiorra through a grassy field past a small stream.

Both of them recognized it, they had come here on Weed's birthday.

Grimmjow looked over to the right and saw some bamboo forming a small forest and they both walked through it and over a small bridge across the stream. They began to pass some trees they recognized.

Grimmjow stopped by the stream and stared into the water. Ulquiorra knelt down beside him and Grimmjow looked over at him and felt something stir inside him, something calming when he saw the look on the other man's face. It was a soft expression, and it seemed to just fit him, so much more than the frown he always wore.

_In the end…maybe I really didn't have to do all that stuff. Maybe, all he really needed was just for someone to be nice to him, truthfully and honestly. Like now._

_Dammit, I am being nice, aren't I?_

_Oh well._

Grimmjow grinned and tackled him. Ulquiorra gasped and raised his hands to push Grimmjow back but relaxed when he felt Grimmjow nuzzle his neck contentedly. Ulquiorra suddenly murmured, "Grimmjow, look." Grimmjow looked up and let out a soft sigh.

The sky was littered with stars, all of them twinkling brightly. They both lay there together, staring up at the black night sky.

Then without warning something fell on Grimmjow's nose. He blinked and blinked again when water fell in his eye. "Crap."

Ulquiorra sat up in surprise as rain began to fall fast.

"We should have left a while ago." He murmured. "I'm not even sure we can find our way in the dark."

Grimmjow looked around in the dark, scowling when he felt rain drenching him. And then he remembered the huge bushes that were supposed to be near here. Grimmjow seized Ulquiorra's wrist and said, "I got an idea." And he walked off with Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow's "idea". It was a large bush. "Grimmjow, what…?"

"It's thick, so be quiet and get in." Grimmjow said, brushing his hand across the thick branches.

"We can't spend the night in here."

"Who's to stop us?" Grimmjow asked and when he received no response from Ulquiorra he scowled and said, "Good God." And he forced his way into the bush. Ulquiorra stood outside in the rain, not sure what to do. "Grimmjow, what about the others?" he said suddenly, remembering the ones back at home.

"They won't die during the night will they?"

Before Ulquiorra could reply Grimmjow's hand appeared out of the bush and cocked a finger at him, beckoning him inside.

Ulquiorra shivered and decided to go in. He crawled inside the bush, it was surprisingly roomy, which was what he had expected since it was so large, but he had not entirely expected to have _this _much room to move around.

Grimmjow curled up and yawned lightly before saying, "Blue and the others will be fine. I can call 'em in the morning shut up and stop worrying."

Ulquiorra sighed softly and lay down on his back beside Grimmjow and he felt the taller man move closer to him, resting his head against Ulquiorra's chest. Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra stiffen at the slight intrusion of his space but he smiled to himself when he felt Ulquiorra wrap his arm around Grimmjow's shoulders.

_God, is it so wrong to just feel so protected? _

Grimmjow nuzzled his chest and grinned as he whispered, "Ulqui, you know your not that bad."

Ulquiorra looked down at him and Grimmjow swore he saw a fond look in Ulquiorra's eyes, swore he saw the pale man's mouth turn upward in a small smile. "Softie." He muttered and Grimmjow poked him in the stomach. "Shut it." Grimmjow whispered, nuzzling Ulquiorra's chest.

He felt that one more thing needed to be said, but not with words however. So he straightened up and kissed Ulquiorra and he almost felt light headed when he felt Ulquiorra respond to it passionately, his arms around Grimmjow's shoulder's.

Grimmjow fell against Ulquiorra's chest, almost feeling breathless as he whispered, feeling light headed. "_God damn_ you're worth it, Ulquiorra…"

Ulquiorra allowed himself a small smile as he watched Grimmjow drift to sleep in his arms before he went over the day's event in his head.

"_We're glad you're alive, Ulquiorra!"_

Ulquiorra felt his arms tighten around Grimmjow's shoulders and he closed his eyes before he whispered, "I see…"

In all honesty, never had there been a day when he had been so surprised, happy, touched and loved. It was human, too human, but strangely, he found he really couldn't bring himself to care.

Because even though it was human, if something like the words he had heard Grimmjow say to him could make him feel this appreciated and loved, needed, and so many other things…then was it really bad?

Ulquiorra opened his eyes and glanced down at the sleeping Espada in his arms.

_The day that I ever imagined I'd see Grimmjow like this… it can't be normal, can it? I never thought anyone would ever be able to move me so much, and for that someone to be Grimmjow Jaegerjaques of all people…I must be insane._

_But…if this really is insanity, then I think I could live with this kind of insanity for awhile. I sound foolish._

Ulquiorra sighed and looked down at Grimmjow before he whispered, "I intended to tell you this earlier, I know we're going to have our problems, I know that we'll argue, the fact is undeniable. But, if you ever decide for one second to walk out on me, to leave me forever… You're going to have to have a very good reason, because I really don't think…that I could let you walk out of my life that easily."

As he said this he felt his face getting warm and he cleared his throat softly. "Now I'm talking to myself…great." He murmured. And he jumped slightly as he felt Grimmjow stir. To his great surprise he saw one cerulean eye staring at him.

"You heard me, correct?"

Grimmjow smirked and said, "Aw, sounds like I've really grown on ya, Ulqui-chan."

Ulquiorra frowned and said, "I just said all that to you, and that's all you can say?"

The Sexta Espada's expression changed to a more serious look as he whispered, "If you even so much as try to walk out of my life I will strap you to a chair. Got it?"

"Is strapping me to a chair really the worst—?" and he saw Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he answered, "Grimmjow, I have no intention of doing such a thing. Until you prove that I am no longer important to you, I shall remain here. I have no reason to leave."

Grimmjow looked more relaxed and he sighed and nuzzled Ulquiorra's neck, a smile growing on his lips. "Satisfied?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow in response kissed his pale neck and whispered, "You bet your ass." And Ulquiorra placed his hand on the back of Grimmjow's head, his other arm securing itself around Grimmjow's waist.

"And by the way, Ulquiorra, I'm glad to hear that you're so fond of me."

"I never said I thought you weren't, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra whispered, gently kissing the other man's cheek. And there, together in the silence, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow realized something.

The rain had stopped.

And from where he lay, Ulquiorra had a view of the raindrops, still clinging to the branches, starting to turn golden with the light from the rising sun.

Morning had come.

* * *

I planned this chapter some months ago after visiting the Botanic Gardens myself. Every scene in the Botanic Gardens that was written in this story is an actual place. I went to all the scenes described in this story, the fish pond with the Japanese house, the shrine, the cherry blossoms, the bamboo forest and the large bushes and the stream and the waterfalls are real. I really loved going there. I went to a Sakura Matsui there and I saw a Hitsugaya cosplayer and an Ichigo cosplayer along with Matsumoto. If I'd seen a Grimmjow or Ulquiorra cosplayer I would have been very happy!

I'm going to take a break from writing for a while. Why? Because I just need too. I can't concentrate while writing these days and whatever I am writing I have no interest in. I need to be inspired in other words and I also need to build up proper plots for the next two chapters, the next two chapters will be about the meeting of Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue and Ulquiorra. So I need to give the story a bit more of a plot, plan character development, think about the GrimmUlqui relationship and how it will develop, ect. The GrimmUlqui bond is especially my top priority right now. But I feel that I need a break, even if taking a break means I'll be bored out of my mind for a while. xP

There are a few scenes in this chapter that I am happy with, the final scenes between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, the Lady Gaga scene, Weed's birthday party, but other than that I do not feel entirely satisfied with it. Oh well, maybe you will like it?

Until next time!


	10. Adventure 10

**Adventure #10**

**I Now Pronounce You Totally Screwed**

10: 00. That was the time it was at the moment and the house was silent. Not because anyone was asleep but because everyone, minus one person, was outside. Ulquiorra sighed lightly and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying not to make up some weird explanation as to why Grimmjow and the others, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed, had been gone so long.

They had all left around 8:00 and had yet to come back. Blue had gone to run on the river with Kyoshiro and Weed.

As for Grimmjow, Ulquiorra had absolutely no idea where he had gone! He had just left, in a foul mood, and shortly after he had left the other three followed him, leaving Ulquiorra alone in the house.

It was stupid to worry but still…

Ulquiorra glanced over at the counter and saw his green cell phone. The idea of calling Grimmjow had already crossed his mind, but he had avoided it. Before he had left, Grimmjow had bickered with Ulquiorra about something or other and Ulquiorra, deciding to avoid calling an angry Espada and getting an earful, had not called him.

But maybe Grimmjow was in a better mood now?

Ulquiorra decided to chance it and got up from the couch and walked to the counter, reaching out his hand to pick up the phone. But suddenly he stopped. A DVD had caught his eye. Ulquiorra picked up the DVD and stared at the cover. It was entitled The Strangers. It was probably a horror movie.

Ulquiorra was right. It was a horror movie, it said so on the back that it was rated R and that it was a thriller/suspense film. Ulquiorra was not one to watch horror films; he found them stupid and utterly pointless. Grimmjow on the other hand, while he agreed that they were stupid, thoroughly enjoyed them. Kyoshiro had watched Saw with Grimmjow and had hit him hard and demanded that he never rent horror movies again. But despite being angry, Kyoshiro, like Grimmjow, seemed to enjoy being scared silly.

Weed wasn't allowed to watch horror movies and Blue ordered Grimmjow not to show them to him. Blue herself wasn't a fan of horror movies.

However, this one seemed realistic for once and Ulquiorra was almost tempted to watch it. Ulquiorra glanced down at the DVD on the counter and sighed softly before returning to the couch.

That DVD had been what caused the problem in the first place.

"_Grimmjow, what are you doing?" Blue asked, looking over at the man. He was fiddling with the DVD player. "I'm putting in a DVD." Grimmjow explained, opening the DVD case._

"_Wait a second!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, seeing the DVD cover and gasping loudly! "You've brought home a—?"_

"_Yes! So what?" Grimmjow snapped, getting impatient._

"_Grimmjow, can't you watch that in your room? Your computer accepts DVD's, right?" Blue asked and Grimmjow didn't respond._

"_Ugh…can you answer me?"_

"_Yes, it does! But—!"_

"_I don't understand the point of horror movies." Ulquiorra said, leaning against the railing on the stair case. "There is a point, to scare the crap out of people!" Grimmjow responded, grinning. "So, you wanna watch it with me?"_

_Ulquiorra stared down at him; he raised an eyebrow and said, "Me? No way." He saw Grimmjow's happy grin deflate and saw a look of annoyance cross his face. "Why not?"_

"_Horror movies lack logic, in a situation where you are placed in grave danger—"_

"_Yeah, the people in horror movies are idiots but—" Grimmjow said but Ulquiorra continued talking._

"_In The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there is a bloody hand print on the van. If there is a bloody hand print on your van you do not pass it off and walk into a house with no electricity. It's even stupider to leave your friend, who is in a wheelchair, outside alone when he cannot go up the stairs. Also, if you enter a room full of human bones shaped to make furniture you do not stand there and scream, you also do not run around the house screaming especially after your friend has disappeared inside that house."_

"_Actually, Ulquiorra," Kyoshiro piped in, grinning, "You would probably pass off the bloody hand print."_

"_Perhaps. But I would not neglect it completely from my mind. I would be at least a little cautious especially after being attacked inside the van by a crazed cannibalistic lunatic. They completely put their minds off of it."_

"_I am never going to Texas!" Weed exclaimed and Blue sighed, apparently annoyed that Weed would soon be scarred for life. _

_Grimmjow was silent for a moment before he said, "Yeah, okay, great. I'll watch it later where you little pansy's can't see it."_

"_What?" Kyoshiro exclaimed angrily and Weed said, "I'm not a pansy!"_

"_Real mature." Blue said, shaking her head._

"_By the way, Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow said, glaring up at the stairs. "I think you're just scared."_

_Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed into slits. "As if."_

An argument had started and Grimmjow walked out. Now that he thought about it, it would probably be considered bonding for Grimmjow if they had both watched the horror movie together.

He had probably hurt Grimmjow's feelings by saying no so coldly.

"Not my fault he's an idiot." Ulquiorra mumbled and he was slightly surprised when he heard his voice echo in the empty room.

Then he found his gaze fixed on the DVD and his eyes narrowed as the feeling of a challenge crept up on him. "And I'm not scared of a _movie_." And he stood up, seized the DVD and walked towards the TV.

* * *

_Why did I do that? _That was all Ulquiorra could think as he lay on the couch, curled up into a ball, shaking. The movie had been nothing short of terrifying. There had been unrealistic moments and towards the end it felt like the films realistic, none gore, flair was burning out but it was still scary.

And what's worse was that Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed and Grimmjow still hadn't come back! After all this time! He wanted to get up but at the same time felt too nervous to get up.

He felt pathetic! Really why humans bother watching horror films if it did this to them? Now he just felt insecure and nervous. Ulquiorra was even hesitant to go up the stairs to his room now because he kept thinking he would see the three masked psychopaths…

"This is pathetic…" Ulquiorra murmured his voice barely audible.

_And why haven't they come back yet? It's 12: 26! Where are they?_

Ulquiorra told himself everything was fine but really he was now worried. And without a second thought Ulquiorra sat bolt up right and seized the phone. He dialed Grimmjow's cell phone number and waited.

"C'mon Grimmjow, answer…"

_We're sorry; your call cannot be—_

Ulquiorra felt his heart beat pick up and he was attempted to throw the phone across the room. And then he sighed and said, "Knock it off, Ulquiorra…"

And then he heard knocking on the door and he jumped. With his heart beating, Ulquiorra proceeded to the door and looked through the peak hole and gave a sigh of relief when he saw Blue and not people he didn't recognize. He felt disgusted with how paranoid he felt.

He opened the door and Blue hastily walked inside followed by Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra felt his heart sink when he realized Grimmjow wasn't with them.

"Where's Grimmjow?" he asked.

Weed looked over and tilted his head. "He's not back yet?"

"No."

"Oh…I'm sure he's fine." Weed said honestly and he smiled slightly. Ulquiorra's green gaze narrowed and he said coldly, "Why would you say he's fine?"

"Because he is." Weed said recoiling slightly underneath the stare he was being given. Kyoshiro and Blue exchanged glances and Blue raised an eyebrow while Kyoshiro simply shrugged.

"Normally when people say 'I'm sure he's fine' that means that inside they do not think he's fine. Why wouldn't Grimmjow be okay?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice getting somewhat agitated.

"I do think he's okay!" Weed said quickly, attempting to cover up a mistake that he thought he'd made.

"Then why isn't he here?" Ulquiorra asked, his nerves starting to get the better of him. "I—" but several boys laughed loudly outside and Ulquiorra jumped.

Kyoshiro stared, bewildered. "Ulquiorra, you didn't watch a—?"

"No of course not." Ulquiorra said quickly.

Before Kyoshiro could say another word however a soft ring filled the room. It was the house phone! Ulquiorra literally raced across the room to get it. He picked it up and said, "Grimmjow?"

"Glad to hear you're enthusiastic towards me still, Ulqui." came Grimmjow's familiar teasing voice.

Ulquiorra groaned. He hadn't realized how hopeful his voice had sounded. Ulquiorra relaxed and sat back against the couch. "Where are you? It's midnight."

"Oh I'm—wait what?"

"It's midnight, you didn't even realize?"

"My watch stopped, it's not my fault!"

"Never mind just come home."

There was silence for a moment and then Grimmjow said, slowly. "Somethin' wrong? I mean it's not every day you sound like that when you answer the phone—oh…"

And Grimmjow immediately understood. "Did you watch—?"

"Hurry home now or I'll lock the door."

"Okay, okay! Jesus…" and before he could hang up Ulquiorra said quickly, "Grimmjow, do me a favor and don't walk down any dark alleys."

He could practically hear Grimmjow's smirk as he said, "Gotcha." And he hung up.

Kyoshiro was giving him an odd look. "Uh…Ulquiorra—?" Ulquiorra walked into the bedroom and closed the door and Kyoshiro just shrugged. "Whatever."

* * *

When Ulquiorra woke up, the light of dawn was slowly beginning to peak through the window. Ulquiorra blinked once and once his eyes adjusted to the darkness he looked around the room and felt a thrill of shock when he realized that Grimmjow still wasn't here!

He was about to stand up and reach for the phone on his bedside table when the door to the bedroom opened and Ulquiorra gasped in shock as someone entered the room. Ulquiorra made to attack the unknown intruder but all thought of attacking flew out the window when he realized who it was.

It was none other than Grimmjow, dressed in a gray sweat shirt and white boxers. Grimmjow grinned widely when he saw Ulquiorra standing up straight with an expression that clearly said 'where the fucking-fuck have you been?'

"Morning—what the hell?" Grimmjow said for he had just realized that Ulquiorra's arms were trembling slightly and his jaw was clenched.

"Morning." Ulquiorra said and he immediately pulled the blankets over his head and lay down. Grimmjow stared in some amusement before he said, his tone teasing, "Like the movie?"

Ulquiorra sat up, the blankets sliding off his head to drape around his shoulders. "I didn't watch it."

"Sure you didn't." Grimmjow said, still with that stupid infuriating grin. Ulquiorra scowled. "What took you so long?"

"From what I was told I got back just a minute after you'd gone to sleep. I planned to tackle you in your sleep but decided against it since you look so cute while you're sleeping—"

A pillow hit him right in the face.

"Leave the room."

"Oh stop being such a bitch already!" Grimmjow snapped, throwing the pillow onto the wooden floor, a snarl on his face. "Why don't you just come out and say that you missed me and that you were worried about me and also that you were worried I would get killed by Sack Face because you watched the god damn movie!" Grimmjow exclaimed all in one breathe.

"Because I didn't watch the movie."

"Sure you didn't! The TV was on when I got back and the DVD menu showed—!"

"Kyoshiro watched it. Leave."

Grimmjow frowned and he realized that Ulquiorra was angry with him. He couldn't help feeling touched that Ulquiorra had been so worried about him.

Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow's lips twitch and he said, "What's so funny?"

"I didn't know you could worry so much about me."

"Excuse me?" Ulquiorra said coldly and when Grimmjow did nothing but smile at him Ulquiorra said, "Go sleep on the couch or something. Or if you like being outside so much you could just sleep in the yard."

Grimmjow growled and seized the covers that Ulquiorra attempted to throw over himself. "Stop bullshitting me. You've been scared out of your wits ever since you saw it, right? I can tell, Ulquiorra. Your voice, your face…everything just tells me you've seen The Strangers what's the point of lying about it?"

"Why does it matter?" Ulquiorra murmured, glaring at his pillow.

"I honestly didn't expect you to watch it alone…" Grimmjow grumbled.

Ulquiorra turned his back on Grimmjow and said softly, "Grimmjow, why does it matter? Let me sleep." But before he could even close his eyes he heard a creak right outside the door and he felt his heart leapt inside him.

Grimmjow looked towards the door as he heard the sounds of soft clicking heading towards the kitchen for water. It was one of the dogs.

"Ulquiorra it's a dog."

"I know that." Ulquiorra said his tone impatient.

Grimmjow sighed. He had seen Ulquiorra jump. Grimmjow frowned and walked over towards the bed and curled up on it. Ulquiorra's eyes opened when he felt Grimmjow lie down behind him and then he felt two arms wrap around him and pull him against a firm warm body behind him. He felt Grimmjow's breath against his ear, felt his arms holding him tightly, and had to fight off the urge to lean back into him.

He wanted to stay annoyed with Grimmjow for once! But now it seemed that such a thing would be impossible to do.

"Let go." Ulquiorra's voice was soft however and Grimmjow nuzzled his face. "No way in hell."

"I said—"

"Oh shut up, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow whispered, his lips brushing against Ulquiorra's cheek. "You are such a terrible liar honestly. And then you go and say 'let go' when really you just went to be held…it's fucking pointless—not to mention stupid—oh and unhealthy." Grimmjow whispered, his hand settling on Ulquiorra's chest.

"I bet you're even going to deny that your heart is racing a hundred miles."

Ulquiorra simply sighed, he was still determined to resist however. "I'm serious, let go."

They both heard a clatter down in the kitchen and Ulquiorra gave a start. Grimmjow's hand however settling on Ulquiorra's cheek and he murmured, "It's just Kyoshiro being stupid and dropping a bowl, Ulquiorra." His voice was soft, comforting. "If someone broke in I think we'd hear it. Anyone stupid enough to rob a house while people are still in it has got to be a major dumbass. Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro would hear it as well, they're dogs, remember?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. He felt like such an idiot.

"But if its psychopaths you're worried about, I'll just kick their asses and they won't dare come back for seconds." Grimmjow whispered, his arms pulling Ulquiorra closer to him. "If anyone comes in here, we're both Espada, we can take care of it. The doors are locked, I made sure of that. Windows are locked—the toilet is impossible to access."

"What?" Ulquiorra asked incredulously, a hint of a chuckle in his voice. Grimmjow chuckled as well. "Well you can't really crawl up the toilet can you? Too tight. Anyway, just because you watched some fucked up movie doesn't mean the world is suddenly going to get as fucked up as the movie…" Grimmjow's voice trailed away and he sighed as he felt Ulquiorra lean back into him.

"You back to normal yet?"

Ulquiorra turned himself over and pressed his lips to Grimmjow's gently. Grimmjow's arms held him tighter and when Ulquiorra moved away Grimmjow was grinning hugely. Ulquiorra felt a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth and he pressed his face against Grimmjow's shoulder. Grimmjow's warm hands gently massaged his back and he felt Ulquiorra sigh contentedly.

Ulquiorra made to lie down again but before he did so Grimmjow kissed him again and this time Grimmjow made sure it lasted longer. He pressed Ulquiorra's back against the soft mattress, his hand on the back of Ulquiorra's head, his fingers sliding through Ulquiorra's hair, his other hand pressed against the mattress to hold himself up.

When Grimmjow moved away he pulled Ulquiorra into a tight hug, pulling the blankets over their heads.

Ulquiorra's eyes were barely open; he was only half awake now. But he could feel Grimmjow's arms around him, feel the other's body against his, could inhale his comforting scent. Ulquiorra's hand ran through Grimmjow's hair and he draped his left arm over Grimmjow's shoulder's. Grimmjow sighed softly.

They lay there together, comfortable, enjoying the moment. And of course, Grimmjow just had to say something to shatter the silence.

"So…wanna watch it with me tomorrow?"

Ulquiorra gave a small jolt as he heard Grimmjow's words but then he looked down at the man's face, nestled against his chest. Grimmjow had a wide smile on his face as his cerulean eyes gazed up at Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra's gaze soften as he whispered, "Idiot…" and Ulquiorra closed his eyes and drifted into a pleasant sleep.

* * *

The following morning at breakfast, Blue heard the sounds of someone at the door. "Mail!" called a man from the door and Ulquiorra jumped.

"My God, Ulqui that must have been some scary shit!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. Ulquiorra didn't answer and instead continued to eat his cheerios. "Milk?" Ulquiorra said, looking up. Kyoshiro and Weed saw Grimmjow pass Ulquiorra the milk before continuing to eat like a pig.

Weed, who was sitting on the floor and not at the table, continued to eat his dry dog food. "I wonder what this would taste like with milk in it?" he mused.

"Probably too soggy and weird." Kyoshiro said through a mouthful of kibble. Blue's dish of food was in front of them, but Blue wasn't there since she was at the door. Kyoshiro moved over towards her dish very slowly but Weed said, "Kyoshiro don't eat Blue's food!" and Kyoshiro gulped when he saw Blue turn around and glare at him.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes before pouring way too much milk over his cereal and started eating it.

Blue reappeared from the door holding an envelope and a fashion magazine, which she stared at for a moment before tossing. Weed caught it and began to chew on it, shaking it around.

"What's in the letter?" Grimmjow asked, stretching widely.

"Just a second." Blue said, taking her wolf form to finish off her food.

Within seconds she was back up, still chewing. She stared at the letter for a moment and then gasped loudly!

"What?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

"It's from Carol!" Blue exclaimed happily, tearing open the envelope. "Who is Carol?" Grimmjow asked, raising an eyebrow. "Carol is an old friend of mine," Blue explained browsing the letter. "She's getting married!" she squealed. "Oh! When?" Weed asked, jumping up on a chair to get a better look at the letter.

"This Friday!" Blue said excitedly. "We should go! It'll be fun! I haven't seen her in ages!"

"Where is the wedding held?" Ulquiorra asked.

"In Austin Texas! Plane tickets should be easy to get…maybe—are you okay Grimmjow?" Blue asked for Grimmjow had just choked.

"Plane tickets? No way!" Grimmjow exclaimed loudly. "I am not taking a plane, _anywhere!_"

"I hate planes too," Kyoshiro grumbled, jumping up on the couch and speaking from it. "I heard that seven dogs died on a plane! I am not getting on a plane!"

"That plane wasn't air-conditioned and it was already very hot." Blue said quickly as Weed gave a gasp of fright and Grimmjow's scowl deepened.

"Another reason not to go, we just got back from France what…two months ago! I am _not_ going on vacation that soon again!" Grimmjow said, his tone making it clear he was serious.

"But Grimmjow, we never been to Texas before." Weed said, "It should be really cool there!"

"When you say 'cool' do you mean in the whether or just in looks because I bet it's going to be humid." Grimmjow said moodily.

"I don't care what you say," Blue said, "I am going. I'll pack my bags now and leave." And Grimmjow's frown slipped from his face. "Now?"

"Yes. Carol took care of me even though she knew I was a wolf," Blue explained, sitting down in her chair. She was staring at a picture of Carol with her handsome fiancé. "I really owe her a lot. So I'm going."

"I see." Ulquiorra said simply, leaning back in his chair.

"I'll miss you boys," she said, smiling around at them. "Don't accidentally blow up the house, okay?" and Grimmjow and the other's were silent as she walked away up the stairs.

"I…don't feel right…" Weed murmured. "I mean, won't Blue be lonely?"

"If she is, it ain't my problem!" Grimmjow snapped, walking over to the refrigerator. "But she's never gone on vacation alone before…" Weed said sadly.

"If you'll miss her so much then go with her." Ulquiorra told Weed.

"Okay!" Weed said and Kyoshiro choked. "What?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, watching Weed run away up the stairs, calling out after her. "No, Weed!" Kyoshiro called. "That means that if you go, I have to go! And I don't want to go! Do you hear me? God dammit…" Kyoshiro growled, sitting down and gazing up the stairs.

"Grimmjow, why are you so against going?" Ulquiorra asked, watching the man walk around in the kitchen. "I hate traveling." Grimmjow replied, glaring into the sink as he put his dishes in.

Ulquiorra was silent and Grimmjow knew he was thinking about something. Grimmjow suddenly had a very bad feeling that he knew what Ulquiorra was thinking about. "Ulquiorra, don't tell me that—!" Blue came downstairs, carrying a suitcase. She looked over the envelope once and said, "Oh, it's a suite, that's good."

Kyoshiro looked over at Weed and saw the young dog sitting beside Blue. "You aren't going are you?" Kyoshiro asked and Weed nodded. Kyoshiro groaned. "But you can't! That means I have to go with you! I don't want too, Weed!" Weed looked over at him and said, "But you don't have too, Kyoshiro. Blue, how long will we be gone?"

"Two days." Blue answered, hurrying upstairs to use Grimmjow's computer. She was gone for two minutes, the two minutes passed in uneasy silence and finally Kyoshiro took in a deep breath and bellowed, "BLUE! Get me a ticket as well!" and Weed gasped.

"Got it!" Blue called.

Ulquiorra's fingers ceased their drumming on the table and he sighed and said, "…Blue…get me one as well." And Grimmjow gave a loud exclamation. "NO!" Grimmjow yelled. "What the hell Ulquiorra? Why are you going?" Grimmjow exclaimed furiously, marching up to him.

"Because I want too." Ulquiorra responded and he hurried past Grimmjow to get his suitcase ready. Weed's tail was wagging. "Now this is sure to be really fun! But, Grimmjow, are you going?" Weed asked, his excitement momentarily deflated and he seemed sad.

Grimmjow had a very deep scowl on his face and his jaw was clenched as he glared at the floor, Kyoshiro could practically hear the cogs in his brain working as the words _"Ulquiorra, Texas, home, stay, Ulquiorra, stay, Ulquiorra, stay, home, don't go, Ulquiorra!" _raced across his mind and it was obvious he was very torn right now.

"It won't be fun without you, Grimmjow." Weed said imploringly. Grimmjow only growled before he began to pace furiously up and down. "Why the hell does he have to go anyway…? This is pointless! Stupid Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow hissed furiously.

"Grimmjow, take it easy," Kyoshiro said, "Do you think Ulquiorra's going to get killed by Leatherface while he's in Texas or something?" and Grimmjow aimed a kick at him as he passed.

Blue came downstairs with Ulquiorra behind her. "Kyoshiro, Weed, Ulquiorra, our plane leaves for Austin this afternoon, I booked us the earliest flight possible." Kyoshiro nodded. "We should probably leave now." Blue said, looking at the clock. It was 2: 02 in the afternoon. "Our flight is at four…yes, we should leave now."

Grimmjow gave a start and said, "Why not just leave at three that way there's less time to wait for the plane that way." Grimmjow said his tone casual but it was obvious he was just looking for a reason for them—or maybe just Ulquiorra—to stick around longer.

"But the airport is a long drive from here…" Blue said but her voice trailed away as she thought about it. "Maybe you're right Grimmjow. Alright, we'll wait until 3:00 to leave. In the meantime how about we go for a walk on the Hudson?"

"Sure." Ulquiorra said, standing up from the sofa. Kyoshiro and Weed agreed to go as well. Grimmjow however was silent. "Grimmjow, come with us." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow grumbled. "Why should I?"

"Grimmjow, please?" Weed said, looking hopefully at him and Grimmjow only closed his eyes and looked towards the staircase to his left. "No. Go to Timbuktu for all I care!" and he stomped towards the staircase. His arm was seized and he turned and found Ulquiorra staring at him.

"What—?"

"Come with us."

And Grimmjow let out a low growl as he realized what his answer immediately was. "Fine, okay!"

Ulquiorra gave a small smile as he gently pulled Grimmjow away from the staircase.

* * *

Grimmjow heaved a deep sigh as he looked at the clock it was nearly 3:00. Blue was waiting for Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra and she was standing behind the couch Grimmjow was seated on, her back to the couch.

"It's not going to be as fun without you." Blue said, looking over her shoulder at him. "Yeah right."

"No, I really mean it. We'll miss you."

"Yeah. It'll be pretty quiet around here." Grimmjow murmured, looking over his shoulder at her. "You know, you really could just come with us."

"No way."

"Okay, I won't make you leave…"

Grimmjow looked around as Kyoshiro and Weed appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "We're ready to go," Kyoshiro explained, "Ulquiorra is finishing something."

"Ulquiorra, hurry!" Blue called.

Weed turned to Grimmjow and said softly, "We'll miss you, Grimmjow."

"Jesus Christ it's only for two days—but yeah, I'll miss you guys too."

Kyoshiro said, "I'll see if I can get a picture of Leatherface." He said jokingly and Grimmjow chuckled. "Watch out for the chainsaw, man."

Ulquiorra walked down the stairs, bringing his suitcase with him. "You have a suit?" Blue asked and Ulquiorra nodded. "The white one."

Grimmjow glanced over at him and Ulquiorra met his gaze. "Say your goodbyes," Blue said, glancing at the digital clock. It was 2:50.

Grimmjow straightened up and said, "I guess I'll see you off."

Grimmjow walked with them to the door, his mind racing. He didn't know what the hell to say or do and now he was having mixed feelings about staying or going. _Oh well, it's too late to go with them. I don't even have a ticket anyway. It's not like they're all going to go away and never come back, it's only two days…but for some reason I…_

He felt a slight tug on his shirt and he looked down and saw Ulquiorra, holding his shirt collar. "Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said, looking up and Grimmjow looked down. Ulquiorra kissed him, standing up a little higher in order to kiss him properly.

Grimmjow wrapped an arm around his waist ensuring that he kept Ulquiorra there with him longer. Ulquiorra moved back and whispered into his ear, "Take care, Grimmjow." And Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah, I will Ulquiorra. Call me when you get there, or when your on the plane." And Grimmjow's eyes widened. "Wait, what if the plane crashes?"

"That's possible, but not probable. I'll call you when I get there." Ulquiorra made to leave but Grimmjow only held him tighter. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"I'll be fine." Ulquiorra said, kissing him once again. Blue looked around as a cab pulled up. "Alright, Ulquiorra, let's go!" Blue called. "Bye Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow raised a hand as Ulquiorra moved away from him and then Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow, make our bed."

"Make the bed? But why?"

"Just do it." Ulquiorra said hastily, watching the cab. Ulquiorra kissed him quickly saying, "Goodbye, Grimmjow." And he hurried towards the cab. Kyoshiro mimed vomiting behind them.

Kyoshiro jumped in along with Weed and then Grimmjow called out. "And Kyoshiro, I saw that you bastard!" Kyoshiro started to laugh as he jumped into Ulquiorra's lap and called out the window.

"BYE, GRIMMJOW!"

And the cab began to drive away as Weed called out, trying to get a good view of him. "Bye, Grimmjow see you soon!" Blue also called out through the window, "See you, Grimmjow!" and Ulquiorra waved. Grimmjow mouthed "Bye." to Ulquiorra and he saw Ulquiorra do the same.

"Jesus Christ, please shut up." said the cabdriver. And the car drove away.

Ulquiorra continued to watch Grimmjow as the car disappeared from sight.

Grimmjow sighed and walked back into the house and looked around.

It was…so quiet.

Every step he took seemed to echo it was so quiet.

"Damn I'm supposed to live with this kind of silence?" Grimmjow grumbled, walking up the stairs to neaten up the bed. _Seriously what the hell is the point of making the bed? I am just going to go back to sleep in it anyway! Ulquiorra is way too…clean._

Grimmjow made to grab the corner of the blanket near Ulquiorra's abandon pillow when he stopped and saw something on the Ulquiorra's pillow. Grimmjow lifted it and stared in some surprise when he began to understand what it was. It was an airplane ticket! Complete with his ID too and everything!

Grimmjow stared, amazed and unable to speak properly before he shook his head and grinned widely. Grimmjow seized a bag, threw some of his clothes in and his toothbrush and he shoved his airplane ticket into his pocket before he hurtled down the stairs and raced out the door, locking it behind him as he went.

* * *

Ulquiorra and the others were walking through the airport, single file. They were just about to take off their shoes and anything metal to put them into little containers. Blue explained that they needed to scan the bags to make sure that no one was carrying any weapons.

Ulquiorra took off his shoes and set his suitcase into the container which he set down on a conveyor belt, Blue did the same a little ways away, Kyoshiro and Weed's collars had to be taken off since they contained some metal.

Ulquiorra passed through the scan and got his items at the other side Blue and Weed and Kyoshiro hurried after him, the dogs had to go in separately after them because they ran too fast and the machine only allowed one person at a time.

They all began to walk away when they heard a yell behind them and they all turned around to see who was yelling. All of them let out gasps of surprise when they saw it was none other than Grimmjow, waving and grinning at them. "Grimmjow!" Blue exclaimed joyfully but then she looked confused. "Wait…how is he going to get aboard?"

"Ulquiorra, thanks for that!" Grimmjow called, pulling out the ticket and Blue and the others looked at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Hurry, Grimmjow." Grimmjow set his stuff in the container and passed through but the machine beeped angrily and Grimmjow jumped. "Your belt has metal on it, sir." explained the men guarding the pass through.

Grimmjow took off his belt and set it in a separate box and pushed it through and made to follow but the machine beeped again! "Ah, what the hell?" Grimmjow exclaimed. Ulquiorra face-palmed. "Good grief…"

"Grimmjow, do you have metal underwear too?" Kyoshiro called out and Grimmjow glared at him. "No!" Grimmjow scowled and looked himself over. There was absolutely nothing metal on him! Grimmjow made to go through the machine but it beeped angrily again! "Oh for fuck's sake!" Grimmjow snapped and the guards walked over to see if he had anything on him. "Maybe the machine is busted." One of them suggested.

"Aha!" one of them exclaimed, pointing to Grimmjow's jeans. They had metal on them in someplace, just around the belt hooks. "Oh c'mon…" Grimmjow groaned and he slid off his pants and threw them in a separate container before walking through—or he almost did! The machine gave a loud beep and Grimmjow kicked it and yelled, "Shut the fuck up!" and stomped through.

Kyoshiro was laughing his head off and Weed was looking sympathetic. "Stop laughing, Kyoshiro! It's really not that funny." Weed chided and Kyoshiro only laughed harder. Blue handed Grimmjow his clothing and Grimmjow grunted before pulling his pants back on and then his belt. Grimmjow then turned and said, pulling his backpack back on, "That was a fucking pain in the ass—can we get moving now?"

Blue and Ulquiorra and Weed began to walk with Grimmjow in the lead. Kyoshiro however was still chuckling and Grimmjow decided it would be even funnier if he stomped on Kyoshiro's tail. Kyoshiro didn't laugh anymore after _that_.

A few minutes worth of walking lead them to the seating area where the five friends waited for their flight to be called out. They all sat by the windows, Blue sat in her seat, his legs crossed and her eyes closed, her hands in her pockets, Kyoshiro and Weed lay at her feet, and Grimmjow sat on the floor by the window, his arm draped over his knee—a moody scowl on his face—while Ulquiorra stood behind him, his back to the window, waiting patiently.

"We're all really glad you came, Grimmjow." Blue said warmly and Grimmjow only grunted. "But we are," Weed assured him, "It will get better as we go…I wonder what our hotel looks like…?" he mused to himself and Kyoshiro glared at the ground, his tail still hurt a lot!

Grimmjow's scowl only deepened. Traveling it seemed brought out his worst side. "We're going through all this shit for two fucking days?" he ground out and Blue looked somewhat hurt as she replied, "I'm sorry if it's giving you trouble…"

Grimmjow only scowled harder and said, "Trouble? It's not just giving me trouble—!" and Blue stood up and said, her voice very dangerous, _"Well what the hell do you want me to do about it?" _and Grimmjow cowered away from her wrath. "Okay!" he squeaked and Blue calmed down and sat back into her seat. "I know traveling is difficult and it's annoying but I really believe we'll have fun once we get there." She said her voice calmer and Grimmjow no longer looked angry but rather sheepish, which was unlike him.

"I'm glad you decided to come." Ulquiorra's voice was quiet but Grimmjow heard it and he felt a smile tug at his lips and he leaned back so he could rest against Ulquiorra's legs. Weed smiled and said, "You cheered him up, Ulquiorra!" and Ulquiorra looked somewhat pleased with himself.

Kyoshiro looked around as he heard the voice from the speakers announce that their flight was here and he said, "It's about damn time!" and they all got in line to board the plane.

* * *

By the time they got to Texas it was 11: 50 at night, the plane was to land in fifteen minutes and Grimmjow looked around in the darkness of the plane he could make out Blue sitting across from him and Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Weed sleeping under her seat.

Ulquiorra was asleep next to him and Grimmjow allowed himself a moment to watch him sleeping peacefully before he looked outside. A little while ago they had flown through a lightening storm! It had been awesome.

The plane landed and Grimmjow shook Ulquiorra awake as the lights began to go on. "Oi, Ulquiorra. Ulqui! Get up!" Grimmjow said, shaking him and Ulquiorra awoke slowly. He blinked once and then winced as he swallowed for he had aerotitus, bad aerotitus. Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah it hurts doesn't it?" and Ulquiorra yawned softly and winced. "Ow." He said, rubbing his ear. Blue sat up and stretched before she gave a gasp and hurried over to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and said, "Guys, guess what? We flew over a tornado!"

And Grimmjow gave a loud exclamation of, "What the fuck? Are you serious? Is that what the lightening storm was all about?"

"Yup! But let's get out of the plane." Kyoshiro however was hurrying over, almost getting trampled by the crowd as he said excitedly, "Wait, we flew over a what?" he said, putting his white paws up on the arm of Ulquiorra's seat.

"A fuckin' _tornado_!" Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro's eyes bugged out. "Seriously! Holy crap…"

"Wow, that is really cool!" Weed exclaimed and Ulquiorra bent down to pick Weed up so he wouldn't get trampled. "Can we get off the plane?" Ulquiorra asked a little impatiently and Blue and the others hurried to do so.

They all walked through the Austin airport, the air inside even felt muggy. Grimmjow sniffed a bit and said, "Where's the exit? I want to get outside and breathe some air." They found the exit and got outside and Grimmjow looked around. It was dark out and it was extremely muggy, almost like a shower room after a hot shower.

"It's hot…" Grimmjow noted and Blue nodded. "It is. So, how do we get to our hotel? We could take the shuttle bus—hey, wait!" Grimmjow was already hailing a cab. The five of them got into the cab and Grimmjow fed the driver the address and he began to drive them to their destination.

The Embassy Suites hotel was beautiful inside! The lobby had a green marble floor with white patterns in some places and there was a little pond inside with a bridge across it and two beautiful royal swans floated on the surface, occasionally dipping their heads into the water for a drink or for some left over food sitting at the bottom. There were even some golden fish swimming in there.

While Blue booked their room, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Weed watched the swans in interest. Weed moved closer to the water and Kyoshiro said, "Careful, a swan once drowned a dog." and laughed when Weed gave a frightened squeak and moved behind a comfy looking armchair.

The lobby also had a dinning room, though no one was downstairs. It was also carpeted, chairs and tables were scattered around the room neatly. What interested Ulquiorra the most was the balconies above them, the guests' rooms were probably up there.

"It's really…amazing here." Ulquiorra said, looking around the room. Grimmjow nodded and continued to watch the swans swimming peacefully in the water.

Blue walked over and sighed happily. "The wedding is tomorrow, guys so perhaps we should get a goodnight sleep?" Grimmjow yawned as she spoke and began to walk towards the elevator. Kyoshiro was reading a description of the swans and said, "Oh, their both dudes and their names are Sundance and Butch. Wow…they're both brothers—hey what the—wait up you guys!" Kyoshiro exclaimed as he saw his friend walking around the corner towards the elevator.

Grimmjow pressed the button with his thumb and the doors swung open. Grimmjow looked around the elevator, the floor was a shiny marble and the walls were made of glass, making it easy to see the hotel lobby and the swans. Kyoshiro was the last one in. "Thanks for waiting up g—OWWWWWWWWW!"

Grimmjow pulled Kyoshiro away from the door by the scruff of his neck and saw Kyoshiro clutching his tail in agony. "Idiot. Stay away from the doors next time."

"Whoa!" Weed said, looking around their room.

"It's really…really…" Weed struggled for the right word and Grimmjow said, "Tiny." And he pushed his way inside. Ulquiorra was still outside in the hallway, looking down the balcony at the lobby below him.

"Hey, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow called, sticking his head out from around the corner. "Get over here, will ya?" and Ulquiorra walked around the corner and through the door to their room and Grimmjow closed it.

There was a comfy sofa against the wall and a TV stood against the wall. There were two doors. One was on the right side of the wall, like the sofa, and that lead into a small bathroom. The other door led straight ahead into the bedroom. Grimmjow saw another door on the left side of the wall and stared at it in interest before opening it and seeing yet another door. "What the?" and Kyoshiro stared as well. "The rooms are connected? Why?"

Grimmjow shrugged. "I dunno." Then he grinned. "Maybe a serial killer built this place and—?" Blue closed the door and locked it. "That leads into another guests' room so we don't want to go in there."

"They probably want us to get all buddy-buddy with each other." Kyoshiro said, shrugging and walking into the bedroom.

Weed was already lying on the bed. "It's really cute here." He said happily, jumping down from the bed and beginning to sniff around the room eagerly. There were two beds in this room both of them the same seize and there was a little closet too with a mirror on the front of the closet door. Grimmjow drew back the curtains and looked down below into the parking lot.

The moon was hidden by clouds and Grimmjow's eyes sought it out but found nothing. He turned his back on the window and sighed. Weed looked over and said, "What's wrong?" and Grimmjow simply shrugged and said, "Nothin'. I'm going to go to sleep." And he walked into the bathroom to change properly.

"I think he's homesick." Blue said, lying down on the bed. "He'll get use to it. Anyway we're only going to be here for two days so…" she yawned and stretched. "Let's unpack." She suggested and Ulquiorra and the other two agreed to do so.

* * *

Grimmjow yawned widely, stretching his hands out, curling his toes and then he fell back against the bed. "Don't go back to sleep, Grimmjow." Grimmjow grumbled and turned over onto his side and found Kyoshiro looking at him. "We need to leave after breakfast…well not right away. We don't have to leave at least until four or so…take your time I guess." And Kyoshiro walked away into the living room.

Grimmjow sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "This is gonna be one busy-ass day…" he moaned, stretching. He stopped mid stretch because he noticed two pale feet on the carpeted floor in front of him. Ulquiorra was sitting cross-legged on Blue's bed, his elbow upon his knee and his chin resting in his hand a faraway look in his eyes.

Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra was thinking about something nice because his eyes were gentle and his face was relaxed. Grimmjow felt a little jolt in his stomach when he saw the small very rare smile on the man's face.

"Uh…Ulquiorra?" and the man snapped out of whatever he was thinking about and said, "Oh, good morning." Grimmjow did the same thing Ulquiorra did and put his chin on in his hand and said, "What'cha thinkin' about?"

Ulquiorra cocked his head and Grimmjow grinned hugely. "That's fucking cute." Grimmjow then registered the sounds of a TV in the next room and sat up and walked outside.

Kyoshiro and Weed and Blue were sitting on the couch watching a television program called Deadliest Catch and apparently it was about people catching really ugly and dangerous fish. But sadly it ended the instant Grimmjow came in, showing a preview for the next episode for next week. A new show started and this time it was about a convict who was framed for shooting two Mexicans.

"Do we have to watch this one?" Weed asked, wincing as it showed the wounded leg of the convict. "Uh no." Blue said and she smiled at Grimmjow. "Good morning!"

"Morning." Grimmjow replied, his eyes seeking out his breakfast. It was on the small table near the door. Grimmjow sat down and began to eat his bacon, eggs and muffin eagerly.

"We're leaving for the wedding at four today." Blue told him and Grimmjow nodded in response. "These eggs taste weird I'm telling you…" Grimmjow said, staring at the piece of scrambled egg hanging from his fork with suspicion.

"You guys should take a shower and such to prepare yourself." Blue said and Grimmjow nodded before pushing his empty plate aside to go and shower properly only to find the door wouldn't open!

"Ulqui are you in there?" Grimmjow asked.

"Yes."

"Shower?" Grimmjow called.

"I'm about too."

"Let me in!"

"No." and then Ulquiorra added, "Pervert."

Grimmjow leaned on the door and scowled heavily. "It'd go faster with the both of us."

"Forget it."

Grimmjow almost whined. "Ulqui, I've seen you naked before—what the hell? We've taken showers together before why are you upset about it now?"

"I'm not upset I just want privacy." The shower turned on and Grimmjow whined and hit the door. Kyoshiro snorted and walked over, grabbing his pant leg. "Hey, forget him Grimmjow. How about we go and explore the hotel for a bit?" this thought got Grimmjow interested and he called through the door but Kyoshiro stopped him by saying, "Grimmjow, just leave him alone for one second, will you?"

Kyoshiro walked to the door and pushed it open and Weed eagerly accompanied him. Blue looked around and said, "Just be quick okay?"

"Blue, we've got four hours. This'll be two minutes at the least!" and Blue nodded.

Grimmjow pulled on some proper pants and shirt and called out, "Wait a second dammit! Slow down!" Grimmjow left his red polo shirt un-buttoned at the neck and hurried into the halls after Kyoshiro and Weed.

* * *

Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed played 'doorbell' with the guests for a bit and then decided to go outside.

"Man, this is Texas but where are all the cactus's and stuff?" Grimmjow asked. "I almost thought of a desert when Blue told me about Texas."

"Maybe there is a desert in some places?" Kyoshiro suggested.

Currently Grimmjow and the two dogs were walking alongside the road in the grass. Occasionally they'd see a drain pipe and Weed would run through it to the other side, his tail wagging when he'd see his friends on the other side of the rather long pipe.

"Be careful, okay?" Kyoshiro said, "Make sure you don't fall down one."

"It just goes straight ahead—oh a rat!" said Weed's voice as he disappeared from sight again.

Grimmjow put his hands in his pockets and sighed as he felt a breeze blow past him. It was actually really nice here and very quiet. It was a nice difference from New York city, which was always way too noisy.

Weed bounded along ahead of them, his pink tongue hanging out as he trotted happily ahead of them and suddenly he began sniffing frantically. "I smell food." Weed said.

"Where?" Kyoshiro asked. Weed began to head back to the hotel and Grimmjow stopped walking and turned around. "Hey! We—Where are you going?" he called after them.

"I smell food—and it smells great!" Weed called, looking over at him. "You can continue walking if you want."

"Like hell if I can! Blue will flay me alive if either of you guys gets lost!"

And Grimmjow set off after Weed and Kyoshiro muttering about stupid kids.

Weed's eager nose led them to a small restaurant very close to the hotel. Weed sniffed around onto the porch and then in doors where he let out a loud yelp and Grimmjow and Kyoshiro hurried over.

"What is it?" Kyoshiro asked and Weed showed them what he had jabbed his little nose on. It was a small plastic sword. Grimmjow picked it up and stared at it. "Damn that's cool." He muttered. "This is a Mexican restaurant I think…" he said looking around the place, his hands now back in his pockets, his finger tips playing with the sword's plastic blade.

"Yeah it is." Kyoshiro said, listening to the Spanish music. "And that sword is probably for olives." And then Weed let out an exclamation as he spotted a plastic blue sword. Grimmjow snatched it. "There everywhere! Let's find them!" Weed said, sniffing around.

"Sounds fun to me!" said Kyoshiro and he began to sniff around the place however Grimmjow said, "Wait, don't you think it'll look weird if—?"

But Grimmjow spotted a green sword lying on the floor and picked it up and pocketed it. "Aw whatever." And he joined his friends in the finding of the plastic swords. So far they found, blue, green, yellow and red swords in a room where a fire was apparently meant to burn on cold nights.

"Can I help you?" asked a waitress as she spotted Grimmjow on his knees next to a table. He pulled out a red sword and looked up in some surprise. "Uh, no. I'm fine." He explained and the women stared at him oddly before walking away. "Alright," Grimmjow said, beckoning his two friends. "We have enough." And they both agreed.

Grimmjow and the others left the restaurant and began to head back, watching a magpie fly into the restaurant and come back with a sugar packet in its mouth.

* * *

Grimmjow scowled at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tie. "Alright, perfect!" he said, grinning at himself.

He was wearing a white suit with matching pants and a purple shirt. He'd worn it on several occasions and it was the only suit that he had and if he had more this would still probably be the only suit that he liked.

Then he saw Ulquiorra enter the bathroom, look at him and immediately frown. "What?" Grimmjow asked angrily and Ulquiorra said, "You're completely hopeless." And Grimmjow was about to reply snippily when he realized what was wrong. His tie was not tied properly.

"Oh crap." He muttered. He was not very experienced in ties. At all.

Ulquiorra beckoned at him to turn around and Grimmjow did and allowed Ulquiorra to fix it. "Alright, you're done." Ulquiorra was not in his suit yet Grimmjow noticed and frowned. "You're completely hopeless." He quoted, unbuttoning Ulquiorra's shirt. "Alright take it all off." And Ulquiorra jumped away from him as Grimmjow burst out laughing.

"Guys, hurry up in there!" Blue called and Ulquiorra pushed Grimmjow out of the bathroom so he could change.

Kyoshiro and Weed were in their human forms and they were both sitting on the bed in the room. Blue reentered the room and Grimmjow looked around and blinked a little when he saw her.

She was wearing an emerald dress—not blue for once— and she wore some simple white gloves and emerald heels. Grimmjow wolf whistled and Blue blushed. "You should dress like a girl more often." Grimmjow noted as he unbuttoned his shirt just the slightest around the collar.

"Thanks. You should wear a suit more often, you look very handsome. And you two look great!" she said, smiling when she saw Kyoshiro's suit. He was wearing a simple tuxedo but some how, though it was simple, it looked really good on him. Weed was wearing a blue tux with a white shirt.

"You both look great." She said and Weed grinned. "Thanks!" he said cheerfully.

Kyoshiro seemed to have something stuck in his throat. "Uh thanks…" he said, shuffling the ground with his toe. Grimmjow smirked and walked over to him and whispered, "What, you like Blue?" and Kyoshiro glared at him and said, "No shut up!" and Grimmjow chuckled as he saw Kyoshiro blush deeply.

"Now we just need to wait for Ulqui and then we can go." said Grimmjow tapping his foot somewhat impatiently.

The bathroom door opened and Ulquiorra stepped out and Grimmjow suddenly went very still. Ulquiorra was wearing a white tuxedo with a gray shirt and an emerald tie, unlike Grimmjow his shirt was neatly tucked in.

Weed grinned. "You look great, Ulquiorra!" he said and Ulquiorra nervously straightened his tie. "I could say the same about you." and Weed smiled widely.

Kyoshiro smirked at Grimmjow, the man was very quiet and shuffling his feet nervous. Kyoshiro shoved him hard and Grimmjow staggered up to Ulquiorra and they both looked at one another.

Grimmjow cleared his throat and managed a grin. "You look great, Ulqui." And Ulquiorra looked at the ground, a hint of a blush on his face. "You can talk." He murmured, shuffling his feet and Grimmjow grinned wider. Blue smiled and said, "Shall we move, boys?" and the four others looked at her and nodded.

"Let's go!" Kyoshiro said, pumping his fist out and Weed jumped up and Kyoshiro raced him to the door and held it open, smiling at Blue as she approached him. "Ladies first," he said and he blocked Grimmjow saying, "Grimmjow, are you a girl?" and Grimmjow said, "Yes." and every started laughing. Grimmjow jumped backwards and allowed Blue to pass; she was still smiling at Grimmjow's weird joke.

Weed followed quickly behind her and Grimmjow hopped out of the way and beckoned widely at the door as Ulquiorra made to pass and said in a deep voice, "After you." and Ulquiorra shoved him in the chest and Grimmjow hurried after him, grinning as he fell into step beside him.

Kyoshiro straightened his tie importantly and let the door slide shut behind him, leaving a sign that said, "Do not enter." to hang upon the doorknob.

* * *

Some of the wedding guests were already at the hotel and they greeted Grimmjow and his friends warmly and then they all went outside to board the trolley that would take them to the church where the wedding would held.

Grimmjow sat beside Ulquiorra casting glances over at him that Ulquiorra didn't noticed as he looked out the window. Blue sat in between two of the guests and chatted with them and Weed and Kyoshiro shared a seat.

The trolley drove them to the church and then let them off.

Two wedding ushers greeted the guests with smiles and thanked them for coming before saying that there were party favors on the table if anyone was interested and then opened the doors to let the guests pass.

There were party favors on a table next to the entrance of the church and Grimmjow just passed them by but Weed however decided to look at them. "This soundtrack has a bunch of their favorite songs." He noted and he decided to take it, Kyoshiro just shrugged it off.

They all took their seats inside the church and Grimmjow sat in between Ulquiorra and Blue while Kyoshiro and Weed sat on either side of Blue and Ulquiorra. Kyoshiro looked sulky because he couldn't sit with Blue.

The groom was standing in front of the minister, looking expectantly towards the doors of the church with his best man beside him. The groom was a very handsome young man, in his late twenties; he had black hair and blue eyes and a very kind face.

One of the ushers walked up to the organist and whispered something. Music started to play and Blue whispered to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, "This is a formal wedding march it's called here comes the Bride." And Ulquiorra nodded and Grimmjow simply looked bored.

Everyone in the room went quiet and Grimmjow prepared himself to be bored out of his mind.

Everyone in the room stood up and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra did too, though they were a little late in doing so. Kyoshiro, who was seated farther from the aisle, had to peer around Grimmjow and the others in order to see properly.

Several girls entered the room through the open doors and walked down the aisle, all of them wearing very pale blue outfits and looking rather pretty. They went to stand along side the altar and then two others entered the room. Weed smiled as he saw that the ring bearer was a small boy, carrying the pillow out in front of him and walking very carefully.

"That's cute." Weed whispered and Blue nodded and even Grimmjow managed a small smile.

He carried the rings to the best man and the maid of honor and they took them. The young ring bearer then took his seat and his mother gave him a hug.

And then the bride entered on her father's arm, the young train bearer held her brides train as they walked down the aisle. The bride smiled at the people in the room and caught Blue's gaze and smiled, Blue smiled back and she whispered to the others, "Doesn't she look beautiful?" and Kyoshiro nodded. Grimmjow merely grunted while Ulquiorra and Weed nodded as well.

The father placed his daughter's hand on her soon to be husbands and smiled before moving to sit next to his own wife. The bride, Carol, handed her bouquet to the maid of honor and her veil was pulled back.

The minister stepped forward between the smiling bride and Groom and said a few words to the congregation and then asked them if there was any object to the couple being wed. There was none.

"That's kind of a dumb question." Grimmjow murmured to Ulquiorra as the congregation seated themselves again. Ulquiorra just shrugged. "Perhaps." He said simply and Blue gently nudged Grimmjow to make sure he was silent and Grimmjow nudged Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra looked up at him and Grimmjow grinned at him, making Ulquiorra look away somewhat embarrassedly.

The smiling minister looked at the two people before him and said, "Now repeat after me: Do you, John Fritz take thee Carol Parr to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse; for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth'."

John repeated and Carol said, smiling, "I do." And she was asked to repeat the vow and she did to which John replied, "I do." And then the best man the rings to the minister to be blessed. The bride's ring was given to the groom and placed on her finger and as the groom's ring was placed on by his soon to be wife the minister said, "I now pronounce—!"

There was a bang behind them and the lights went out!

Everyone in the room gasped and Grimmjow let out an exclamation of, "What the hell?" and everyone in the room gasped again. Grimmjow's voice said again, "Oh, forgot I was in a church…"

Ulquiorra looked around, wondering why everything was so dark and found that even the doors were closed, that had probably been the loud bang before the lights went out. The only source of light was from the windows and that wasn't bright enough, but it was beautiful because the stained glass left colors on the floor.

And then they heard a yell from near the altar and heard the sounds of a struggle. "John!" came Carol's yell and Grimmjow heard footsteps getting closer. "Finally, this damn vacation is getting a little more interesting!" and he leapt out into the aisle.

Ulquiorra looked around, his eyes already starting to adjust to the darkness and hastily followed Grimmjow with Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed behind him.

Grimmjow lunged and knocked into the figure dragging a man behind him. The man gave a screeched and kneed Grimmjow in the face. Ulquiorra kicked him and the man flew into a row of seats. He ran right through the people sitting in the seats and Grimmjow made to follow him but he and Ulquiorra moved at the same time and both got caught in between the seats!

"Oh shit, Ulquiorra! You—pant—fucking—pant—idiot!" Grimmjow struggled harder. "How…am I the idiot?" Ulquiorra inquired as Blue and the other two ran around the seats.

"You're the one who let him get past the seats!" Ulquiorra argued back.

"Me? How come you didn't stop him?" Grimmjow groaned.

"Alright, stop moving, if we both stop moving we can get—Grimmjow, listen to me!" Ulquiorra snapped but Grimmjow was too busy struggling. "I'm almost out!" Grimmjow said.

And then the lights went back on and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stopped struggling.

Ulquiorra moved backwards and staggered away from the benches. "What was that?" he murmured and Grimmjow stepped backwards. "Who knows? Probably some whacko that likes ruining other people's fun." Grimmjow suggested.

"And kidnapping grooms," Blue said, walking over to the very startled Groom who was rubbing his head while Carol knelt over him.

"What in the world was that?" the groom exclaimed.

"An attempted kidnap," Ulquiorra said calmly, looking over at Kyoshiro and Weed as they came walking back, Kyoshiro's hands in his pockets.

"Can't find him. Ulquiorra, the guy doesn't even have a scent!"

Grimmjow, who was clutching his nose, said moodily, "Ghosts cannot kick people in the face! He isn't a god damn ghost!"

Blue said, "Are you okay?"

"No! I think he broke my freaking nose!"

"I'm calling the police!" said Carol tearfully, barrowing a cell phone from one of the guests. "I'm really sorry this had to happen." Blue said and Carol only shook her head.

"And get an ambulance too," Kyoshiro said, looking over at Grimmjow who was clutching his face. "No," said Grimmjow thickly. "This is nothing! I am going to find that guy and kick his ass! Don't even bother getting an ambulance! I'm going to—!"

Ulquiorra put a hand on his shoulder and Grimmjow went quiet as Ulquiorra handed him a tissue to press against his nose.

John meanwhile was recovering a little ways a way, propped up on a bench. Carol hurried to him and John said immediately, "I just can't believe this! Who—why? Why would someone do this?"

"Probably a prankster." Kyoshiro said and John shook his head in disbelief. "Carol, dear, we may have to switch locations." Carol sighed and said, "Why did this have to happen?"

Blue made to say something comforting but Ulquiorra said, "Do you know anyone who might want to stop your wedding?"

"No, no one." John replied, rubbing his head. Ulquiorra frowned and began to pace a little, trying to see if any article of clothing might have snagged on the benches.

Grimmjow threw aside the dirtied tissue, his nose no longer bleeding but his face looking a little worse for wear. The minister scowled and said, "Whoever that person was should be ashamed!"

"Did anyone happen to see which way he went?" Weed asked. Two old ladies thought that they had heard the man go to the left, but a man argued he had gone to the right. "Maybe we can continue with the weeding?" the minister suggested. "There's no saying that he or she will return."

"And there's no saying he won't." Grimmjow argued, rubbing his bruised nose a bit. Blue confronted Carol and said, "Carol, we'll catch the person who did this." Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed looked at her. "I'm not about to let him ruin you and John's wedding." Blue vowed.

"Are you guys with me?" she asked turning to her friends.

Grimmjow raised a hand. "Hell yeah. We've caught guys like him before anyway."

Kyoshiro nodded and Weed said, "Definitely!" Ulquiorra nodded his head and then sat down in a seat, in thought. "He didn't leave the church did he?" Ulquiorra asked softly, looking around. Grimmjow shook his head. "Nah, we would have heard the doors."

Then Grimmjow turned to look at him and said, "Whatcha thinking about Ulquiorra?"

"A way to catch him," Ulquiorra said his voice quiet and it was obvious that he thought the kidnapper could be listening. "He is obviously determined to stop the wedding and judging by the way he tried to drag the groom away and not the woman, I'd say he either wants to marry the woman…or he's gay."

Grimmjow snorted.

"Or he's playing around." Ulquiorra added as an after thought.

Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue hurried over to help with the planning.

"Theory number one sounds possible." Kyoshiro said.

"That's what I was thinking too." Ulquiorra said.

"Well, we need to come up with a solution," Blue said, looking around the church as she spoke softly. "If he kills the lights grabbing him is not going to work again. We don't want anymore beatings," she said, looking at Grimmjow who scowled. "I'll kick his ass." He grumbled.

"Of course you will," Ulquiorra said distractedly, sparing Grimmjow a glance before he said, "What we need to do is follow him. We could position ourselves around the places he'll most likely go but if it's too dark chances are he'll run right by us and we won't notice."

"Paint." Weed said and Grimmjow and the other three looked at him. "What?" said Kyoshiro confused.

"We could paint the floor around the aisle. When you think about it, he hasn't got many places to enter from apart from the entrance doors and the two separate halls near the doors. Chances are he'll come from either two of those doors. We block those doors and if he gets by we follow the paint trail left from his feet." Weed said simply.

Grimmjow stared. "But he ain't getting past us!"

"Would you rather risk it?" Weed asked and Grimmjow shook his head and said, "Not bad planning, Weedin." And Weed smiled at his new nickname. "Weedin…?" he muttered, smiling wider.

"Paint?" said Kyoshiro, "Why not something that'll hold him like pitch or something?"

"Cause we don't have pitch, genius!" Grimmjow said impatiently, "Anyway, I like a challenge. We'll need a lot of paint thought to make sure the tracks last longer."

"The groom shouldn't do it." Ulquiorra said. "Just in case something happens we need a stand in."

"A dummy?" Blue suggested but Ulquiorra shook his head. "No, we don't have one. We need someone strong though and willing. And someone whose looks are like the groom's."

"I'll do it." Kyoshiro said but Grimmjow rolled his eyes, "Your hair is white."

"If Grimmjow does it we'd have to prepare his hair and everything—wait, will the kidnapper be able to see what the groom looks like if he kills the light?" Blue said.

"No," Ulquiorra said, "But our groom is small and scrawny, Grimmjow is tall and well built—Grimmjow smirked a little at that— and our kidnapper will be able to tell immediately."

All of them thought about it and then Ulquiorra said, "Any ideas for a stand in?"

Blue suddenly said, "Yes!" but then she looked a little hesitant and immediately shook her head, "Never mind, that wouldn't do."

"What is it, Blue?" Weed asked and Blue said, "Never mind."

"Tell us." Ulquiorra said and Blue nodded.

"Ulquiorra can be the stand—,"

"Hell no." it was Grimmjow who spoke, all of them turned to look at the man. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a scowl on his face. "But—," Blue began and Grimmjow said again, "Hell no."

"Ulquiorra is the only one who can do it, actually." Kyoshiro said, looking around at the men in the room. "He's not doing it." Grimmjow said firmly, his tone making it clear that no such thing would happen.

Ulquiorra turned around in his seat to properly face Grimmjow, both of his pale hands placed upon the bench. "Kyoshiro has a point, no one else in the room apart from the groom and I are capable of doing it. And I'm possibly the only one out of the men in this room who would be able to free myself if I were bound."

Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow's jaw tighten and he knew what Grimmjow was thinking. He was remembering the other time he had been captured. Weed looked nervous as well and then said suddenly, "You know, I'm small, if it makes either of you feel better I could—," but Grimmjow said, "Look I'll do it if I have too but Ulquiorra is not doing that."

"Grimmjow let Ulquiorra answer that for himself." Blue said and Grimmjow replied angrily, "Do me a favor and stop putting other people in danger just because Carol's stupid wedding is in jeopardy! It pisses me off and it isn't like you so knock it off!"

"I do not want anyone of my friends hurt just because I am at a friend's wedding, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!" Blue said her tone very angry. "Then stop acting like—!" Grimmjow retorted, standing up, but Blue replied angrily, "I am not, Grimmjow! But you are too protective over him; I'm surprised he can—!"

"Whose overprotective?" Grimmjow snarled, his fists clenching. "It's better than putting him up as bait for some stupid psychopathic kidnapper! Have you forgotten the last time he was—?"

"Enough." Blue and Grimmjow went quiet and looked over at Ulquiorra. "I'm doing it."

"What?" Grimmjow exclaimed. "You cannot be serious!"

"I'm perfectly serious. Once I am alone with the attacker I'll be able to turn him in easier. If it makes you feel better about it you can stand guard at one of the entrances." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow growled.

"Alright, good plan." Kyoshiro said, "But can we stop talking—oh shit…" he murmured. Weed cocked his head. "What?"

"Ulquiorra, what if he doesn't show?" Kyoshiro said, "Do you realize what will happen? You and Carol will both be—!"

"Married." Grimmjow and Ulquiorra said at the same time. Blue's eyes narrowed. "Your right…" she whispered and Weed gasped. Grimmjow's jaw clenched. "The idea is off. Let's just—oh c'mon, we've handled guys like him before! We could go look for him now—we could switch churches! This one kind of sucks anyway so it's not that much of a loss—."

"I'm doing it anyway. He'll show. I know he will." Ulquiorra whispered. "What if he doesn't?" Grimmjow asked seriously and Ulquiorra said, sighing, "Then I am a married man. Of course I could just get an instant divorce but I would prefer if I wasn't married."

"That," Kyoshiro said, "And she's a girl."

"This is a bad idea." Grimmjow growled. "What choice do we have?" Ulquiorra said and beckoned the groom over to ask if he could borrow his suit and the guy agreed to lend him his suit if Ulquiorra lent him his, which Ulquiorra agreed to.

"After all," Ulquiorra continued, starting to follow the groom. "These are Blue's friends." And Blue looked up surprised and then she looked at the floor, "Thank you, guys." She said, touched. Grimmjow only scowled and said, "Just go, Ulquiorra."

* * *

Ulquiorra had changed into the black and white tuxedo and the groom now had Ulquiorra's clothes and was looking very nervous for his wife. Ulquiorra walked into the aisle and sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Ulquiorra's out." Kyoshiro said to Grimmjow and the man looked up and then got to his feet and walked towards Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra met him halfway there. "Do I look similar?" he asked, tucking his hands into his pockets and Grimmjow only scowled and said, "I'm not going to say you look like the groom because you don't. You look like some guy about to possibly get married to some girl I barely even know and—and I hate it." Grimmjow's voice was low as he uttered the last word.

Ulquiorra looked up at him and saw Grimmjow purposefully avoiding his gaze, staring up at the ceiling and rocking a little on his feet, his hands in his pockets. "I don't like it much either." Ulquiorra admitted.

Grimmjow looked down at him and then suddenly grabbed his arm and said, "Follow me for a sec, will you?" he and Ulquiorra sat down on a bench at the back of the row and Grimmjow said softly, "If needed I could bide some time—hey, you know that question about whether or not anyone detests two people being wed and stuff? I could protest—!" Grimmjow began eagerly but Ulquiorra said, "You could have told me that in front of people, Grimmjow." There was impatience in his tone and Grimmjow frowned.

"Unless you have an idea that might keep me from being married then say it. If not then don't bother." Ulquiorra's hands were clenching in his lap and it was obvious he was just as nervous as Grimmjow was.

Grimmjow was silent and he sighed. Ulquiorra felt a hand settle on his shoulder and he looked over at Grimmjow only to realize Grimmjow was closer than before. Grimmjow kissed him, the hand on his shoulder tightening as he felt Ulquiorra slowly respond.

There was something in this kiss that Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow was unable to put into words, either because of his pride or because he simply didn't know what to say. But it clearly said I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you.

Grimmjow moved away, burying his face in the crook of Ulquiorra's neck, sighing as he felt Ulquiorra's hand move to the nape of his neck, bringing him closer. The way Grimmjow held him was almost possessive, his hands were holding Ulquiorra tightly to him and Ulquiorra knew that he wouldn't be able to move away even if he wanted to.

Ulquiorra looked around to see if anyone had noticed and gently tried to remove himself from Grimmjow only to have the man growl in response.

"Why should it matter if anyone sees us?" Grimmjow growled and Ulquiorra shivered slightly. "It's because we're in a church? Or because you think it'll be harder for you when you have to face that woman."

"Once that happens, it can't be undone can it?" Ulquiorra murmured and he felt Grimmjow's hand start up a slow movement, rubbing his shoulders. "I'm not letting it happen," Grimmjow whispered, facing Ulquiorra this time. "I'll think of some way to bide time during the speech the minister gives. Even if it means acting like a jackass or something, I'll do it."

Ulquiorra gave him a tight one armed hug and whispered, "Thank you, Grimmjow." Grimmjow gave a pleased smile and hugged him back, his hand ruffling Ulquiorra's hair as his smile widened.

The minister called out for people to regain their seats and Ulquiorra straightened up and hurried to the altar. Grimmjow sighed and bit his lip nervously and then he stood and hurried to the entrance on the right and Weed and the groom watched him, the groom was silent and looking incredibly nervous and Grimmjow realized he was not the only one whose loved one was at stake of being married to the wrong person.

The minister, who had been informed about the plan along with everyone else in the church, cleared his throat and Ulquiorra and Carol faced each other and Carol said, "Sorry you had to get dragged into this," and Ulquiorra only grunted in response and held himself up high, looking ahead and Carol did the same.

"We shall continue from where we left off." Said the minister and Grimmjow groaned and inwardly pleaded for the kidnapper to turn up.

"Repeat after me Do you, John Fritz take thee Carol Parr to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse; for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth'."

Ulquiorra swallowed and the meaning of the words he was about to say hit him. He was about to take this woman to be his wife, a woman he barely knew or loved, and if the kidnapper never turned up it would remain that way for a while.

He clenched his fists in his pockets and closed his eyes, trying to calm the racing of his heart. Grimmjow think of something…fast…wait a minute, would pretending this woman is Grimmjow help? It's a stupid idea but as long as I stand here the kidnapper will most likely not attack until the minister is about to pronounce us bonded for life…at least I hope that is what he'll do, if not…

Ulquiorra opened his eyes and repeated the vow, "I, John Fritz, take you, Carol Parr, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse; for richer for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth."

Carol was asked to repeat the vow and she did, her voice shaking slightly.

"I do." Ulquiorra said, fighting off the urge to run very far away.

The rings were placed on their fingers and after a moment of speech about the rings and their significance the minister looked around, waiting.

Nothing happened and Ulquiorra closed his eyes tightly.

"I now pronounce you," the minister began, looking nervous. Carol's eyes widened and Ulquiorra bit his lip, trying to force his feet to remain where they were as the urge to run or do something became too much.

Grimmjow was about to yell something when the minister said, "Man and—,"

"I object!"

And the lights went out all around and Ulquiorra heaved a sigh of relief and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small dagger.

Then he heard movement from behind him and he turned around and something was slammed into his face, something strong smelling and Ulquiorra staggered, feeling dizzy. "Shit…" he muttered and he swung the knife out and a cry of pain was heard.

Grimmjow tore towards the place where Ulquiorra was, pushing past the frightened crowd and tearing towards the altar. Blue and the others sprung from their seats and tried to find their way through the crowd.

Ulquiorra staggered down the steps and felt his foot slip in the red paint on the floor and he felt his attacker seize his neck. Ulquiorra slammed his knee into the man's stomach and heard the yelp of pain.

Still feeling dizzy and disorientated, Ulquiorra squinted in the darkness trying to grow use to the darkness in order to fight properly.

Ulquiorra looked around, his gaze wide and staring. Then he heard movement behind him, felt a hand seize him and Ulquiorra turned around and stared into the hidden face of his attacker. Ulquiorra and the man moved at the same time and Ulquiorra stabbed him in the leg just as the man shoved something against Ulquiorra's face, a cloth with a strong smelling odor.

_Chloroform? _

Ulquiorra slammed himself into the attacker determined to at least soak the man's feet in the paint. The man slipped in the wet substance and he almost fell Ulquiorra lunged, preparing to pin him when suddenly another dizzy spell hit him and the room started spinning rapidly.

"What…?" Ulquiorra breathed and he shook his head.

Then there was a yell from ahead and a figure sprung onto the attacker. It was Grimmjow, Ulquiorra could tell just by looking at him.

Grimmjow landed beside Ulquiorra and placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Let me handle this, stay there!" and then the attacker reached into his pocket and pulled out something and Ulquiorra reached out to pull Grimmjow back as the figure sprayed something right into Grimmjow's face!

Grimmjow staggered backwards yelling in pain, his hand covered his eyes. Ulquiorra rounded on the attacker and realized that he wasn't there. Ulquiorra looked around wildly and then something struck him hard in the back and a hand wrapped a thick cloth around his face. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as the thick smell got to him and he was about to move back but his movements were sluggish and before he knew it he was lifted up and thrown over someone's shoulder.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow called, trying to open his eyes but every time he did they would only burn terribly and he had to shut them.

"Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed," Grimmjow bellowed, "The entrances, get to them, now!" and he heard Kyoshiro call out, "You heard him, move!"

Blue tore forward, moving quickly through the crowd but Weed beat her to the entrance and ducked between the attacker's feet, blocking the entrance. The attacker stopped as Blue and Kyoshiro ran out in front of him and he scowled.

"Drop him!" Blue ordered. "Put your hands up!"

And the attacker grinned and said, "As you wish!" and then he reached into his pocket and pulled out something and clicked it. The ceiling above them exploded!

Blue cried out in shock and she and Kyoshiro and Weed were almost buried under the rubble as the man tore by them. "After him!" Blue screamed and Kyoshiro and Weed began to try and dig through the rubble.

"No good!" Kyoshiro yelled and Weed began to climb the rubble when the balcony above them, still weak from the explosion, caved in.

Kyoshiro pulled Weed down just before the young dog could be buried alive.

And then the lights in the room went back on and Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue looked up in shock at the amount of rubble in front of the entrance way.

"Damn!" Blue said, kicking the rubble.

Grimmjow staggered blindly over to them, his hand rubbing at his eyes and Blue looked around. "He got away," she began and Grimmjow removed his hand from his eyes to reveal that they were very red.

"What the fuck is the matter with you guys?" Grimmjow yelled, his hand covering his eyes again. "Well I am sorry I didn't expect a massive explosion!" Blue snapped. Grimmjow blinked several times and stared at the rubble and the minister ran over and said, "Here!" and he threw water into Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow yelped and the minister threw some more into his eyes. "Okay, stop!"

Grimmjow sputtered and then yelled, "Okay! It's out!" and he kicked the water pitcher out of the ministers hand and turned back to the wall of rubble.

Grimmjow stepped back and charged forward, smashing into the rubble and proceeding to throw all of it out of his path, wincing as some dug into his hands. Weed and Kyoshiro and Blue began to help and all of the people in the church began to help Grimmjow dig through.

Grimmjow threw himself into the wall and he grinned as the rest of it fell backwards, clearing the path. "Thanks!" he called and he ran down the corridor, following the red footprints left on the floor.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow called but received no response. _God dammit, Ulquiorra! Hang on! I'm coming!_

_

* * *

_When Ulquiorra came too he was lying flat on his back on the floor in a room that would have been dark except for the fact that it was lit by candles.

"How could this happen? I simply don't understand!" screamed a voice and Ulquiorra's eyes opened and he saw a man pacing back and forth in front of him, clearly very angry.

Ulquiorra groaned slightly at the loud voice. Why couldn't his capturer by quiet?

"I planned everything out! Why? Nothing ever works me for me!"

"Would you be quiet?" Ulquiorra said and the man turned to face him and Ulquiorra's stomach gave a jolt of surprise when he realized who it was. The messy head of hair was longer than before and it almost fell down past his nose now, he was less scrawny than the last time Ulquiorra had seen him but it was unmistakable.

It was Joe, the man who had accidentally invited Grimmjow to his mansion! The same man who had tried to lure his brother there because his brother stole the girl he loved, and things were finally starting to fall in place.

"Joe…?" Ulquiorra said and Joe scowled and said, "Yes! I am surprised you remember me! It's been…what a year since I last saw your face, friend of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques…" Joe snarled, getting very angry.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Ulquiorra inquired tiredly.

"I knew Carol longer than my stupid brother! It's only fair that I should have her! He took everything from me, my parents' love, the girl I loved, my life—everything!"

Ulquiorra brushed his ebony hair out of his face and said, bored, "But there must be someone out there who is willing to have you, a monkey perhaps?"

"You…" Joe growled, "You don't know a thing about my life, my sufferings, nothing!"

"Maybe not," Ulquiorra said, standing to his feet, feeling a little tired. The effect of the chloroform had not entirely worn off yet.

"But I do know that I am experiencing a sense of familiarity with the situation I am now in."

Joe raised an eyebrow at this and he said, "Oh, how so—wait I don't care! That trap you set for me was very clever, but I am not giving up! I will have Carol, I must have her! No one else can! Not my brother, just me!"

"It's a little late for that now, as you can see she is already getting married out there."

Joe's eyes narrowed into slits and he said, "That's only because she hasn't got anyone else! She's being forced into being married! That's why she didn't choose me!"

"If you really love her than why are you so determined to ruin things for her?" Ulquiorra inquired and Joe made to respond but Ulquiorra said, "Never mind. But if you want to try and leave you'll have to get past me."

And when Joe was silent Ulquiorra continued, "You remind me of someone I met for a while. Someone I hate."

Joe reached behind him and pulled out a small sword. "Whatever." he said and Ulquiorra sprung forward and Joe moved fast, almost dodging but Ulquiorra's foot struck him in the stomach and Joe crashed into the door and jumped out of the way just as Ulquiorra landed.

Ulquiorra turned around and Joe swung a kick at him which Ulquiorra dodged, Ulquiorra reached out and seized Joe's foot and twisted it, causing the man to fall onto the floor.

"And that's why I am going to defeat you." Ulquiorra said and Joe glared up at him and said, "Try me! I've learned some interesting moves while I've been on the run!"

Meanwhile, Grimmjow, Weed and Blue and Kyoshiro were running up the tunnel, following the footprints.

Suddenly the red footprints vanished and Grimmjow stopped running and looked down. "What the fuck?" he snarled.

The footprints made a turn right into the wall covered by a tapestry of Jesus Christ and Mary.

Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, what now? He can't run through walls can he?"

Grimmjow lifted the tapestry and found nothing behind the wall and he growled and said, "Shit."

"What's this?" Weed asked, staring at the floor and Grimmjow looked down and saw a lock right against the wall, very low to the ground. It was a combination lock. "It's a lock." Blue growled, "And I have absolutely no idea as to what the combination may be."

"Who needs the combination?" Grimmjow said, starting to kick the lock very hard.

"If you break it won't it just get worse?" Kyoshiro asked.

"I'm trying to find that out!" Grimmjow snapped, kicking even harder.

"Grimmjow, stop!" Blue yelled. "If you break it there will not be a way in! You have to give it the combination other wise—!"

"God dammit! I am not going to lose to some freaking lock!" Grimmjow yelled, slamming his foot into the small lock, almost crushing it.

"I promised I'd get him out of there…" Grimmjow groaned, putting his fore head against the wall. "I didn't hear anything." Kyoshiro said honestly and Grimmjow responded, "I promised myself. I swore to myself that I'd help him. How the fuck am I supposed to do that if I can't even break through a fucking door?" Grimmjow snapped before closing his eyes and concentrating.

Grimmjow's body fell to the floor and Grimmjow began to conjure a cero, his white hakama blowing behind him. The tapestry however fell back in its place, but since Grimmjow was in between it and the wall it merely covered him.

"Wait a second!" Weed cried out and Grimmjow growled and turned around. "What?"

"There's numbers at the bottom of the tapestry," Weed said. "It's the year the tapestry was created…1995…"

Blue caught on to what Weed was implying fast and hurried behind the tapestry and began turning the little dial.

"Oh come on, that won't work!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

Grimmjow heard the wall click loudly and slowly the wall slid open, revealing a dark passage before him. Blue smirked and said, "That won't work, eh?" Grimmjow ignored her and pushed his way in before the door was half open and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed squeezed in after him.

The passage was not dark, quite the opposite. There were light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and Grimmjow tore up the tunnel running very fast towards the distant noises. "What's that?" Kyoshiro asked, straining his ears and Blue listened. "Are they fighting?"

"Sounds like it to me!" Grimmjow snapped and he moved faster up the tunnel.

* * *

Joe dodged Ulquiorra's blow from the left and Ulquiorra aimed a kick at his head which Joe failed to dodge and he fell on his back with a yell and within seconds a knife was against his throat.

"Alright…" Ulquiorra said, he hadn't even broken a sweat. "Get up and start moving, now. Consider yourself under arrest." And at these words Joe's eyes widened and his face was shocked and angered. "No…No!" and he stood up and slashed his sword to the right, Ulquiorra blocked it. "I'm not going back to jail!"

"I'm…I refuse to go back!" he screamed and he drew back his sword and made wild slashes, attempting to cut Ulquiorra. But Ulquiorra saw every one of them and dodged, blocking when he could and then he moved very fast, right behind Joe. Joe was kicked in the back and thrown into the wall

The impact was loud and Joe cried out in pain.

Ulquiorra advanced on him and Joe groaned loudly and then spoke again, "I'm not giving up…I'll never give up, ever!"

"This is annoying." Ulquiorra said and Joe sat up and gasped, "I will defeat you…and then I will stop that wedding, I'll take her from my brother…she's the only one who's ever cared for me, the only one who's ever understood me! How could you possibly know what I'm going through?"

And then Joe reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object and Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he realized what it was—it was a small remote. "Don't worry," Joe said, smirking, "This will only blow up this room. You need not worry about your stupid friends and I don't have to worry about Carol! Goodbye!" he said, grinning happily.

And then he tore towards the corridor and Ulquiorra ran after him but halfway to the corridor the door slammed shut. Ulquiorra tugged at it hard but it wouldn't open! Ulquiorra tugged again and looked around listening for a beeping and he heard it and felt his heart jump in his throat.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and concentrated his reiatsu, starting to turn into an Espada but the beeping had already started!

5, 4,

Ulquiorra's gigai fell on to the floor and Ulquiorra seized it and Ulquiorra prepared a cero.

3, 2,

Ulquiorra gasped and looked around. "No…" he whispered.

1.

And Ulquiorra closed his eyes waiting for the explosion, waiting to die. A minute passed and Ulquiorra opened his eyes, a curious expression on his face. "How can that be…?" he whispered, looking around the room and spotting the bomb on the ceiling. It was not making a sound. It was quiet as the grave.

And then without warning something slammed into him and Ulquiorra was thrown right into the wall behind the door as the door burst open from the outside and people ran into the room.

"Ulquiorra?" someone called and Ulquiorra was relieved to hear Grimmjow's voice.

"Ulquiorra? Where is he?" Blue asked breathlessly, looking around the room.

"Shit…!" Grimmjow growled and he called out again, "Ulquiorra! Come on answer me! Ulquiorra, dammit stop playing around! Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra pushed at the door and it slammed back into place and all of them screamed and turned around, Grimmjow's sword was drawn and pointed at him but the instant Grimmjow recognized him he relaxed and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Where's Joe?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow shook his head, "I honestly can't believe it was that stupid moronic bastard. What a let down! I was hoping for a real criminal not some stupid little piece of shit like Joe! He's such a—!" but Ulquiorra stepped forward and put his arms around Grimmjow's shoulders and Grimmjow went completely silent.

Grimmjow grinned and nuzzled his neck and said, "You missed me then?" and Ulquiorra didn't respond. Over Grimmjow's shoulder he saw Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue standing there, all of them looking tired but very happy to see him.

"So, is our Ulqui alright?" Kyoshiro asked as Weed hurried over and pounced on Ulquiorra's leg, his tail wagging very fast.

"I am but I'd actually like to leave this room now." Ulquiorra answered, casting a bit of a nervous look up at the bomb.

And then Blue smiled and said, "That bomb isn't going to go off. We caught Joe and he had to use the other remote control to turn it off on our orders."

"Where is he now?" Ulquiorra asked and Kyoshiro said, "Tied up in the corridor and we have the remotes so we don't need to worry about him setting them off."

"I see." Ulquiorra responded, scratching Weed's ears. "I have to say I was starting to doubt that you guys would ever turn up. I'm—" And Grimmjow gave an explanation of shock and anger, "You what? You doubted us—you doubted me? You doubted—you fucking doubted—that I would turn up after you were kidnapped by a guy with explosives whom I didn't even—what the fuck, Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow exclaimed, grabbing the front of Ulquiorra's hakama in his rage.

"You were taking your time." Ulquiorra said earnestly and Grimmjow snarled angrily. "You little asshole! Do you know what I—what we fucking went through to find you? I dug through a solid mass of rubbish, had to get through that damn wall and you fucking doubted me? I would have raided this whole damn church! In a second! A second because I was so freaked out!" Blue made to quiet him but Grimmjow bellowed, "I'm in a rage! Don't tell me to be quiet!"

Ulquiorra however smiled ever so slightly and when Grimmjow turned back to him he stopped mid yell and his expression softened. He was now gaping at Ulquiorra. "Uh…what?" he said nervously unaware that his face was turning very red.

Ulquiorra reached out and wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's shoulder's pulling the man's face against his shoulder. "I didn't finish. I'm glad you turned up, Grimmjow. I missed you. All of you." Ulquiorra said, looking around the room at Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed.

"I didn't mean to sound like I wasn't grateful for what you did. I honestly would be dead if you hadn't turned up and for that you have my thanks. Thank you, all of you."

"No problem, Ulquiorra!" Weed said, smiling. "We're glad your alright." And Kyoshiro nodded.

"Grimmjow, thank you." Ulquiorra whispered and he felt Grimmjow relax a little. Blue gave an exasperated sigh, walked over, seized Grimmjow's arms and put them around Ulquiorra's shoulders, muttering about Grimmjow and his stupidity.

"You don't have to be so forward…it's damn weird…" Grimmjow muttered sheepishly, his hands clenching in Ulquiorra's uniform as he felt Ulquiorra nuzzle his shoulder. Grimmjow was silent as he lay in Ulquiorra's arms and then he gave a sigh. I'm glad you're alright. How can I say that to you? I'm happy. So happy.

Grimmjow's arms tightened around Ulquiorra and pulled him closer to him, his hand reaching upward to gently slide through Ulquiorra's hair and he felt Ulquiorra stiffen a little. Grimmjow moved back and flashed him a gentle grin, his eyes staring into Ulquiorra's.

Kyoshiro and Weed looked at each other and both stepped forward and now on either side of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra they both gently knocked into their ankles and pushed them even closer together.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both gave a start to find they were even closer together now and Grimmjow slowly reached up and gently placed his hand against Ulquiorra's cheek. Grimmjow leaned in and kissed Ulquiorra, his hand caressing his cheek and he sighed as he felt Ulquiorra kiss him back.

_Yeah… he understands, he gets it. He knows what I want to say…but maybe I'll say it anyway?_

"Ulquiorra, I missed you." Grimmjow murmured so only Ulquiorra could hear him and he felt the man pull him closer. "I know you did."

* * *

"I now pronounce you, man and wife!" said the minister and the whole church clapped and applauded as Carol and John kissed, both of them very happy to finally be able to the get married. John spun her around happily and they both began to depart the church.

Grimmjow gave a sigh of relief and grinned widely, "Finally, dammit! That took way too long! Relief!" he groaned, leaning back in his chair. He had had to force himself to stay awake through out the whole thing because he was so damn tired.

Ulquiorra had done the couple a favor, which he felt was one favor too many by now, and stayed awake but was fighting the urge to fall asleep. He kept slumping against Grimmjow's shoulder.

Halfway across the aisle John and Carol stopped walking and turned to Blue and the others and said, a wide smile on her face, "I just want to thank you, all of you." and Weed smiled. He and Kyoshiro had regained their dog forms shortly before reentering the room to turn Joe in.

Carol had been very shocked and John angered and shocked to learn that his brother had tried ruining his life again. They learned that Joe had a past history of trying to steal his girlfriends, but it seemed to him that Carol was particularly important to him.

"You saved our wedding," Carol said happily and Weed said, "How could we not? Not only are you Blue's friend, but we wouldn't let such a special day like this get ruined just because of some lousy kidnapper!"

"Yeah and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra obviously feel the same way because they would do the same on their wed—ow!" Kyoshiro yelled getting a smack on the head form a very flustered Grimmjow. "You be quiet!" he snapped and Carol laughed and stepped forward to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, "You sacrificed a lot for us today, Mr.…?"

"Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra said tiredly.

"Mr. Ulquiorra, Grimmjow…thank you. I shall never forget what you have done for us."

"Neither shall I…" Grimmjow replied grumpily.

"And I know, more so than before, the depths man would sink for love…" Ulquiorra said tiredly, looking as if he wanted to fall asleep.

"Thank you both." said John, grinning.

Carol kissed them both on the cheek and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked genuinely shocked. "Thank you!" she said and she hurried to Blue and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you Blue, without you here this wedding would have been a disaster."

"No problem, Carol." Blue said and she smiled, "See you and John at the reception." Carol turned to Kyoshiro and Weed and said, "Thank you, Kyoshiro, Weed. I shall never forget what you five have done and from now on I will refer to you all as the Fabulous Five!" and she and John hurried of towards the doors.

At the end of the reception, something interesting happened.

After dancing with the guests and eating with them, Carol and John were leaving the wedding, running through the neat line of people that was seeing them off. Carol turned and threw a flower bouquet over her shoulder. Several people reached for it but in the end in ended up in Ulquiorra's hand.

Looking confused, Ulquiorra stared at the flowers and Blue smiled widely and Kyoshiro stared laughing. Weed grinned and then said, "Wait what's so funny?"

Carol and John stared and then both of them smiled widely and called out, "We'll be there, Ulquiorra!" and then they both turned and ran through the darkness, hand in hand.

Ulquiorra just stared in some interest at the flowers and Grimmjow looked around and said, "What the heck?"

Blue smiled and said, "At a wedding whoever catches the flowers is the next to get married in the future, or so it goes." And Grimmjow gave a horrified exclamation and Ulquiorra stared at the flowers with even greater interest.

"Interesting." He said and Grimmjow put his face in his hands, embarrassed. "Do you know what that means?" Grimmjow asked, shaking him slightly and Ulquiorra said, "I do." And Grimmjow just stared way beyond flustered. Weed smiled and said, "Yay, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are going to get married!"

"No, we're not!" Grimmjow snapped.

Ulquiorra tapped him on the shoulder and Grimmjow turned around and his eyes widened when Ulquiorra gently pulled him down and kissed him. Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed smiled at each other.

Grimmjow responded to the kiss and when he moved back there was a grin on his face. He took Ulquiorra's hand and began to walk past people who waved after them. Grimmjow began to run through the line of people, the crowd cheered for them and cheered louder when Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed ran through the crowd after Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

They all ran through the darkness to meet the trolley that would pick them up and take them back to their hotel, the crowd cheering for them as they watched them disappear into the darkness towards the lights of the trolley.

* * *

Finally it's out! And finally this stupid chapter is over! This chapter gave me hell to write so I am glad it's over. Let me explain something, the event sin this story are based off of my actual vacation in Austin some months ago. There WAS indeed a lightening storm and we DID fly over a tornado! The hotel Grimmjow and the others went too IS real and there were indeed two royal swans. they were so cute. x3 The wedding was held in a garden but we DID take a trolley to get there. It was awesome. :D There WAS a spanish restuarant and my sisters and I DID collect little colored swords, that was fun. And there was also a Magpie that carried sugar packets from the restuarant. There was however no kidnapping of course, xD I just added that in to keep things interesting. About this chapter, I ahd fun writing the scene where Grimmjow comforted Ulquiorra about the horror movie. It was so cute to picture him doing that! x3 This chapter was also originally a chapter I was tempted to write but I gave up on it and decided I'd rather write a chapter where Grimmjow and his friends go to scotland and battle the lochness monster but I changed my mind when I realized that I hardly had a stable plot to go on and decided jsut for the fact that that idea wouldn't work to bring this chapter back in, which is probably why I am not to keen on this chapter. Whatever though, the next chapter will be good, hopefully.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Until next time!


	11. Adventure 11

_**Adventure #11**_

_**Gangs of New York**_

"Okay, good work today!" Grimmjow said, stretching widely. The four other men nodded, all of them a little tired but grinning. "Yeah, it was good! Great song, Jow." Grimmjow looked over and said, "I told you not to call me that, Jerry, shut it."

Jerry, a scrawny man with a black goatee, grinned and said his tone carefree, "Sorry, sorry! Looks like you've got the guitar working and all."

"What'dya mean?" Grimmjow asked, "It never broke!"

"Nah, I meant you play it really well!" and Grimmjow merely grunted in response before gently pushing his guitar back into its case. He stood up from the stool he'd seated himself upon before he began to move towards the door, pulling the guitar strap over his shoulder as he went. "See ya. I'm leaving."

"Bye, Grimmjow! Oh—hey! Hang on!" a man named Bill exclaimed suddenly.

Grimmjow sighed, he really wanted to leave Jerry's smelly garage already! They'd practiced for a whole day now! Grimmjow scowled.

_Sometimes it's too much. No matter how much you like it, eventually it's too much. Sometimes I just want to be left alone. Not in a group, not with another person, just me. And then of course when I am alone I want company. It gets annoying…_

"Oh wait…never mind…I want to confirm it!" said Bill excitedly, his fist clenching and Grimmjow growled. "If you weren't gonna tell me why'd you bring it up then? Tch. Never mind. See ya." And he walked out of the garage and out into the street, turned gold and orange by the sunset.

* * *

Ulquiorra let out a soft sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had just finished dealing with the lease for the year and now he had a headache. This year was almost over; their first year in New York, and already the rent was a pain in the butt. They didn't have very much money since almost all of them except for Ulquiorra were unemployed so the rent was a bit difficult to deal with.

Ulquiorra himself was still working on getting a job and he thought maybe he had finally found one. When he had asked Grimmjow about whether or not he would get a job, Grimmjow had merely replied that he had no idea. Grimmjow had left his previous job after finding out that his partner had helped kidnap Weed and since then Grimmjow had been unemployed.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed had no idea what jobs to get, though Blue knew she wanted to work on something.

Just as Blue entered Ulquiorra's thoughts, she walked into the room and said, "Finished?" and Ulquiorra nodded. He heard her sigh. "I'm sorry you had to do that by yourself, I'll try and get a—"

"It really is no big deal. Don't bother—oh." Ulquiorra looked around towards the door and saw Grimmjow walk in, looking tired but happy to be back. "Welcome back!" Blue called and Weed and Kyoshiro raced downstairs to greet Grimmjow.

"So…what do you need the guitar for?" Kyoshiro asked and Grimmjow ignored him and walked over to Ulquiorra and fondly ruffled his hair. "Yo!"

"Hi." Ulquiorra said, looking up at him before turning back to the check on the table. "Did you finish that?" Grimmjow asked, looking bored. "Yes." Ulquiorra said, licking the envelope and then sealing it. Grimmjow watched the movement of his tongue with a rather hungry look and then said, "So you'll lick the envelope but not me? Why?"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, or he at least fought of the urge to do that. Blue however started giggling madly and Kyoshiro turned very red and Weed…wasn't listening.

Ulquiorra straightened up and headed towards the door and Grimmjow scowled and said, "So, what have I done that you're acting like I'm the wall, huh? It's annoying, Ulquiorra."

"Nothing, I just have important things to do. I leave for my part time job in a few hours, then I have to do the grocery shopping since all of you are incompetent."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Kyoshiro snapped. "And by the way, you're not a dog! You don't smell every single little thing that's in the store! It smells great and that's why I got distracted along with Blue and Weed!"

"I know." Ulquiorra responded, moving past Grimmjow to get to the door but Grimmjow scowled, seized him around the waist and sat down on the couch, Ulquiorra in his lap. "C'mon, your not gonna do all that stuff after I've been gone the whole day are you? I've hardly had you to myself at all!" Grimmjow almost whined, nuzzling Ulquiorra's hair.

Blue saw Ulquiorra's eyes soften and she smiled to herself. "Ulquiorra you should allow yourself a moment's peace. You've been at the rent all day so just relax for a second."

"And Grimmjow now counts as peaceful and relaxing?" Ulquiorra grumbled but he made no effort to move away from Grimmjow's arms. Grimmjow smiled widely to himself and he nuzzled Ulquiorra again.

"So, what did you do today?" Weed asked and Kyoshiro rolled his eyes, grabbed Weed by the ear and dragged him upstairs after Blue. "Hey, Kyoshiro!"

Silence fell.

It wasn't a tense silence but a rather nice silence. Ulquiorra shifted a little and said, "What's with the need for contact?"

"Do I need a reason?" Grimmjow asked, kissing Ulquiorra on the cheek. "Missed me?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow responded, "Why—No!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra sighed and shifted in Grimmjow's lap and he heard Grimmjow's breathe hitch.

"Then don't be so obvious about it." Grimmjow growled and said, "Turn around will you." Ulquiorra turned around and allowed Grimmjow to kiss him and Ulquiorra felt himself kiss him back. It was short though and Ulquiorra said, "I can't stay long I have to be at my job in two minutes."

"It's a quick walk though." Grimmjow argued.

"You really want me to stay, don't you?" Ulquiorra teased and Grimmjow scowled.

Grimmjow sighed and moved closer, resting his forehead against Ulquiorra's. Ulquiorra put his face against Grimmjow's shoulder and closed his eyes and he felt Grimmjow's hands loosen on his hips and enclose around his shoulders.

"Truth be told," Ulquiorra said, "I would like to stay with you too, Grimmjow." Grimmjow nuzzled his shoulder, smiling widely and closing his eyes. He slowly began to rock gently, back and forth and he felt Ulquiorra relax and Grimmjow sighed when he felt Ulquiorra's hand hold the back of his head and gently stroke his hair.

"That's more like it..." Grimmjow whispered, closing his eyes.

"I have a question. Why do you have a guitar?" Ulquiorra asked. "Do you play it, or are you learning? Grimmjow? Grimmjow? Oh." Ulquiorra moved away and found that Grimmjow was sleeping. Ulquiorra felt his mouth twitch at the sight of the man's relaxed face. Ulquiorra placed a gentle kiss to the sleeping man's lips and whispered, "Softie."

* * *

After Ulquiorra came back from working at the small deli he was surprised when he went outside and found Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed outside the store.

"Yo." Kyoshiro greeted, grinning. Grimmjow raised a hand from his pocket and Blue waved.

"What are you guys—?" Ulquiorra began and Weed said, "We thought we'd help out with the grocery shopping, since we literally have to buy half the store. Think of it as a favor for the rent." Weed said before starting to walk away up the street.

"We could always buy something from here." Ulquiorra said, pointing into the deli and Blue said, "The grocery store I think is just a better choice."

Kyoshiro nodded and began to walk away and Grimmjow fell into step beside Ulquiorra. "Yeah," Kyoshiro said, "I read a story about a guy who bought something from a deli and died after eating it."

"Well that's reassuring." Ulquiorra mumbled.

* * *

Drip…drip…drip…

The soft sounds of blood dripping to the floor could be heard in the dark room. And soft barely audible footsteps... and then a _very_ audible bang!

A woman was racing through the dark warehouse, her footsteps echoing wildly all over the walls as she ran for her life, clutching a bundle in her arms. Loud jeering voices could be heard as she ran; bleeding badly from a slash to the leg, her movements were slow.

She tripped over a body and fell to the floor, gasping for breath. She looked around, terrified as her pursuers drew closer. She lifted a small phone and gasped into it, "George… w-where are you?"

"I was side tracked. Fang planned this out…I'm almost there I promise, hide and wait, I will make it!"

"Well, where are you sweetie? You can't hide from us!" came a jeering voice from somewhere behind her. Alice pushed herself to her feet and moved across the floor to crouch behind a set of crates, looking down at the bundle in her arms. The bundle began to cry and she desperately shushed him. "Shhh, please be quiet…please…" and then the footsteps stopped and she gently put her hand to the small child's mouth to shush it.

The footsteps drew closer and closer to her hiding place and she let out a frightened gasp as the crates were pushed aside to reveal her attackers, the man gave a horrible grin and said, "Hello sweetheart…" and a sword was thrust through her chest.

The wall behind them exploded and the men all yelled out in horror as someone entered the warehouse.

"What the hell is this?" Grimmjow asked, mildly surveying his surroundings, completely immune to the dead bodies and the strong smell of blood.

Grimmjow scratched the back of his head and looked at the men in front of him before he said, "Mind if I join in?"

"Who the fuck are you? And what are you doing here?" yelled the killer of Alice, pointing at Grimmjow with his bloody sword and Grimmjow made a face. "Are you stupid? It's impossible _not _to hear the noise going on down here! Now, clean your damn sword; I don't want that _thing_ cutting me up. Now outta my way!" and he made to pass but the men blocked his way in.

"No can do. We're here to kill everyone in the building—oh wait! That means I get to kill you!" and he ran at Grimmjow, grinning. His sword stopped mere inches from Grimmjow's flesh however as Ulquiorra intervened, holding the man's wrist very tightly. "Not as long as I'm around." Ulquiorra replied, kicking the man in the stomach.

Grimmjow scowled. "You always interfere!" and then Grimmjow grinned and he and Ulquiorra lunged at the men in the warehouse and a fight broke out.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow didn't use their swords; they fought with their bare hands. Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue burst in and joined the fray. "Mind if join?" Blue asked. "You can't hurt me!" said an ugly man "You're just a girl!" and Blue kicked him in the jaw and then slammed her fist into his face, breaking his nose before knocking his feet out from underneath him. "How's that for a girl?" Blue asked and Grimmjow high-five-d her before he kicked a man in the face.

Weed jumped in the face of a man and while the man yelled out in shock Kyoshiro knocked into his knees and the man flew into a set of crates, Kyoshiro grabbed his throat, shook him around once and then threw him at a man who was sneaking up on Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow seized one man's head and twisted it, grinning as he heard a sickening crack as the man's neck broke. Ulquiorra tripped two men and then casually dodged a slash from the curved blade of a knife and then seized his attacker by the head and smashed the man's head together with Grimmjow's attacker. Grimmjow grinned at Ulquiorra before going to stand behind him, offering to watch his back.

It was when he turned his back to Ulquiorra's that he noticed the woman. She was lying on the floor, bleeding. Grimmjow would have passed it off except that Weed was standing in front of her, trying to help while a man ran towards the small Akita Inu. "Watch it!" Grimmjow yelled and Weed turned to face his attacker and lunged at the man's neck and latched on, Weed's force was enough to knock the man down and Weed hurried back to the woman while Blue took care of the man Weed had pinned. Weed was not the type to kill and Blue obviously respected that, for in Weed's favor, she merely knocked the man out.

"Look at these guys!" Grimmjow yelled from behind Ulquiorra as they both kicked and punched their attackers. "There must be fifty of them at least!"

"I think we just intruded upon a gang fight." Ulquiorra said, casually using the heel of his hand to break a man's nose and then throw him into Grimmjow's attacker. Grimmjow kicked them both. "No way? Really?" he called, ripping a knife from a man and using it on a man running at him.

"Seems that way." Ulquiorra said, "Catch this one will you?" and he ducked as a man lunged at him, the man landed on his back and Ulquiorra flipped him off of his back and Grimmjow stepped on his face as the man landed in front of him. "I didn't know gangs even existed here!" Grimmjow called, dodging a few punches from a very large man before punching him in the stomach and then sending a strong kick into the man's chest.

"Start studying then. You might need it." Ulquiorra said, ducking a punch and seizing the arm of his attacker and flipping the man over his shoulder.

"Why? Studying is a pain in the ass!" Grimmjow yelled, kicking a man in the face. Grimmjow yelped as a man seized his throat, Ulquiorra looked around and saw the man draw back his knife. Ulquiorra reached around Grimmjow's back and seized the man's armed hand, twisted it and Grimmjow pulled the man into a head lock, breaking his neck in the process.

"Thanks for that!" Grimmjow called before lifting the body and throwing it at Blue's attacker. Kyoshiro came around to help and he and Weed head butted several men, knocking them over like dominos.

One last man came from above and landed right on Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra flipped over, knocking the man off of him and Kyoshiro did the honors and head butted the man in the face, knocking him out.

"Wahoo! We did it! We kick ass! WAHOO!" Kyoshiro bellowed, watching two other men hurry away. Grimmjow glared after them as the men stopped, as if reconsidering fleeing.

Grimmjow sent a fierce glare at them and said, "What? You wanna die! Run! RUN!" he yelled and he made to run after them but the men screamed and ran away. Weed however tripped Grimmjow and said, "That's enough. They ran."

"So? They'll go and tattle to their boss and he'll track us!" Grimmjow yelled at Weed from where he lay on the floor. "Good point." Ulquiorra said. "And there are hundreds of homes in New York." Weed argued calmly. "But still!" Grimmjow began but Ulquiorra said, "If they come back, we'll take care of them. Like we just did."

Grimmjow scowled, putting his chin in his hand. "Tch. Fine. Don't blame me if we go through hell though."

Blue looked around and said loudly, "While you guys are arguing there's a woman in pain here!"

"Well sorry! Not my fault you got hurt!" Grimmjow snapped and Blue said, "Not me! Her!" and Grimmjow and the others hurried over.

A young woman lay on the floor, gasping. Grimmjow knelt down in front of her and so did the others. "Can…I trust you…?" the woman whispered. "I guess." Grimmjow said and Blue cut in. "Yes, you can. What can we do?"

Slowly and with trembling arms she pushed a bundle towards them and Grimmjow took it and said, "What…oh…" the woman gave a small smile at the confused look on his face and she whispered, "Take him…" her head fell back and her body went limp. Weed gasped and Kyoshiro hung his head.

Grimmjow looked away, seemingly unfazed. He gave a soft gasp as he looked down at the bundle. The next thing they heard was soft crying Blue gave a start and looked over, "Grimmjow are you crying?" she asked timidly and Kyoshiro looked over in surprise.

"So sad…" Weed murmured and Grimmjow said, "Will you guys cut the crap? I am _not_ crying it's this _thing_!" Kyoshiro snorted. "Yeah right—wow…"

Kyoshiro looked down at the bundle in surprise and Blue, Weed and Ulquiorra moved closer to look. A little baby was nestled in the bundle, awake and crying softly. "Look at that…" Blue whispered and Weed blinked sadly. "But it's mother…" Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah, other wise I would hand it back."

"What do we do about the body?" Weed asked. Just then they heard footsteps. "Who gives a fuck?" Grimmjow asked, preparing to fight as a man burst through the door ahead of them and yelled, pointing at them. "Give me—!"

"No." Ulquiorra said and he ushered his friends out and he hurried after them. Grimmjow raced up the piers, holding the bundle in his arms. "Why am I running away again?" Grimmjow yelled at Ulquiorra. "Because it's a sensible thing to do." Ulquiorra answered, looking over his shoulder.

"Stop!" the man screamed and his man hurried after them. Grimmjow scowled. "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques does not run away dammit!" and he turned around. "Alright, bring it!" the baby started crying and Grimmjow glared at it. "Oh shut up!" and he threw the baby over his shoulder. Blue gave a screech and caught it. "Are you insane!" she yelled.

"Yes." Grimmjow answered, grinning as the men approached.

"Bring it, you bastards. I'll slice you to pieces." Grimmjow said, licking his lips and Kyoshiro hurried over to join the fray. "Hell yeah!" Kyoshiro barked and he and Grimmjow waited, their friends behind them.

One of the men grinned and said, "Boys…" and all of the men whipped out chainsaws and very long knives. Grimmjow's grin faltered and Kyoshiro gasped. Grimmjow immediately said, "So?"

Ulquiorra gave an exasperated sigh and seized Grimmjow by the jacket and dragged him away and Kyoshiro hurried after them. The men raced after them, their chainsaws buzzing.

Ulquiorra and the others raced up the piers but Ulquiorra said, "Stop!" and Grimmjow and the others stopped. "What for?" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Ulquiorra pointed to several barrels.

The men turned a corner of the piers and looked around. One of the men, one with a chainsaw, noticed the barrels standing next to the railing. He walked towards them, a grin on his face, his chainsaw buzzing loudly. Grimmjow scowled and whispered, "Turn around…turn around…turn around…" the man raised his chainsaw above Grimmjow's barrel—and then the leader appeared and said, "What are you waiting for? Find them! I need to find them!" and the man hurried away.

The man with the chainsaw scowled and ran off.

Grimmjow threw off the barrel lid and inhaled deeply. "God that barrel stunk!" Kyoshiro knocked over his barrel and said, "That was close, I seriously though you were done for Grimmjow."

Ulquiorra pulled himself out of the barrel and so did Weed and Blue. "So did I…" Grimmjow replied shakily. "I would have jumped out though…"

Blue looked down at the baby and she sighed, "We have to take him with us."

Ulquiorra looked over. "No one says we have to look after him. We could turn him into a day care center or something…"

"That kid is going to be trouble I swear to God. Throw him back in the warehouse or something." Grimmjow said.

"Like hell I'll do that." Blue snapped. "I wonder why that guy wanted him though." Kyoshiro said. "Probably wanted to slice him and dice him like what they did to the mother." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro shuddered.

"Well we can't just leave him here." Weed said, "It would be cruel."

"Oh I know!" Grimmjow said sarcastically. "Let's take him in! Like we haven't got enough babies already!" and Kyoshiro began to say something rude to Grimmjow but Ulquiorra said, "At least get it to be quiet." The baby was now bawling.

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Give him to me." Blue handed the baby to Grimmjow and Grimmjow held it upside down and everyone let out exclamations of shock and Blue snatched it away from him. "What?" Grimmjow exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"What are you trying to do, drop him on his head?" Kyoshiro snapped, standing up in his dog form and taking the baby from Blue with his suddenly human like paws. Kyoshiro set the baby down and put his paws over his eyes and said, "Peek a boo!" and the baby stopped crying and watched, intrigued by Kyoshiro.

"What the hell…?" Grimmjow said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's a human game." Blue explained quickly to him.

"That's weird…" Grimmjow said, blinking.

"_Humans_ are weird." Ulquiorra added, standing beside the two of them while Weed watched Kyoshiro's game with the baby.

The instant Kyoshiro revealed his furry face the baby began trying to pet him and Kyoshiro moved away, making the baby cry again. "Hey…he's bleeding."

Ulquiorra picked up the baby and stared at it. The baby stared at him, it's crying had stopped. They stared at each other and finally Ulquiorra said, "What?" the baby giggled and Grimmjow smirked. "I think it likes you, Ulqui."

"It's probably out of its mind then." Ulquiorra said and he began to walk away. Weed looked up hopefully. "We're keeping it then…right?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. "It depends. I personally have no idea what to do with a baby."

"Well basically…" Grimmjow said, holding up his hand and raising three fingers, which he lowered with each word. "They cry, they eat and they shit. That's all we need to worry about."

"Hopefully." Ulquiorra added, finding a suitable position to hold the baby before walking away.

* * *

Once they got home—the walk home was rather tense—they all collapsed, feeling very tired. Ulquiorra looked around and deposited the baby on the couch next to Blue before he said, "I'm taking a shower."

"Good. I'm joining you." Grimmjow groaned, sitting up.

Ulquiorra made to walk away from the couch, the baby tried to grab onto his jeans and almost fell. Ulquiorra gasped and pushed the baby back against the couch. "You're going to fall. Silly human…thing…" Ulquiorra said, his voice trailing away as the baby attempted to touch his jeans again. Kyoshiro smiled. "Cute. Guys…uh, what the heck are we supposed to do? We can't send him back, we can't abandon him…is he going to stay…forever?"

"Oh God no." Grimmjow groaned and he grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and dragged him into the bathroom.

Blue looked down at the baby and sighed before pulling the small child into a gentle hug, cradling him against her chest. "I better research babies I guess."

"But you're a girl." Weed said, "Are you experienced in kids?"

"Not in babies. Their needs are stronger than most…but basically they—"

"Cry, eat, shit." Kyoshiro said, quoting Grimmjow and Blue rolled her eyes. "There's more than that!"

Kyoshiro chuckled, smiling. "I know, Blue."

* * *

"Ulquiorra?"

"Hm?"

"I really don't like this…"

"Hm."

"Is that all you're gonna say?" Grimmjow inquired moodily, putting his arms around Ulquiorra's chest. "And turn the temperature down already! It's way too hot." Ulquiorra looked up into the heavy spray of water from above him and scooted closer to the tap.

"As you wish." He turned it down—all the way down. Grimmjow gave a screech and moved away from the freezing water and against the back of the tub.

"That's damn cold!" Ulquiorra shuddered. "I know. But you said turn it down." said the emerald eyed Espada, turning around to stare innocently at Grimmjow, who was shaking violently. "Jesus…as if one baby isn't enough!" Ulquiorra scowled but ignored the jibe as Grimmjow walked over and turned the temperature up a little so the water was a little higher than room temperature.

"Am I annoying you?" Ulquiorra inquired as Grimmjow sat down behind him. "No. Why?" Ulquiorra jumped as he felt Grimmjow's soapy hands gently run through his hair. "Oh. The way you talk sometimes makes me wonder if you still dislike me." Ulquiorra said, hoping he didn't sound hurt.

"Yeah, it's the same with you." Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra blinked as he felt soap running down his forehead, he wiped it away. "Head up, dufus." Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra reached around and snatched the shampoo from him. "I can do it myself you know."

"Oh! You can? Oh my god—OW!" Grimmjow yelled as Ulquiorra turned the water temperature up. "Turn it down! Okay, I know you can take care of yourself! Maybe I was just helping you because I wanted too! Stop it!" Ulquiorra returned the water temperature and Grimmjow relaxed.

"Thank you then…" Ulquiorra murmured softly.

Grimmjow sighed and wrapped his arms around Ulquiorra's chest. "Sure." Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow and nuzzled Grimmjow's neck, relaxing against the other man and leaning into the comfortable embrace. Grimmjow gave a small smile and kissed him, his thumb stroking Ulquiorra's cheek. "So if your okay with that does that mean I get to wash you?"

Ulquiorra chuckled. "Idiot."

Ulquiorra took a moment to admire the other man in silence, the way he looked cute when his hair was down, the droplets clinging to his hair, his warmth, the muscles of his shoulders were strong and yet the way he held Ulquiorra was almost gentle— it was gentle.

And then there was also the way the water trickled down his body that made him look very sexy—more so than usual anyway. Ulquiorra was almost tempted to lick him.

Everything about Grimmjow, his face, his eyes, his body, Ulquiorra was happy to have. He would never say this allowed though, he had his pride and anyway, if he did say this to Grimmjow, it would probably just boost his ego even more.

Sure Grimmjow was annoying and some of his qualities were…sometimes unwanted but there were times like these, when Grimmjow revealed to Ulquiorra a different side of him that Ulquiorra was more than grateful. He felt…blessed. Was that it? Happy, safe, comfortable…

Loved.

Ulquiorra placed his hands on Grimmjow's arms and he saw Grimmjow looked down at him. "Huh—uh…what?" Grimmjow had caught sight of a small smile on Ulquiorra's face. Ulquiorra looked around and placed his hand at the back of Grimmjow's soft hair and pulled his head down for a gentle kiss. Grimmjow was shocked by this but quickly recovered and kissed him back, closing his eyes, his hand stroking Ulquiorra's sleek wet hair.

When they both moved away their positions had changed so that Ulquiorra was now cradled in Grimmjow's arms, his pale arms around Grimmjow's shoulders. They both felt very comfortable and neither of them spoke until Ulquiorra felt the need to say, "Your blushing Grimmjow."

Grimmjow blinked, his expression very flustered. "Sh-shut up." he said, looking at the opposite wall and Ulquiorra only felt his affection increase.

Grimmjow could be cute sometimes too.

* * *

"What did you say?"

Grimmjow was in Jerry's garage again, practicing songs. Jerry had just given him the most shocking piece of news ever.

"We've going on tour! Can you believe it?" Jerry exclaimed and Grimmjow grinned. "Holy crap, are you serious?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed the other three men. Grimmjow grinned widely and he and Jerry high five-d. "Fuck yeah! When and for how long?" Grimmjow asked, taking the beer he was offered by Harry. "For a year!" and Grimmjow choked on his beer.

"What?" Grimmjow exclaimed, coughing. Jerry, Harry, Bill and Tom all stared at him, grins on their faces fading slightly at the look on Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow's mind was whirring and the excitement in him was bubbling all the way down as he digested the news Jerry had given him.

Away, for a whole year? Away from New York and away from his house…? Away from Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed? Away from Ulquiorra? No.

Grimmjow's jaw clenched. "Uh…"

"Uh, Grimm…you aren't happy…are you?" Harry asked, frowning.

But Grimmjow couldn't be happy. He couldn't. But he should have been! This was what he had been working on, trying to get more money! He had been working, he'd learned the guitar, he'd gotten a band together and he had written some songs. And now…he wasn't even happy.

_Well…I'm not happy because the news was so sudden that's why…I guess…no big deal I'll just tell them we can't do it that's all…no. I can't do that. But what should I do? I don't—I really don't want to leave. I don't want to leave my home or my friends. Assuming they are my friends. To be honest I've never known what those guys at home think of me…the upside of going on the tour would be that I get paid. Which I what I want! I go on the tour, I get paid money. The money can help Ulquiorra pay the rent and therefore I am less of a—_

_Ulquiorra…shit what will I tell them?_

_They probably wouldn't care. It's not like I've ever done anything important for them…well…I have actually…but that's not the point…the point is…I'm…_

Grimmjow looked up at the four men looking at him expectantly and said, "When do we leave?" his voice sounded heavy.

"We leave in two days at 11:00. Our destination is France."

Grimmjow sighed and nodded. "Right."

_You were a loner from the start. Get use to it._

And Grimmjow drained the glass of beer in one gulp and stayed silent while the rest of his band partied noisily around him.

* * *

Grimmjow was woken in the early hours of the morning—2:00 to be precise— by _very_ noisy crying from downstairs and he groaned and shoved Ulquiorra in the back. "Go take care of the kid…" Grimmjow grumbled groggily.

"Me…? You go…" Ulquiorra replied sleepily. Grimmjow scowled and said, "Get up…"

"You get up…I took care of it last night…your turn…" Ulquiorra mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head to block out the sound.

Grimmjow snarled and punched his own pillow. "Fine! I'll quiet the little shit!" he got up and stomped down stairs to tend to the baby's crying.

Grimmjow was starting to seriously regret taking the baby in. He was an Espada! A killer! Not a baby-sitter! Some many crazy things had started happening every since he came down to the human world.

_That's why it's good you're leaving them. You've messed up their lives too much._

_I'm not leaving the human world though. It's not like I can go back to Heuco Mundo. _Grimmjow argued with himself as he stomped downstairs and towards the new crib in the living room.

Last night, while he was with his band, Blue had gone out and bought a crib for the baby. Grimmjow had originally had the baby in his room but grew sick of its crying and took the crib downstairs and left the baby there all night to cry itself out. He had no damn idea what to do with the little pest!

He and Ulquiorra had hardly had any sleep thanks to the baby. They had tried to tend to its needs and Blue had come in with Kyoshiro and Weed to help but to no avail.

Grimmjow approached the baby's crib and stared at the little red face and said, "What the hell am I supposed to do with you? What do you want? You must be a girl, that's why you're so needy." Grimmjow said. However when he inhaled he smelled something terrible and coughed.

"Shit! It's…shit. Ugh…babies are so stupid…" Grimmjow groaned, removing the diaper and holding it at arms length he raced to the kitchen and flung the diaper into the garbage and raced into the bathroom for another one.

"Thank god for Blue…" he muttered as he took a diaper from the diaper bag but something else caught his eye. It read 'baby wipes'. "Oh you have got to be kidding me…" Grimmjow whispered.

"Having trouble?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow looked around and saw Ulquiorra in his emerald colored robe standing behind him. "No." Grimmjow grumbled.

A few minutes later the baby was clean. It turned out the baby was a boy, to Grimmjow's relief.

A little while later around 8:50 in the morning, Grimmjow was expressing his relief over croissants with egg, bacon and cheese with Kyoshiro, Weed, Blue and Ulquiorra. The baby was eating apple sauce, fed to him by Ulquiorra.

"Cause you know," Grimmjow said, munching on a croissant. "I don't want to see girl parts…not exactly my idea of a great—What?" Grimmjow asked, turning to look at Ulquiorra as the man let out a sigh of frustration. "He won't eat. He'd rather stare at me."

"So would I." Grimmjow said, smirking as he watched Ulquiorra's fruitless attempts to get the baby to eat. Weed meanwhile was staring at the newspaper on the floor. "Anything interesting?" Blue asked casually, eating her croissant. Weed shook his head. "Nope…hang on. Wait a minute! Wait a minute! There's an article about what happened at the piers yesterday! Here, listen!" Weed exclaimed.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, Blue and Kyoshiro gathered around Weed who hastily spread the paper out beneath him and backed away to read better. "Last night police were called to investigate the sounds of a disturbance in a warehouse on the Hudson River. The body of a young woman was found along with several men, injured and some dead. The ones who are alive wait questioning upon full recovery. The woman was identified as Alice Longstride. Her husband arrived upon the scene and was devastated. He confessed to having a son but no child has been found. Police are still investigating and have promised to find his son. He believes his son was kidnapped by the gang that killed his wife and says that he has history with the kidnapper's gang. The kidnapper's gang leader is known as Joshua Fang and Longstride has vowed to find him and assure that he is arrested. On the matter of the crime scene, the area has been called off and—well, I hate to admit it but we are the kidnappers." Weed said guiltily.

"Gangs…gangs…" Grimmjow murmured thinking. "Oh great! Now they're gonna think we're part of that Fang guy's gang! At least he didn't identify us…" he grumbled. Ulquiorra was staring at the child. "He didn't mention his son's name." Ulquiorra said.

"On the down side he may not have given away our identities to the police," said Kyoshiro while Weed browsed through the right of the article in search of identification of the baby's 'kidnappers'. "But he and his gang might have seen our faces."

"Great." Grimmjow said. "Wait, who's to say he has a gang? He just found his wife dead and his son kidnapped, but no one's to say he was the guy chasing us last night."

"I'm pretty sure he was a gang leader." Ulquiorra said, "It would be a strange coincidence if the rival gang killed his wife and he just happens to be the husband of the victim. It's also a funny coincidence that he has a history with the rival gang." Ulquiorra said and Weed nodded in agreement.

"I guess." Grimmjow said, shrugging.

"I wonder what bad blood these guys have between them that would make Fang kill Longstride's wife and try to have his gang murder his son." Blue mused.

"Gangs…" Kyoshiro said. "You never know. There's always something going on."

"I do know one thing," Ulquiorra said, "If Longstride was indeed the man chasing us down, we could be identified as kidnappers and maybe even killers. And not only have we got Longstride to worry about, we also have the survivors of the fight last night who could identify us as well."

Grimmjow's frown grew larger as he said, "Great. Just great. All because of junior and some stupid gang fight we could be thrown in jail?"

"Yes, we could. I think we should get this baby back to his father as soon as possible." Blue said.

"Speaking of the father," said Weed, panic in his voice, his eyes wide. "I don't think he has any intention of throwing us in jail if he thinks we killed his wife!"

Ulquiorra's eyes darkened. "I think we may be in a little more danger than I originally thought."

At that moment that baby bit Ulquiorra's finger and Ulquiorra gasped, everyone looked over and the baby cocked his head, his blue eyes wide in wonder at Ulquiorra's expression of mild pain. "But the sooner we get this kid out of our house the better…" Ulquiorra said, messaging his finger.

* * *

A little while later, Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra and the baby left the house. They had all agreed that, with the risk of being identified as killers and kidnappers, they'd best get the baby out of the house as quickly as possible. Grimmjow had wanted to simply dump the baby somewhere and be done with it but everyone had disagreed. It would be easier, but none of them were that cruel.

Grimmjow was walking ahead with the baby, trying to get it to talk properly and reveal the location of his father but the baby kept trying to poke his face. Grimmjow held him at arms length and said, "Okay, you are annoying! Why can't you talk?"

Weed walked over and said, "I can take him from you if you want?" and Grimmjow gladly shoved the baby at Weed, who took his human form to hold it properly. "Well, if we're going to look where should we search?" Blue asked, sighing as she looked around the crowded streets of New York as Kyoshiro and Weed talked to the baby behind her.

"We need to find the gang first." Ulquiorra said. "We need to find out what makes the gang tick and bring them out of hiding. Of course, if the wife's funeral is to be held we could always go there and look for the husband."

"Problem," Grimmjow said moodily, falling into step beside Ulquiorra. "We don't know where or when the funeral will be held! Or if there will even be a funeral!"

"There are always funerals if someone dies, Grimmjow." Blue reasoned, tucking her hands into her pockets as she walked and Kyoshiro muttered, "Like a husband wouldn't have a funeral for his own wife…"

"Shut it!" Grimmjow said, tucking his thumbs into his pockets and slouching as he walked a moody scowl on his face.

Ulquiorra looked over at Grimmjow and a curious look came onto his face. "You're acting more aggressive than usual."

"So?"

"Nothing. Just wondering if something is bugging you."

Grimmjow sighed, remembering his discussion with Jerry and what was to happen tomorrow. _Only two days huh? That's really… not what I need right now._

He had considered telling his friends but really, he felt that there was enough on their minds at the moment. And there was. They all had too much to worry about at this rate and Grimmjow wasn't in the mood to tell them. Maybe later when things were less troubling? But would that moment ever come? What if things didn't get better by tomorrow morning? What if things got worse and he never told them?

_Tch, like I'd tell them I'm singing anyway…the thought…anyway, it doesn't really matter does it? It's only a year…lighten up Grimmjow…_

Ulquiorra noticed the saddened expression on Grimmjow's face and frowned. "Grimmjow?"

"Hm?" Grimmjow grunted somewhat distracted by his own thoughts.

"I'm just wondering why you're frowning like that, that's all."

"It…" Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra could see something in his gaze, a sort of longing, as if he wanted to speak his thoughts but at the same time he didn't want too. "It's no big deal. I'm just thinking about how we're going to do this whole thing. I'd like to get it done before 11: 00 at night tomorrow. But I seriously don't think that's going to be possible…"

"Why 11: 00?" Ulquiorra asked. "No reason." Grimmjow said irritably.

Ulquiorra sighed. "Whatever."

_I'll tell them later. I don't want a fuss over this. Anyway, what we need to focus on now is returning the brat to Longstride. That's all. My problems don't count and they aren't needed at the moment. All that is going to do is cause even more shit than is already necessary. I'll get this thing sorted out before 11:00 tomorrow and then I'll tell them._

And they disappeared up the street.

* * *

A little while later, two hours to be precise, Grimmjow and the other's found themselves at a restaurant called Malibu Diner, munching on cheeseburgers and fries while the baby sat in the stroller beside them, drinking from a bottle of milk. They had gone to the police and asked them if Longstride had any history with them but they had said no. Also, nothing had been found in Alice Longstride's purse or pockets that could reveal any information on Longstride to them.

The only hope they had left of finding him was either (Ulquiorra's idea) to wait until the gang members recovered and then interrogate them, or (Grimmjow's idea) to make a scene in public and have themselves get attacked by the gang members. Everyone else picked Ulquiorra's idea, much to Grimmjow's annoyance.

"Your idea is a lot less boring, Grimmjow," Kyoshiro said, through a mouthful of his cheeseburger. "But we may just get arrested ourselves if they don't show. There's no telling where they live!"

"Which I why I think it would be best to check in on the hospital later." Ulquiorra said quietly, taking small bite of his cheeseburger as well. "I want to get this over with."

"Same here." Grimmjow said. "The sooner this kid is gone, the better."

"I'll kind of miss him." Weed said kindly, looking over at the baby. "I wonder when he'll be able to talk—hey, if we never find his parents do you think—?" "No! Absolutely not! I have enough babies on my hands anyway." Grimmjow snapped and Blue and Kyoshiro glared at him. Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Your one to talk, Grimmjow."

"What?" Grimmjow snapped, his head whipping around to glare at Ulquiorra who was now eating again.

"So it's agreed. We all go—" but Blue broke off, looking over her shoulder frantically. "What?" Kyoshiro asked.

"Get down." Blue said, her tone full of urgency.

"What?" Grimmjow said, looking over her head.

"Get down!" Blue screamed and Grimmjow hurled himself on top of Ulquiorra, pressing the smaller man into the seat as Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed dove under the table. Bullet's shattered the glass, piercing the back of seats and people began to scream aloud in terror as more bullet's cascaded through the window and glass doors.

The song in the restaurant changed to Mumbo Number 5 by Lou Bega and the doors crashed open. The armed men entered the restaurant, all of them masked, pointing guns at people. "Don't move or interfere! We've only come for five people! Stay put and you won't get hurt!"

The people immediately left the restaurant and Grimmjow scowled and he felt Ulquiorra squirm beneath him. "Tch. Let's move. It's better than waiting to get shot! Oh, hey I like this song!" Grimmjow whispered, tapping his foot to the beat. Ulquiorra glanced up at the man and sighed. "Idiot."

The armed men walked towards them and Grimmjow grumbled and said, "Alright, move!" and he crawled off Ulquiorra and onto the floor. The men all jumped and pointed their guns at him.

"Hello, gents. Looking for us?" Grimmjow asked, grinning. Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed stood up behind him and Grimmjow picked up the baby who had started crying. "Great! I'm starting to wish this kid was duct taped!" Grimmjow growled angrily.

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra stood up behind him.

"Hand us the kid now and no one will get hurt!" said a woman's voice, the four men behind her pointed machine guns at them and Kyoshiro said, "Sorry to rain on your parade but if you shoot us the kid dies too—just pointing out the obvious."

The men all sighed and the woman said, "Give us the kid!"

"No." it was Ulquiorra who spoke. "We know nothing about you. We don't know if you are trust worthy. So until you prove that you are trust worthy, then the kid remains with us."

"I knew machine guns were a bad idea." The woman grumbled, glaring at the four men who flinched away from her gaze. "Okay next time, try something less flashy!" Grimmjow said and his gigai fell onto the floor, Ulquiorra snatched the baby before he fell from the Gigai's arms. The masked people all gasped.

Ulquiorra sighed. _He stole my idea…_

Without warning all of the intruders were thrown into the wall.

Blue grinned and said, "Nice idea Grimmjow! Let's go!" and she began to run. She kicked one of the gang members and he yelled in pain. Weed and Kyoshiro jumped on them as they ran out and the masked woman yelled, "Get them! Get them! They have his baby!" this made Ulquiorra stop and he looked down.

Police cars were heard. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and said, "Ulquiorra, get your ass in gear!"

Ulquiorra stared at the intruders and then shook his head as if to pass off what they said and he jumped over them and began to run towards the doors towards Grimmjow and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed.

The woman yelled in annoyance and seized a gun from her pocket and fired. Ulquiorra gasped loudly and the baby slipped from his arms as searing, burning pain cut into his arm.

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed all gave exclamations of horror and Grimmjow turned around in shock.

Grimmjow's yell of shock turned to one of rage and he shot forward, and kicked the woman in the stomach.

The men all screamed. "What do they have on their side exactly?" one of the men exclaimed, looking around, trying to spot Grimmjow.

"Spirits…they have the paranormal? What the hell is happening here?" one of the men gasped, making to run away.

Grimmjow seized a bottle from the counter and smashed it into the man's face. Ulquiorra sat up, biting his lip to stop any sounds of pain; he looked down at his arm and saw that his sleeve was covered with blood.

"Ulquiorra!" Weed called out.

Weed ran forward and tried to help him but Ulquiorra pushed him away and said, "Don't bother. I'm fine." He thrust the baby into Weed's arms and said, "Let's move."

Grimmjow pushed Ulquiorra and Weed down as bullet's hit the glass. Kyoshiro grabbed Blue and dragged her to the left of the restaurant, dodging the bullets.

Kyoshiro hurried in and yelled, "Police! Grimmjow, Weed, Ulquiorra! Hurry!" and Grimmjow kicked a chair at the shooter and he looked around for his gigai and said, "Where's—?"

"Blue has it!" Kyoshiro yelled. "Hurry!" and he ran to Grimmjow and he helped Ulquiorra to his feet with Grimmjow. "I don't—" Ulquiorra said but Grimmjow glared at him and said, "Shut up, dammit! It's not bad enough you got yourself fucking shot, you idiot!" and he hurried from the restaurant with Weed on their heels.

Blue was waiting for them, Grimmjow's gigai over her shoulder. "C'mon!" she called as the sirens grew closer.

Grimmjow turned around towards the restaurant and fired a cero at the entrance just as the shooters appeared and the front of the restaurant caved in. Grimmjow laughed and then frowned when he saw Ulquiorra's jaw clench. "Right, leaving, okay, okay…" and he hurried away with Kyoshiro and the others.

The woman kicked the remaining two men and they fell over. "Five of us and you couldn't even—? God you _idiots_!" the other two men were alive but unconscious.

"But d-did you s-see w-w-what they h-had on their side? A ghost!" one of the men exclaimed, cowering away from her. "Nonsense!" said the woman, but her tone was a little nervous. "It's a good thing we have snipers though!" said the man happily. "They'll snuff 'em out!"

"Snipers?" The woman exclaimed, horrified. "Do you _want_ to kill the baby?"

"Holy crap! What have I done? The boss will—!"

"We have the get out of here! Quick, head through the staff room! They'll be a door out to—somewhere! Hurry up!" and they grabbed their unconscious friends and hurried from the dust filled restaurant.

* * *

Blue and the others arrived home, exhausted and in pain. They had escaped the snipers by jumping down into the subway. Grimmjow had blasted open one of the grates that separated them from the underground and they had all leaped onto a passing train.

Grimmjow helped Ulquiorra onto the couch and heaved a deep sigh before setting off to find the emergency kit. Weed looked worried and said, "Shouldn't we call a doctor?" Grimmjow scowled and didn't reply as he rummaged under the sink in the bathroom.

"That was terrible…" Blue whispered, stroking the baby's face. Ulquiorra only sighed and then tensed up immediately as pain shot through him. Kyoshiro looked over nervously and said, "I don't understand how they knew where we were."

"They…must have followed us. But when…?" Ulquiorra murmured and Grimmjow smacked him on the head and said, "Shut up, dumbass. I have the mind to not even let you out of the fucking house anymore. You can't even look after yourself!"

Ulquiorra kicked Grimmjow's feet out from underneath him. "I can look after myself, thank you very much." Ulquiorra said coldly, glaring down at Grimmjow.

"Guys," Weed said, "Now isn't the time for this. We have a huge problem! Think about it! If they could find us at the restaurant, they could have followed us here!" and Kyoshiro growled and hurried to pull down the blinds around all the windows.

Blue put the baby in the crib and said, "I have no idea what we're supposed to do. Calling the police I suppose would be a start, but first let's get an ambulance down here, we may be able to close the wound but the bullet has to be removed."

Ulquiorra had not wanted to go to the hospital for such a small injury so the doctors came to the house and began to treat the wound.

The doctor walked over and said, "Take off your shirt." Grimmjow sputtered loudly and looked around while Ulquiorra just looked bored. "What the fuck! No he's not taking off his damn shirt you pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert. I'm a doctor and I need to treat his wound without the shirt getting in the way." Grimmjow continued to fume as Ulquiorra did what the doctor instructed with a little difficulty due to his injured arm.

Grimmjow had to try not to gape at Ulquiorra as he peeled off his shirt, discarding it on the floor. The way the light hit his porcelain skin brought out the slight muscles on his stomach and arms and it brought out the fine curves of his hips. His skin was beautiful to look at, flawless. The messy ebony hair, his emerald eyes, pale skin, his body, everything about him was enthralling to Grimmjow.

There was one thing off however, one thing that ruined the image of beauty and that was not only the fact that he still had his pants on, but the horrendous wound, turning his skin a dark red. Grimmjow scowled. That _had_ to be fixed.

Grimmjow watched with worried eyes from behind the couch, his back turned but his eyes glancing over at Ulquiorra.

The doctor was preparing to stitch up the wound when Grimmjow suddenly spoke, "Let me."

Weed looked over and said, "I don't think that is advisable."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't."

"I'm experienced with stitching. Just let me do it."

The doctor looked like he wanted to protest but Grimmjow walked forward and said, "Trust me." The doctor stared and he could see that Grimmjow was serious. "I'll observe you and correct you."

Grimmjow just shrugged and knelt beside Ulquiorra who was sitting up right on the couch. "Grimmjow?" he inquired. Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed watched with interest as Grimmjow took the needle from the doctor. "If you think I'm about too—"

But Grimmjow cut Ulquiorra off by saying, "Just shut up. The wound's numbed?"

"Yes." The doctor answered.

Grimmjow lifted the needle and said, "This will probably hurt a little and you may not want to look. You ready?" Ulquiorra looked down at him and nodded. "Just do it."

Ulquiorra winced a little and looked down at Grimmjow, the man had a very concentrated look on his face and he was also frowning. "It isn't your fault I got shot. Stop looking pathetic." Grimmjow tugged on the needle and Ulquiorra yelped.

"That hurt?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

Grimmjow finished the stitching and gently cut the thread and he looked over the closed wound. It looked fine now, no bleeding and it was closed. "Does it still hurt?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "No. It feels fine. My arm is a little numb but…why did you do that?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Felt like it I guess…" Grimmjow responded. The doctor was staring at them. "Get out!" Grimmjow snapped and the doctor hurried out. Grimmjow sighed and Ulquiorra looked down at him. "You feel guilty, don't you?"

"No. Stop coming up with stupid ideas."

Ulquiorra shook his head. The man was a terrible liar sometimes. Why else would Grimmjow have volunteered to help him with his injury?

Grimmjow looked up when Ulquiorra's smaller hand covered his own larger one. Grimmjow looked up and saw Ulquiorra looking down at him, his emerald gaze gentle. Grimmjow looked away. "Stop lookin' at me like that. It's weird." But Grimmjow had a small smile on his face that told Ulquiorra he felt other wise.

A comfortable silence fell as they both looked into the others eyes, sharing silent mutual affection and seemingly forgetting that Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were in the room.

* * *

It was five in the morning.

Grimmjow's eyes blinked open and he yawned, stretching out and was surprised to find he had so much room to stretch. Curious, he opened his eyes. Ulquiorra wasn't beside him.

Grimmjow shrugged.

He'd probably gotten up to tend to the kid or something…

And since everything was so quiet he had to have succeeded.

Grimmjow suddenly realized he had to go to the bathroom and stood up, kicking the blankets off him and walking to the door. He opened it and peered out into the hallway. It was dark.

Grimmjow walked up the hall to the bathroom and suddenly stopped. Something was wrong and he could feel it. Something in the house didn't feel right.

Silently he crept down the stairs and entered the living room. Ulquiorra was not there.

A feeling of unease settled in his stomach and then he heard it muffled noises coming from the broom closet Grimmjow turned around to stare at it and then slowly walked towards it.

Halfway there however the door was kicked open and Grimmjow jumped when two bound and gagged figures fell onto the floor. Ulquiorra and Blue!

Ulquiorra was facing him and Blue was back to back with him and facing the opposite wall. "Ulquiorra! What the hell are you doing?" Grimmjow exclaimed, hurrying towards them.

Then two other people fell out of the closet on top of Blue and Ulquiorra. Kyoshiro and Weed! And before Grimmjow could speak Ulquiorra somehow managed to get the gag in his mouth out and he said, "Grimmjow, behind you!"

Grimmjow turned around and within seconds a sword was pressed right up against his throat. Grimmjow's expression didn't change, he simply looked down once at the sword and then up at the attacker. It was the attacker from the restaurant.

"Gotcha. Now that your friends can't interfere tell me where the kid is or you die." It was a man's voice. Grimmjow sneered. "And why would I do that?"

"No, no, no!" it was a woman's voice, she shuffled forward, sword out. "He doesn't die. His friends do."

Grimmjow scowled. "Why? Can't you just come in here take the kid and get the hell out? Why did you need to take them hostage?"

"Because then you would listen. Now, where is the baby?"

Grimmjow looked around and saw his friends lying behind him. Kyoshiro was wriggling desperately, his yells muffled and Ulquiorra was trying to break his ropes along with Blue and Weed was trying to stand up and move and help in some way.

"Tell me, or they all die." said the woman.

Grimmjow glanced over at Ulquiorra and he said, "Where is he?"

"Blue's room, under the bed." Ulquiorra answered. "I heard them coming and Blue hid him there."

"Well go get him." Grimmjow said and the sword jabbed his throat and Grimmjow winced. "No, you get him. Now. Or they—."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Grimmjow hurried towards the stairs but stopped as he heard one of the men say, "Which one should we start with?"

"Well, it depends on whom he likes best, whom he is closest too." Said another man with relish in his voice as his eyes scanned the group of four. Kyoshiro managed to get his gag off and he snarled, "You bastards! Wait until I get out of this! I'll rip you to pieces! Don't you _dare_ touch any of us!"

One of the men sneered and approached him and Weed and Blue gasped. "Stop barking! There were two boys with them yesterday at the restaurant…I don't see them here…"

The woman glanced at Grimmjow and then she smirked, remembering the way he had looked at Ulquiorra when she told him of what would happen to them if the baby was not handed over.

"No, leave them. I think…"

She saw Grimmjow stop walking up the stairs.

"I think he has a soft spot for emo-boy here. Hurt him and let's see."

And within seconds, Grimmjow had sprung from the stairs and tackled the man nearest his friends, throwing him into the wall. Ten other men emerged from the shadows and Grimmjow looked at them, a snarl on his face.

"The first one who touches them is a dead duck, got that you little shits?" he yelled and the men advanced, swords were drawn.

"Grimmjow, don't!" Ulquiorra called and Grimmjow sprung, tackling the men.

Ulquiorra suddenly saw a man running towards them with a sword and he had an idea. He stood up and the sword sliced through the ropes and Ulquiorra kicked the man, sending him flying backwards.

Ulquiorra seized the sword and sliced through Kyoshiro and Weed's ropes and Weed had his gag removed by Kyoshiro. Blue ran forward and attacked one of the men, taking her wolf form and sinking her fangs into his neck, the man fell to the floor.

Kyoshiro grinned as he latched onto a man's leg with a cry.

"Hey, I got him!" came a voice and a man ran down the stairs, holding a baby!

Grimmjow plowed into him and he caught the baby. "No you don't!" he yelled, grinning. Ulquiorra staggered slightly and growled as he felt a pain in his arm, he switched sword hands and cut through two men, blood flew through the air and Grimmjow tore by, his sword clashing with another man's blade.

Weed lunged and bit into a man's arm and the man yelled out.

The woman watched with wide eyes as the five strangers took on ten men with hardly any difficulty. "Who…are these people?"

"Yo, bitch!" and a foot struck her right in the ribs but she managed to retaliate and slice Grimmjow across the chest. Grimmjow grinned and said, "Not bad! I may actually have some fun with you!" and she kicked him, or she tried too.

Grimmjow jumped over her and before he could attack he was struck a blow from the left as one of the many men in the room plowed into him. The baby flew from his arm and fell to the floor just as a man tripped over his own feet.

This wouldn't have been much of a problem if the sword wasn't headed right for the baby's head.

Within seconds the five friends surrounded the baby, blocked the blow from the sword and Blue kicked the man in the stomach and sent him flying into the wall.

The woman let out a sigh of relief and said, "You idiot, watch where you trip next time!"

"Yeah, like you care!" Grimmjow argued, picking up the baby and holding him tightly against his chest. "You guys wanna kill him anyway!"

"What?" said the masked woman.

"Why else would you have come here?" Ulquiorra asked irritably. "You're from Fang's—"

"What? No we're not! We are not from Fang's gang! We're from Longstride's! And how do you know about Fang?"

Weed took his human form and all the strangers gasped. "If you're being hunted down it's impossible _not_ to want to know about the gangs hunting you! Now can you explain what's going on?" Weed half yelled, clearly tired of the whole ordeal.

"Alright, instead of fighting how about we sit down and talk because it seems like we're all confused." Blue said. The woman sighed and said, "Alright, listen. We are from Longstride's gang. His baby son was stolen two days ago and we need him back. You guys stole him. You guys are from Fang's gang! Give him back!"

Ulquiorra suddenly said, "The people there the night Longstride's wife was murdered were Fang's gang members. _We_ were on our way to the grocery store that night and accidentally got involved with the fight. Longstride's wife entrusted her son to us because we tried to save her from the gang attacking her. Your group came in and saw us with the baby and assumed we were from Fang's gang when really we were there by accident. Actually, we all thought that you were Fang's gang members coming with reinforcements so we left. That is the story."

"Yeah you _idiots_." Grimmjow growled.

The woman blinked once and said, "What's to say you aren't lying, huh?"

"Nothing," Ulquiorra answered. "Except for our word and the fact that the baby isn't dead. That's all."

Several of the men nodded.

"And the fact that we have been trying to figure out how to return him!" Kyoshiro said quickly. "If we can trust you, you'll be able to get him off our hands."

"But we can't trust you, can we?" Grimmjow said aggressively.

The men and the woman in the room all looked at each other and then the woman said, "You did just save the baby, so we do owe you…you also looked after him and fed him and all…but we need to be absolutely certain. Show us your arms,"

"Show…what?" Weed asked, a little unnerved.

The woman walked forward and seized Grimmjow's arm, Ulquiorra made to slice off her arm but she said, "I'm not going to hurt your friend. Just a second." And he lifted the sleeve of Grimmjow's arm.

"Show us your wrists. We need proof that you really can be trusted."

Blue slowly lifted her sleeve but Kyoshiro said, "What do you want? Do Fang's men slit their own wrists?"

Weed however lifted Kyoshiro's sleeve and then his own.

Ulquiorra hesitantly did the same.

The woman lowered her mask. The woman in front of them had an olive skin complexion and blue eyes with long brown hair. The men gasped. "What are you doing?" one of them exclaimed.

"They do not have the mark on them. They are not Fang's men. They are trust worthy."

"Okay I am really kind of confused." Grimmjow said, scratching his head, a scowl on his face.

"Fang's men all have a tattoo of a fang on their wrists. You do not; I consider you trust worthy and safe. I will not ask how you can turn invisible or how you can turn into dogs because I don't think I really _want_ to know. My name is Emily."

Everyone was silent.

"Well?" she snapped.

"What the hell do you want us to say?" Kyoshiro asked, looking mildly confused.

"Can you tell us what is going on?" Blue asked. "Not about the tattoos, but about the whole thing with the baby. Why was Alice killed?"

"You do not know? How can you not know?"

"Well we don't!" Grimmjow snapped, his fists clenching, Ulquiorra place his hand on Grimmjow's arm and said, "Stop beating around the bush. Normally I don't like rushing conversations but today I really don't want anything except to get to the point immediately."

Emily nodded in understanding and walked to the baby's crib and reached for the bundle and rummaged around in it before pulling something out.

Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Weed, Ulquiorra and Blue all let out exclamations of shock! What Emily was holding in her hand was a scarab made entirely of diamonds with an emerald in the center.

"Holy shit…" Grimmjow whispered.

Emily said, "This is what both gangs were after. I'll explain. My boss, Longstride, has been trying to get his hands on this for a year. It has come all the way from Egypt, escaping many thieves' greedy hands."

Ulquiorra suddenly gasped. "I get it. Longstride arranges to meet with Fang to avoid possibly being discovered and instead sends his wife to get it while he distracts Fang. Somehow Fang's men ended up down at the piers with her, she hears them and hides the scarab in the baby's bundle and flees to the warehouse where she is killed."

"Exactly, but unlike you I can explain how Fang's men got there. Also, my boss sent men with her but they all were killed. Anyway," Emily said, "Fang suspected something when Longstride prepared to meet him and sent men to spy on us. They followed Alice and the men when she left the house with the guards."

"I thought that might be why you were discovered but my theory was something along the lines of betrayal rather than spies." Ulquiorra said and Emily exclaimed, "You're sharp! We could use someone like you in our gang, instead of the fight-loving morons I get stuck with." She said sadly and the men shuffled their feet.

"Take off your masks by the way!" she snapped and the men all jumped. "But first…Friday, Jack, Timothy, Will, come forward."

The four men stepped beside her and pulled down their masks. "We're the ones who attacked you yesterday," said a blonde man. "I think we may owe you an apology for that. My name is Will."

"You _think_?" Grimmjow growled, kicking an invisible pebble.

"My name is Timothy and I'm sorry for shooting you. I guess I just— uh…anyway, sorry." said a man with green eyes and long brown hair, addressing Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra just said, "It'd didn't hurt. Much."

Kyoshiro scowled and said, "Like we're gonna forgive you anyway!"

Then a man threw himself at their feet and said, "I am sooooooo sorry! Please forgive us! We were only under orders!"

"Shut it Friday! And yes I'm sorry too so don't bitch at me!" said the man who must have been Jack, he had blue eyes and a beard and he looked like he might have a bit of a foul temper, especially since he was stepping on Friday's head.

"It's okay," Weed said hastily. "We forgive you."

"No we don't." Grimmjow grumbled and Friday exclaimed, crying, "I'm sorry!"

"Tch, pathetic." Grimmjow muttered and then the baby started crying and Grimmjow looked down at the little child clutching his arm. "Oh not you too! Just be quiet for a second!"

Emily however smiled and said, "May I take him?" and Grimmjow shook his head. "No." Blue looked at him in surprise, "Grimmjow I think we can trust them."

"It's not that…" Grimmjow muttered and Ulquiorra frowned. "After all that you said about wanting him to leave, you ended up forming an attachment to him?" Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, "No. I do want him to leave. I just didn't entirely imagine him leaving so…suddenly."

"I bet his father misses him…" Weed murmured.

Grimmjow looked down at the baby and saw the baby look up at him. Grimmjow sighed and said, "What are you looking at? Wanna go home?" and he handed the baby to Emily, the baby looked up at her and it smiled. "Yeah, remember me?" Emily said softly, kissing the baby on the forehead.

"One more thing, you're names?"

"I'm Blue." Said Blue and she looked at her friends expectantly.

"I'm Kyoshiro." said Kyoshiro.

"My name's Weed." said Weed, not showing anymore signs of distrust or anger.

"Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra said. "And I have a concern. The survivors at the hospital, they may give us away."

Emily nodded and said, "I understand. We'll take care of them. It's the least we can do." She said, returning her gaze to the baby as her group gathered around him to greet him, all smiling.

"What's his name?" Grimmjow asked and Emily looked at him and said, "Jeffery." Grimmjow nodded, looking at the floor. "Right…Jeffery."

They began to walk away but not before Emily said, "What's yours then?"

"Grimmjow." Grimmjow said.

"Can't we say goodbye?" Weed asked and Emily nodded before handing him to Blue. Blue looked down at him and said, "Goodbye Jeffery, it's been fun." And she turned to Kyoshiro, the white haired boy looked down at him and said, "See ya, kiddo."

Weed sniffed and said, "Goodbye, Jeffery. Don't forget us, okay?"

"We definitely won't forget about you. Goodbye." Ulquiorra said a gentle look in his eyes. As he stepped back the baby gently took hold of his shirt. Ulquiorra looked down and sighed. "No, you need to go with them. Okay?" Grimmjow walked forward and grinned, "Goodbye Jeffery. Thanks for the adventure." He placed his hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder and then gently took the baby's hand. "Bye." He said softly.

Emily nodded. "Bye, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Blue, Weed, Ulquiorra…" and she turned and began to walk away, taking her men with her. The baby looked over her shoulder at them and then very quietly it said, "Gwi…Gwimmu…"

And Grimmjow's eyes widened. "Stupid kid." He said, but there was a smile on his face. Ulquiorra looked up at him and put an arm around his waist when he saw the look in Grimmjow's eyes. "Grimmjow…that's right." Grimmjow said, half laughing.

Kyoshiro and Blue and Weed put their arms around Ulquiorra and Grimmjow as the baby and his friends left the house and disappeared up the street.

"Can you believe that kid remembered my name?" Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro ruffled Grimmjow's hair. "Softie!" he said, grinning and Grimmjow hit the back of Kyoshiro's head. "Shut it."

"That is something…" Weed said, smiling as he nuzzled Ulquiorra's shoulder.

"Did we not tell him our names?" Blue said and Grimmjow smirked. "Jealous?"

"No. I'm very happy for you." said Blue, smiling at him and then Grimmjow realized that everyone had their arms around him. "What the…let go."

"Hey guys? How'd they get in?" Weed asked and they all looked at each other. The door fell in with a crash.

"Shit." Grimmjow said, glaring at the broken hinges.

* * *

The telephone rang and Ulquiorra answered it.

"Hello? Oh. Really? 11:00? Right. I'll be there. Thank you."

Grimmjow looked up. "Who was that?" he asked.

"I have a job interview at 11:00 tonight."

"That late?" said Blue, she was eating her dog food so her voice was a little muffled. "Yes."

"What job?" Kyoshiro asked, finishing his breakfast.

"Guard at the American Museum of Natural History."

"Cool!" Weed exclaimed, his eyes bugging out in shock. Grimmjow grinned. "Nice. They think you have what it takes?"

"That's why I have to go and see. I called it a job interview but it's more like training I guess."

"Well knowing our Ulquiorra you'll pass the test in no time!" Blue said enthusiastically.

Grimmjow frowned. "You're still injured though."

"Espada heal quickly. The injury is nothing." Ulquiorra said, confident that he was okay. It didn't seem like his arm was hurting anymore.

Weed looked at the clock and said, "It's four in the afternoon. Wow we really ate breakfast late…anyway, you have plenty of time before you have to leave so don't stress."

Grimmjow shivered as he felt the breeze from outside and said, "Yeah well in the meantime we have to fix that door!"

"I already called someone so they should be here soon." Ulquiorra said, turning his gaze to the baby crib. "That whole ordeal was…very interesting. I can't believe it's over already."

"Well I guess we can throw away the baby stuff." said Kyoshiro. "Maybe we should have given them to Emily and her friends though…" he added.

"Throw it away?" said Grimmjow in a tone that suggested Kyoshiro was stupid. "We can give the kid's stuff to you and Weed. You two are babyish enough."

"I was being serious!" Kyoshiro snapped, his fists clenched.

* * *

Grimmjow lay in the grass in the Hudson River Park, watching the sun slowly descend. It almost looked like the sun was sinking into the water. Grimmjow knew that if that happened either the earth would explode or the whole earth would dry up and _then_ explode.

He had left the others at the house to go to the store and get food. He had gotten food and was now resting in the grass, comfortable because of the sun's warmth.

At least with Jeffery gone he would be able to sleep better.

Grimmjow was already starting to feel drowsy…

His phone rang and Grimmjow sighed and pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jow, it's Jerry!"

"Great. What do you—?" and Grimmjow's phone fell from his hand. He was supposed to leave today. Precisely at 11:00 he would head down to the airport and leave for France for a year.

_How could I forget? Why did I forget so easily? _

Grimmjow could feel his heart thudding in his chest. The shock had hit him hard and now he was speechless.

"Grimmjow?" Jerry's voice was loud and Grimmjow jumped and picked up his blue cell phone. "Y-Yeah?"

"It's JetBlue airport, flight 46. You better get packed because we are going to France! Yaaaaaaay—!" Grimmjow hung up.

He closed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh.

_I'm such a dumbass. Forgetting like that…and now it's only going to be more difficult…_

And then he remembered something even worse! Ulquiorra was leaving at 11:00 for his job. The times clashed, two different places at once…how was he going to do this?

Grimmjow relaxed however when he remembered that Ulquiorra was still at home. There was enough time to ensure that they all had a proper goodbye.

And, depressed, Grimmjow set off for his home.

* * *

Blue jumped as the door burst open and Grimmjow walked in, slightly wet from the sudden rain that had started only a few minutes ago. "Grimmjow? Welcome back." She said and she cocked her head when Grimmjow ignored her and hurried upstairs.

Blue sighed. "Sometimes all he can ever see is Ulquiorra." She muttered, a little annoyed by Grimmjow's behavior. She heard the man call out upstairs and then she saw him come back down the stairs and he said, "I need to talk to you guys and Ulquiorra. It's important. Where is he?"

"He left." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow looked around and saw the white dog sitting on the floor near the sofa, which Blue and Weed were seated on. "What?" Grimmjow's voice was sharp. "Where is he? I need to talk to him."

"He left for his job," said Kyoshiro. "He said he wanted to make sure he was early—what's up?" Kyoshiro frowned when he saw Grimmjow lean against the wall and curse under his breath. "I wanted to talk to him before—I needed to talk to him! Why did he have to leave now?" Grimmjow groaned.

"You can talk to us." Blue said, turning to face him. "We're interested."

Weed looked concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes. What with everything that's been going on around here, I completely forgot to tell you guys. I'm leaving for a year to go to France, Paris."

"What?" Weed barked and Blue and Kyoshiro both gasped. "Why?" Blue exclaimed. "I've finally got a job and this trip is promising a lot of money for me and for us." Grimmjow explained, tucking his hands into his pockets. "And we can't go?" Kyoshiro asked. "It'd probably bore you guys anyway." Grimmjow said, hurrying upstairs to start packing his things.

Within a minute he was back downstairs, a jacket thrown over his shoulders. Blue looked upset. "This is so sudden…"

"Yeah, I know." Grimmjow grumbled, hurrying to the door.

"Wait," Weed said, "Do you want to know where Ulquiorra went so you can tell him?"

Grimmjow stopped walking and said softly, "I know where he went. But I don't think I'll be able to…"

"Try. He went to 105 west Fifteenth Street." Blue urged, "I know he should hear this from you rather than from a note or from us. Which airport by the way?"

"JetBlue, flight 64." Grimmjow said and Blue nodded and she, Kyoshiro and Weed accompanied him to the door. Grimmjow heaved a sigh and they could tell he really didn't want to go. "See ya," he said turning around and he jumped when Blue hugged him tightly, nuzzling his chest. "Goodbye Grimmjow, we'll miss you." she whispered and Grimmjow cleared his throat a little and said awkwardly, "Yeah, I'll miss you too."

Weed was sniffing, giving Grimmjow big puppy eyes that said, "Please don't leave me!" and Grimmjow knelt down and ruffled Weed's fur. "Hey, stop looking so pathetic. I'll be back soon…I think. See ya, kiddo." He said fondly, giving Weed a quick squeeze and Weed licked his face. "Bye Grimmjow, I'll think of you!" Weed whimpered, his tail going down as Grimmjow moved away.

Kyoshiro looked awkward and Grimmjow simply knelt down in front of him and punched him on the shoulder. "See ya then, Kyo."

Kyoshiro grinned, but Grimmjow could see that he was sad. "Yeah. We'll miss you Grimmjow. Go and find Ulquiorra." Kyoshiro briefly put his paws up on Grimmjow's shoulders and allowed Grimmjow to thump him on the back.

Blue wiped her eyes and said, "Bye, Grimmjow" once again and Grimmjow grinned, "Bye." And he seized his suitcase and walked out the door which Weed held open for him.

Grimmjow took one last glance at them, all of them were sad but if they were they at least smiled at him and waved as Grimmjow walked away, giving them one last wave before he jumped over the fence and hurried away up the streets, trying not to feel too depressed.

Now he had to hurry up and find Ulquiorra.

* * *

Ulquiorra straightened his tie properly as he looked up at the large building in front of him; it was a building where you could rent certain rooms for your use so Ulquiorra figured they would train him in one of those rooms. He sighed once and then straightened up and rang the buzzer. "Shiffer?"

"Yes."

"Alright, thank you for coming! It's the fifth floor, just in case you forgot!" said the cheerful voice and the buzzer went off. Ulquiorra entered and proceeded to the elevator. Just as he got in however the doors behind him burst open and Grimmjow entered the room, panting from his run. Luckily for him the buzz for the door had lasted longer than it should have.

Grimmjow saw the numbers on the elevator go to the fifth floor and he slammed his fist onto the button and literally forced open the elevator doors when he got to the fifth floor. He heard a door to his left close and he hurried away.

Ulquiorra had just settled down in his seat to wait for them to call on him, tapping his fingers on his kneecap, staring impatiently at the clock. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair nervously. He couldn't help but feel worried.

And then the door to the elevators opened and Ulquiorra turned around with a jolt. It was Grimmjow! Ulquiorra frowned and said, "Grimmjow? What on—?"

"I need to talk to you!" Grimmjow exclaimed hurrying over, his breathing was ragged and Ulquiorra said, "Did you run here?"

"No, took a cab…ran the next five blocks here…! Listen I've got to talk to you, Ulquiorra!"

"Mister Shiffer," said a smiling woman, "We are ready for you!"

Ulquiorra looked over at Grimmjow and said, "I need to go." And Grimmjow's face fell. "Listen to me, I've got to—!"

"No you don't. You must have come here for a reason but is someone dying?"

Grimmjow stammered. "Is someone—? No! No, but I need to—!"

"Then it can wait." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow hurried forward and grabbed his arm. "Listen to me god dammit, Ulquiorra! This is important and I've got to talk to you—I need to—!"

"I don't have the time for this, Grimmjow. I'll take to you later."

"Ulqui—!" Ulquiorra pushed Grimmjow's arm away and Grimmjow's words died away as Ulquiorra said coldly, "Listen to me, I don't have time. I'll talk to you later." Grimmjow went silent. Ulquiorra's gaze was stern and in any other situation Grimmjow would have waited to talk to him but today was different. "Ulqui—!"

"I have to go. I'm busy. I can talk to you late—." But Ulquiorra broke of at the expression on Grimmjow's face. His face was pained, saddened.

Ulquiorra released Grimmjow's arm and made to speak when Grimmjow said, his voice hollow, "Yeah, okay, fine…I get it. I'm too busy to talk to you too, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow turned and headed to the stairs. Ulquiorra watched him, unable to speak.

Grimmjow stopped and bit his lip, he looked over his shoulder and his gaze met with Ulquiorra's. "Goodbye Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said softly and he saw surprise appear on Ulquiorra's face. Grimmjow sighed and pushed open the door.

The door closed and silence fell. Ulquiorra continued to stare at the door, a terrible feeling in his stomach. "Uh, mister Shiffer? We are ready to—"

"I can't."

"What?"

"I can't do this tonight. Would next time be better?" and without waiting for a response Ulquiorra hurried from the room and raced down the stairs. When he got down the stairs Ulquiorra hurried towards the door and threw it open and hurried out into the rain.

_How could I turn him away like that? How foolish of me. More importantly how did Grimmjow leave the building so quickly? Where did he go? What's wrong, Grimmjow?_

Ulquiorra fished around in his pockets and found his cell phone. Ulquiorra dialed home and waited impatiently for an answer. "Hurry up…hurry up…"

"Hello?"

"Blue?"

"Kyoshiro."

"Kyoshiro, listen to me, where is Grimmjow going? What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he didn't get to tell you? This will probably be a bit of a shock."

Ulquiorra dropped his cell phone, his eyes wide with shock as Kyoshiro finished telling him. "I am such an idiot." He whispered. And then he heard a voice from the phone and he snatched it up and said, "Kyoshiro? Tell me what flight he's taking and which airport."

* * *

The rain had gotten worse in the last two minutes and it could be heard slapping against the windows and the wind blew slightly harder than it should.

Grimmjow was sitting by the window, waiting for his flight to be announced. His band had gone off to get food and drink and he was left alone to stare out at the rain washed windows.

And then he heard it.

"Grimmjow?" and Grimmjow was on his feet in seconds looking around the room for the voice he knew so well, hardly daring to believe it.

Ulquiorra was standing behind the rows of seats, out of breath, wet, but looking relieved to see him. Grimmjow only stared at him, hardly able to take it in. "Ulquiorra." He whispered, a smile tugging at his lips.

Ulquiorra hurried forward and grabbed Grimmjow by the collar of his shirt and said, "I want to talk to you for a second. How long do you have?"

Grimmjow meanwhile was feeling overwhelmed. "Half an hour." He said feeling light headed.

"Excellent." And Ulquiorra dragged him away to the seats near the window which were vacant. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow seated themselves in front of the windows and Ulquiorra sighed, giving himself a moment to catch his breath before he said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Grimmjow immediately got defensive and said, "I _did_ try! But you had to act like an asshole didn't you? By the way I'm glad you came to your senses, I was getting worried that you'd been knocked stupid by—"

"That's not what I meant. I was talking about why you didn't tell me when we had the baby with us. There was plenty of time then. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"We had too much to deal with and compared to the mess we were in, my little problems didn't seem too much of a big deal. What with you getting shot and running for our lives the day before…the following day I had completely forgotten." Grimmjow explained, looking at the man next to him. "By the way, how did you get here?"

"I changed into an Espada to get past security. My gigai was a little difficult to hide but I managed. The instant I was past security I darted into a bathroom where I changed back."

Ulquiorra was looking troubled, it didn't show on his face but Grimmjow could see it if he looked hard enough. Even people like Ulquiorra were readable sometimes.

"What's wrong now?" Grimmjow asked, folding his elbow over the arm of the chair, his hand brushing Ulquiorra's. Ulquiorra made to remove his own hand from the chair arm but Grimmjow stopped him by taking Ulquiorra's hand. "You upset I'm leaving? I'll admit I don't want to go either but—I need this job."

"I need mine too. You're probably annoyed by the fact that I'll also be working but…I need to."

Grimmjow nodded, listening.

"I need this job for more than one reason. I need this job because I don't want to be left behind by you. There's enough distance in our powers, our ranks, and our personalities already. I don't want to be left behind by you."

"What the hell brought this on?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "Nothing. I just figured now would be the best time to bring that up. It's a small worry that's been on my mind."

"Still self reliant…" Grimmjow muttered, looking at the other man, searching his eyes as if trying to spot any other worries. "You can talk." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow poked him. "I still don't see why you were stupid enough to hide it. We would have wanted to hear what's wrong."

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Well maybe it's good I didn't tell you when we had to baby! Seeing how you reacted earlier when I told has enforced that opinion!" Grimmjow snapped, jabbing him in the chest.

Before Ulquiorra could speak however Grimmjow sighed and said calmly, "You know, there was someone who inspired me to get a job, someone who inspired me to work hard to get it. And it's because he worked so hard to support me that going away for a year seems like a good way to repay for all that stuff he did for me."

Ulquiorra looked curious. "Who is he?"

Grimmjow looked at him and said, "Ulquiorra Shiffer."

Ulquiorra's expression changed from curious to mild surprise but Grimmjow knew that past that look of small surprise, the man was deeply surprised and possibly touched. Grimmjow suddenly felt stupid and said, "Just kidding. I was lying. Never mind I was not—!"

_How many times does this man intend to do this to me? Just when I think he can't effect me anymore than he already has—he has to go and say something like that…and completely move me. _

Grimmjow's words never left him for Ulquiorra leaned across the arm of the seat and kissed him. Grimmjow felt a small jolt inside him that he knew would never leave no matter how often Ulquiorra kissed him. Grimmjow's hands gently fisted in Ulquiorra's suit and he felt himself beginning to melt into Ulquiorra. Every part of him felt so at peace, calm—Wait, no, no, no! He was actually melting into Ulquiorra's arms? His heart was actually hammering a hundred miles per second in his chest? No.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques did not melt. He _did not_ blush and he _did not_ clutch onto someone like he needed them closer to him than possible!

Just before he could regain control of himself he felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around his shoulders, one of his hands fisting gently in Grimmjow's hair.

_Alright, fuck it. I, fucking, like this. Got a problem with it, Self? In fact I really—no, wait I don't. Oh whatever. I give up, I can't push him away. And I don't think I would even if I could._

Grimmjow put his arms around Ulquiorra, pulling him into a tight embrace and eagerly returned the kiss. Grimmjow then looked out of the corner of his eyes and gasped and pushed Ulquiorra away from him as his band members walked by. Ulquiorra looked disappointed but immediately hid it when Grimmjow caught his gaze. "Don't do that in public, stupid!" Grimmjow hissed.

Ulquiorra chuckled and Grimmjow glared at him. "What?"

"You can talk."

"Shut up." Grimmjow said, embarrassed.

"Well I hope you don't regret pushing me away because we aren't going to see each other for a year." Ulquiorra informed him and he saw Grimmjow's jaw clench. "You think that's going to bother me?" Grimmjow said quickly and Ulquiorra said, "No, just pointing out the fact that we're going to be apart for a year—and no it doesn't bother me either."

"Yeah right!" Grimmjow said, smirking as he invaded Ulquiorra's personal space. "You're the one who was ready to make out with me, not the other way around."

"Make out is a bit of a strong word."

"More like too little a—!"

"Just shush." Ulquiorra said, getting tired of the discussion.

Grimmjow sighed and said, "Yeah sure."

"Yo, Jow! Who's your friend?" said Jerry, holding an extra drink in his hand.

"Grimmjow leaned back in his chair and accepted the water bottle Jerry handed him. "Ulquiorra Shiffer." Grimmjow answered.

"Oh, that's a mouthful!" said Jerry, leaning in way too close to Ulquiorra to get a better look at him.

Ulquiorra glanced at Grimmjow and said, "A friend?"

"Not really."

"Hey!" Jerry whined at Grimmjow's deadpan tone.

"Wow, dude, you have beautiful eyes!" Jerry said, looking Ulquiorra over and Grimmjow growled. "Oi."

"I'd appreciate it if you got out of my face." Ulquiorra said, feeling self conscious by Jerry's staring. "Oh, sorry man! Since your name is a mouthful, can I call ya Ulqui?"

"No! That's my name for him!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Wow, you two are really close! You even have a nickname for him and you don't even yell at him! I wish you'd treat me like that!"

"You don't know the half of it." Ulquiorra said, crossing his arms and Jerry and the other three men laughed. "Let me introduce you to Harry, Bill and Tom." said Jerry beckoning to Harry and the other two.

Ulquiorra raised a hand and they waved back eagerly.

Then there was a voice from the speakers that announced their flight and Ulquiorra felt a jolt in his stomach.

Jerry and the others began to walk away and Grimmjow slowly stood to his feet. Ulquiorra followed him to the line where they waited for the line to proceed up until they could pass through the man inspecting their tickets.

Ulquiorra looked down in surprise when Grimmjow took his hand almost curiously. When it seemed Grimmjow was comfortable, he interlaced their fingers. Ulquiorra didn't pull away and Grimmjow took this as a sign that Ulquiorra was comfortable.

They were almost towards the end of the line when Grimmjow said, "I think we should say goodbye here. You don't have a ticket and you won't be able to pass." Ulquiorra agreed and said, "Enjoy France." And Grimmjow sighed and said, "Yeah…"

Grimmjow glanced down at Ulquiorra and lifted Ulquiorra's chin and Ulquiorra felt his eyes flutter closed just seconds before Grimmjow kissed him. Grimmjow's hands held him fast by the arms, preventing Ulquiorra from moving away as Grimmjow deepened the kiss.

People behind them started to cough and some looked away.

Jerry was tapped on the shoulder and he looked around and his jaw dropped. "Whoa, dude." He said in awe and Harry and Bill exchanged glances, Tom simply stared and said, "So?"

"He's…?" Jerry said. "Yeah." said Tom in a bored tone. "I knew it! I knew he liked Ulqui!" said Jerry, snapping his fingers. "If he were a chick I'd totally be all over him." Tom face palmed.

Grimmjow finally parted from Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra whispered, "Hypocrite." And Grimmjow said irritably, "What?"

"You tell me not to kiss you in public and then—" Ulquiorra answered and Grimmjow said loudly, "You forced me!"

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow and said, "Your band's waiting. Goodbye hypocrite." Though his tone was fond Grimmjow still took offense, his face completely red, "I ain't gonna miss you, bastard!"

"Me neither." Ulquiorra said over his shoulder.

"Fine then!" Grimmjow said, shoving his ticket at the man and stomping towards his band only to stop halfway to his band. Ulquiorra stopped as well.

The both of them realized just how long a year really was. Ulquiorra sighed and looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow only to find the man staring back at him.

Grimmjow's scowl vanished and he grinned, "Whoever calls first is a weakling. See ya, Ulqui." And Ulquiorra raised a hand and waved. "See you, stupid."

And Jerry put his arm around Grimmjow's shoulders and dragged him off, singing loudly, "Grimmjow loves Ulquiorra!" and Grimmjow hit him.

Ulquiorra watched them leave. He had to admit he was going to miss that fool.

* * *

Ulquiorra waited by the windows, staring up at the sky as he waited for the plane to depart. A year was a very long time…Ulquiorra shrugged at the thought. _I'll get use to it. I still wish he'd told me sooner. _Ulquiorra sighed and subconsciously placed a finger to his lips. There was one thing that wouldn't leave along with Grimmjow. His touch, his kiss...

Ulquiorra then realized how sappy he sounded and glowered at the floor. _He's such a fool. _And then he realized something that made his mouth slip open slightly. _But then what does that make the man enamored with that fool?_

A roar started up and Ulquiorra was jolted out of his thoughts and he looked up as the engine to the plane started up and Ulquiorra watched as the plane began to turn around and head up the runway.

Ulquiorra watched in silence as the plane grew father and farther away, gathering speed all the while.

And then it was gone.

* * *

Ah, finally chapter 11 is out! I really loved the idea for this chapter so I had fun writing about all my favorite characters being stuck with a baby. Their all so crazy it was even more fun. xD

I hope the readers enjoyed this chapter. Chapter 12 is also another chapter I've been wanting to get too. x3

Goodbye and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	12. Adventure 12

**Adventure #12**

**A Thing or Two about Control**

"When were you planning on turning up? In 2012?" Grimmjow exclaimed a little grumpily, walking calmly over to greet Blue, Ulquiorra, Weed and Kyoshiro. "No just a month." Kyoshiro replied.

Grimmjow had been waiting outside Chelsea Market for his friends to arrive. They had all agreed to have lunch there since none of them had anything to do.

"Why didn't you call me?" Grimmjow asked Ulquiorra, the man looked over as he was addressed. "My phone died." Ulquiorra answered, walking around Grimmjow to hold the door open. Blue hurried by, muttering a hasty ''Thank you!'' to Ulquiorra.

Once inside the market, Grimmjow led the way through the market, looking about for places to eat. Weed looked around and said, "How about Amy's Bread?" Grimmjow shook his head. "No. C'mon, bread for lunch?"

"They have cake." Kyoshiro said and Ulquiorra looked around in mild interest. Grimmjow sighed when he caught Ulquiorra's stare and he said, "Fine whatever."

Once inside they all selected different cakes, Blue got a slice of the red velvet cake, Kyoshiro got a slice of carrot cake, Weed chose a slice of black and white cake, Ulquiorra chose a slice of yellow cake with pink frosting and Grimmjow chose the same as Ulquiorra, not knowing what exactly to get.

The five of them seated themselves near the window over looking the inside of the market. Blue sighed as she tasted her cake and then immediately began to eat. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed softly and Ulquiorra took a bite of his cake and looked a little surprised at the taste. It was good! Very good!

"This is actually pretty good for such a girly lookin' cake." Grimmjow admitted and Kyoshiro said, "It does look girly. Hey, guys!" he said excitedly and they looked over at him. "Halloween is coming up within the next month! Wanna rent a horror movie?"

Grimmjow grinned. "Holy crap! That would be awesome! Let's rent, The Grudge, The Strangers, REC, Sleepy Hollow, Dead Silence, Quarantined, SAW, Boogeyman, When a Stranger calls, a Nightmare on Elmstreet and—!"

"Grimmjow, what is it with you and horror movies?" Blue asked, wide eyed. "Horror movies are foolish." Ulquiorra said, joining the discussion while Weed remained silent, too busy eating his cake and not entirely knowing how to participate in the discussion. "Why would anyone bother watching them? They lack logic."

"But that's why their so damn fun! Anyway, you were scared that time you watched The Strangers!" Grimmjow said, smirking at Ulquiorra from across the small round table. "I was not. I was just surprised by how stupid it was."

Kyoshiro said, "I never got around to watching it. How was it?"

"He just said it was stupid," Weed said, "I don't really see a point in watching those movies. All it's going to do is scare you silly anyway. Why bother? Is it really worth it? And is there any point in watching them?"

Though Grimmjow responded with conviction in his tone, Ulquiorra could tell he was thinking about what Weed had said. Sometimes, though Weed was still a young dog, he was good with words and he could even inspire people. He was an interesting kid.

"The reason is because people love being scared. Humans are stupid I guess. Horror movies are just pretty damn fun to watch!"

"I still don't—Never mind, hey guys? What's your favorite holiday?" Weed asked, changing the subject and eating more of his cake.

"Hardly know any." Grimmjow said immediately, eating more of his delicious cake.

"Thanksgiving probably… But I've never celebrated it yet. It's an American holiday and since we only recently moved here, the month it's on hasn't turned up yet." Blue said, slicing off some of her cake and eating it. "I think it sounds nice though, having one day to sit down and give thanks for whom we have and what we have."

Kyoshiro thought about it and said, pushing his dessert to the side of his cheek, "Probably…Halloween. It's a pretty stupid holiday though but it's a perfect day to watch horror movies and read creepy stories."

"I'd have thought you'd say Christmas," Grimmjow said, "Since you have 'shiro' in your name it seemed—whatever."

"That sounds like a fun holiday too." Blue said. "I remember Pops, Mom, and Ruus celebrating it." She drifted into thought for a moment. From what Blue had told Grimmjow, her family had been killed.

"What about you, Ulquiorra?" Weed asked, leaning across the table to hear Ulquiorra's answer. Ulquiorra looked up from his cake and said, "…None."

"None?" Weed and Kyoshiro said in unison, they both grinned at each other. "Holidays seem pointless to me." Ulquiorra said, returning his whole attention to his half eaten cake.

"Really? What about…Halloween? You'd probably like that one." Kyoshiro said. "No—why do humans have holidays anyway?" Ulquiorra said after a moment.

"To celebrate certain days." Blue explained, smiling at the fact that she was able to answer a question from Ulquiorra, who usually liked to think he knew a lot. Sometimes he did.

"Yeah," Kyoshiro said, thinking, "Christmas I think is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and for some reason people give each other presents on that day. Valentines Day is to celebrate love... Uh…there are a lot but mostly they all have some historic meaning." Kyoshiro said, trying to think of more.

"How educational." Grimmjow said sarcastically.

"Then you name some holidays and their meanings!" Kyoshiro snapped and Grimmjow said, "You—!"

"Thanksgiving sounds quiet enough." Ulquiorra said and they looked at him, "I wouldn't know though. Most of these are American holidays."

"Not Saint Patrick's day. That's uh…Irish but it's celebrated here so…." Kyoshiro said, trailing off as he tried to think of why it was celebrated here and Weed added, "The man was Irish and since most people in the USA are immigrants the Irish people here celebrate it." Weed said.

"I see." Ulquiorra murmured, staring at his cake. "If you guys could be thankful for something what would it be?" Weed inquired and Grimmjow said, "Ain't that question a little early?"

"Cake." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow looked over. "That all?"

"Perhaps—I can't think of anything else at the moment." Ulquiorra said eating more of it and Blue saw Grimmjow's jaw clench. "You aren't being serious are you?" Grimmjow ground out. "Cake? That's _all_?" Grimmjow grumbled looking like he quite wanted to blow up the cake Ulquiorra was eating.

Kyoshiro sniggered and then hastily crammed his cake into his mouth when he saw Grimmjow glare at him.

* * *

The following day, Grimmjow woke to absolute _cold_. He cursed and wrapped the blankets completely around himself, shuddering. "Why the hell is it…cold? Hey, Ulqui?" Grimmjow felt around and scowled. "Damn. Where'd he go?" and Grimmjow staggered out of bed and into the hall.

They were all sitting around the table and all of them looked over as the fifth member of their group entered the room. Grimmjow grumbled and walked down the stairs and Weed said, "Morning. You've slept late."

Grimmjow sighed and sat down beside Ulquiorra, tightening his cashmere robe around himself. "Why the freak is it so cold down here?" Grimmjow asked moodily, shivering. "The heaters are not on." Ulquiorra said, looking over at the blue haired man and saying, "It's October now so you should probably expect worse."

"Worse? Than this?"

"Yep, this is just the beginning." Kyoshiro said, his tone implying that he was not pleased. Blue sighed and got up and walked to the refrigerator and opened it. "We need groceries. Other wise none of us will eat anything today."

Grimmjow sighed heavily and said, "I'll go. Oh wait, it's not even going to get warmer outside! Fuck."

Weed said, "Is there anyway we can get the heaters turned on?"

"I have no idea how to get them on," Ulquiorra admitted. "We should call the office."

Grimmjow went upstairs and pulled on a jacket before heading back down. "Do you need one of us?" Weed asked. "Nope." Grimmjow said but Kyoshiro stood up and said, "I'll go. I like the cold."

Grimmjow frowned and Kyoshiro smirked, "Disappointed I'm not Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow grunted in response and looked over at Ulquiorra and saw him heading for the bathroom to take a shower. How Grimmjow wanted to join him…

Kyoshiro seized Grimmjow wallet and said, "See ya later." And Grimmjow jumped and said, "Hey, give me that!" and he ran outside after him.

* * *

Kyoshiro and Grimmjow both stared in interest at the sight before them. The grocery store, Western Beef, was completely free of customers. Kyoshiro blinked. Grimmjow blinked.

A single tumbleweed rolled by.

Kyoshiro entered the store cautiously and said, "The people who work at the store are here. But why…?"

And Grimmjow shrugged and said, "Who cares? I wanna get this over with."

"Why, so you can get back to Ulqui?" Kyoshiro taunted and Grimmjow snarled at him before seizing a cart and beginning to push it and moving it towards the vegetable isle. Grimmjow had just picked out some broccoli and turned back to the cart when he saw Kyoshiro sitting in it. "What the fuck? Get out."

"Dude, we have the whole store available, don't you want to goof off?"

Grimmjow scowled and then he grinned and walked over to the cart, seized it and ran up the aisle. Kyoshiro shrieked and Grimmjow stopped and sent Kyoshiro flying through the air and landing on the floor. Grimmjow had run so fast he swore the wheels were smoking.

"Hell yeah. This'll be fun!" Grimmjow said and he seized Kyoshiro, slammed him into the cart and ran off.

Grimmjow and Kyoshiro tore up the aisles at top speed, laughing like a bunch of idiots all the while grabbing things they needed from the shelves. Grimmjow decided to see what would happen if they didn't stop to get something and grab it as they ran by—which ended in disaster.

The entire shelves contents crashed down and Kyoshiro grabbed five boxes of cereal and he tossed them over his shoulder. Kyoshiro threw his paws into the air and then screamed bloody murder as his paw got stuck on a randomly placed handle bar and left him hanging there as Grimmjow ran away, laughing himself hoarse.

Eventually they had to calm down after setting off all the seltzer bottles—which was awesome. The stuff sprayed everywhere! The caps flew everywhere! And Kyoshiro caught it all on Grimmjow's phone.

Grimmjow finally had enough of trashing the store and went to check out only to find that some people were there already. Kyoshiro frowned. "Where'd they all come from? A moment ago the store was—hey wait, Grimmjow. Someone was already in line. She just went off to get something."

Grimmjow grumbled and said, "Not my fault they walked off. Help me get this stuff out of the cart."

Kyoshiro and Grimmjow loaded their stuff onto the conveyer belt and waited for the lady to check it out. A small kid in front of Grimmjow was shuffling his feet as he walked and Grimmjow scowled and said, "Hey, kid, get your ass in gear!"

The kid froze and turned around and Kyoshiro and Grimmjow saw that the kid was not a kid at all but a midget! "I'm not a kid!" the man screamed, starting to cry and Grimmjow jumped back into an old lady and Kyoshiro ran off to get their bags.

Then Grimmjow felt it, something disappeared from his back pocket and he gasped and turned around to see a frail, slender old lady standing behind him, clutching a walking stick to her chest. Though she was frail, there was no mistaking it. She had just taken his wallet!

"Hey, you! You just stole my wallet!" Grimmjow yelled, infuriated by the act and the old lady immediately got upset and said, "Me? Why would I? How dare you accuse a frail, old, defenseless young woman of stealing the wallet you are clearly incapable of looking after?" the woman shrieked and Kyoshiro walked over and said, "What's going on?"

"She just took my wallet!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Kyoshiro said, "Her? Did you? Give it back."

"I can assure you, young man I would never rob anyone in my life!" the woman shrieked again and Grimmjow said, "Alright, quit playing the defenseless victim and give me my damn money, bitch!"

"Oh, how dare you!"

Kyoshiro jumped and gasped when he saw a police officer move away from the next check out line. "Grimmjow, knock it off, police are here!" Kyoshiro hissed. "Forget your damn wallet, you can get another one!"

"What's the problem, m'am?" said the officer and Grimmjow and the old woman said at the same time,

"This old hag stole my wallet!"

"This young man is accusing me of stealing his wallet! Me, a poor old woman! My daughter is dying and my husband is suffering, do you really thing I would make things worse for them by getting locked up?"

"Young man, is this your wallet?" and the police officer held it up and Grimmjow gasped loudly and said, "But she—! She stole—! She still stole it!"

"Now, I'm taking you in for assaulting a poor old woman!" and he grabbed Grimmjow's arm and dragged him off and Grimmjow yelled, "Hey, wait! Stop!" and he glared over at Kyoshiro who was staring hopelessly after him and then he stared at the old lady and saw her grin evilly at him.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

* * *

"Are you the one who called us?" asked a police woman behind a desk and Ulquiorra answered, "Yes, I am here to bail out Grimmjow Jaegerjaques."

"Alright follow me." And she led him through the back door to the cell where all the bail-ers were waiting to get…bailed.

"Mr. Jaegerjaques! A Mr. Cifer here for you!" she called and Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow's head pop up amongst the crowd and saw him scowl and say, "Finally!" and he trudged through the crowd and eagerly stepped out of the cell.

Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra wanted to talk about what had happened but quite frankly, Grimmjow was in too much of a bad mood to talk.

They both went outside together and Ulquiorra suggested that they take the subway which Grimmjow grunted in response too.

The ride home was tense until Ulquiorra decided to finally speak.

"Kyoshiro called me and told me what happened. Why did you feel the need to assault an old woman?"

"I did not!" Grimmjow replied grumpily and then he gasped and reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and immediately threw it on the floor with a moan of annoyance. "Empty?" Ulquiorra guessed and Grimmjow put his face against Ulquiorra's shoulder and groaned.

"I'm gonna kill her. I'm just going to kill that little hag, bury her, dig her, and kill her again. And again."

Ulquiorra patted him on the back and he felt Grimmjow nuzzle his shoulder.

* * *

Grimmjow led the way through the cold rain, an umbrella held over his head, Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro walked beside him, holding umbrellas over their heads and occasionally the umbrellas would almost blow away.

The reason they were walking through the rain was because Ulquiorra had forgotten his umbrella. Grimmjow had said he'd drop it off himself but Blue and the others had wanted to see him.

Kyoshiro stopped at the revolving door and cautiously poked it and jumped as Grimmjow walked through it and he watched the revolving door spin.

Weed jumped through followed by Blue and Kyoshiro jumped in—at the wrong time and got caught in between and was spun around a good few times before he was thrown out onto the floor with a crash. Grimmjow started laughing and Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, really freaking funny!"

"Hell yeah it is!" Grimmjow said, grinning and Weed hurried to help Kyoshiro who immediately slipped and fell over again. Blue called over Grimmjow's laughter, "Guys, c'mon! We're here for Ulquiorra!" she called.

They walked to the elevators and Weed said, "Which floor was it again?"

"Fifth." Grimmjow said and he pressed the button and began to wait then there was a ding and the doors opened and they all climbed in and Weed pressed the button for the fifth floor.

The doors opened and Grimmjow looked around the room, it was slightly crowded. And there were doors here and there with people sitting outside them, waiting to sing, play instruments or rehearse. "I didn't know Ulquiorra was interested in learning to play the piano." Weed mused as he seated himself and Kyoshiro said tiredly, "A lot of stuff that guy does surprises me."

The doors opened and Grimmjow waved at Ulquiorra and Blue smiled at the surprised look that momentarily appeared on his face. "What…? What are you doing here?"

"We brought you an umbrella, you really need one today! It's terrible out." Blue said taking the umbrella from Grimmjow and handing it to him and Ulquiorra said, "I see. Thank you." and Kyoshiro sighed and said, "Thank God you're pleased. If you weren't we would have braved the dark and dangerous storm for nothing!" he said dramatically.

"Are you completely finished?" Grimmjow asked, crossing his arms over his chest and Ulquiorra said, "Yes, we can leave."

The door opened and a blonde man with blue eyes and a goatee poked his head out and said, "Oh, Ulqui are those your friends?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face and Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow scowl at the use of his nickname.

"Yes, Mr. Adolfo."

"Oh, is that your piano teacher?" Weed asked and the man said happily, "Yes! My name is Azure Adolfo, yours?" he asked, a good natured grin on his face.

"Weed and that's Grimmjow, Blue and Kyoshiro." Weed said eagerly pointing to his friends and Grimmjow grumbled about not wanting to be introduced. Grimmjow noticed Adolfo's eyes wonder over to him with interest and smile almost knowingly. He wondered if Ulquiorra had talked about him to Adolfo. "Say, Ulqui, how about you play them something?"

"I'd prefer not too."

"Aw, why not?" the man whined and Grimmjow suddenly wanted to punch him in the face. He was such a girl!

"I'd prefer to go home." Ulquiorra said and behind him Grimmjow pressed a button for the elevator and said, "Let's go!" and Weed waved once and said, "Nice to meet you!" and hurried to the elevator with Blue and Kyoshiro and Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra hastened to follow them but was grabbed and hugged by his piano teacher who said, "Ulquiorra, wait, I want to talk to you!" very loudly and Ulquiorra saw everyone in the elevator turn around just before the doors closed. Ulquiorra tried not to hit the man as he said, "Sir, could you refrain from doing that? I've just missed my friends."

Adolfo smiled and said, "Oh, sorry."

Meanwhile, downstairs, Grimmjow pressed the 'up' button rapidly and furiously and said, "Damn! What held him up?"

"His teacher I believe." Blue answered and said loudly, "Grimmjow, you're going to break the button!"

The elevator began to go up.

Ulquiorra sighed and walked into a second elevator and pressed the 'down' button just as the elevator doors next to his opened and Grimmjow and the others ran into the room full of people. Ulquiorra wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Grimmjow growled and Kyoshiro gasped and pointed to the elevator signal to their left, it was going down. "Crap." Grimmjow said and he was dragged into the next elevator by Weed just before the doors closed on Kyoshiro's butt—in his dog form his tail—. "OW!" Kyoshiro yelled and everyone in the elevator angrily shushed him and an old lady turned down her hearing aid.

"Well sue me for being in pain, dammit." Kyoshiro grumbled, in his human form rubbing his butt.

They got out and looked around the lobby and saw the doors to their left close and Grimmjow cursed loudly and said, "Damn! Stay here!" and he wrenched open the elevator doors and ran inside and punched the button.

Just as Grimmjow's elevator went up however the door to their left opened and Ulquiorra walked out and said, "Finally." And Weed exclaimed, "Ulquiorra, Grimmjow just went up to get you! This is kinda strange…" Weed said a sort of awkward smile on his face.

Ulquiorra groaned and went into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

Grimmjow let out an annoyed snarl as he looked around the room and saw nothing. "Tch. Crap! I guess I'll just have to wait up here to avoid more confusion." And then the doors opened and Ulquiorra walked out and they both looked over at each other and Grimmjow ran to him.

"Finally! God damn that was a pain in the ass! What did you think you were doing by staying behind?" Grimmjow asked moodily, pressing a button to signal for the elevator.

"It wasn't my fault. My teacher held me up."

"Tch, well you can tell him for me that—"

"Ulqui~ may I talk to you for a second?" came the sing song voice of Adolfo and Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Again? Sure but make it fast." And he looked over at Grimmjow and said, "Wait for me downstairs." And Grimmjow scowled and said, "I'm staying here."

"You aren't needed—" Ulquiorra said but Grimmjow leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm staying here until you come out. Now go and see what the loser wants and then we can _both_ leave. Sound good?"

Ulquiorra nodded, somewhat surprised by Grimmjow's determination to wait and he headed back to the room and Grimmjow contented himself with the TV in the corner of the room going on about the news and the weather.

Grimmjow closed his eyes and before he could begin to wonder what Ulquiorra's piano teacher wanted to talk about, there was a happy squeal from within the room and Grimmjow looked over in annoyance. His annoyance turned to mild panic when he realized that Ulquiorra was in there and he crept over to the room and peered inside.

Grimmjow promptly dropped his umbrella in shock.

Adolfo had his arms around Ulquiorra in a tight hug, his face against Ulquiorra's chest and Ulquiorra simply stood there, not moving and looking rather uncomfortable. "Aw, Ulqui! You're so kind! I can't believe you'll miss me! That's so sweet! Thank you for deciding to walk me home!"

"Sir…?" Ulquiorra said, his voice making it plain that he was confused. "Maybe on the way home we can get some food—?" said the man happily and Ulquiorra said, "No, I'm leaving. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that anymore."

And Ulquiorra stepped outside as the man in the room said sadly, "Goodbye, sweetie!" and Ulquiorra shuddered.

What in the world was wrong with _him_? Adolfo had not even asked to be walked home! Crazy man…

"Alright, Grimmjow, we can leave now." Ulquiorra was surprised however to find that Grimmjow was no longer here. "Grimmjow?"

He stepped on something and almost slipped and he looked down. It was Grimmjow's umbrella.

* * *

Weed looked around as Grimmjow stomped through the revolving doors and Blue said, "Where is—?"

"Beats me." Grimmjow said sarcastically, starting to walk away when Kyoshiro grabbed his arm and said, "Hold it, you cannot just walk away without telling us where Ulquiorra is! And what's wrong with you anyway? You looked pissed."

"None of you're damn business." Grimmjow growled, wrenching his arm away from Kyoshiro as he began to walk away. "Grimmjow where is—?" Weed began and Grimmjow yelled over his shoulder, "He's walking his goddamn teacher home!" and he stomped off.

_Hope you have fucking fun walking your stupid teacher home, Ulquiorra! Never mind the fact that I walked twenty nine miles in the freezing _rain_ to give you your god damn umbrella and then walk home with you! Never mind that you probably don't give a flying _fuck_! No! Instead you're walking _him_ home and letting _him _hug you. Oh that just makes _perfect _sense! _

_But hey, if Ulquiorra wants to go and get molested one day by his stupid teacher, it's fine by me. Why should I care?_

_See, I am succeeding in not caring. I don't even give a damn. You see, Ulquiorra? I'm not angry over you at all; in fact I'm sick of getting angry and getting worked up over you just to find out I was the wrong one while you're just so fucking perfect. So what if you don't seem to care if someone other than me hugs you? I don't care. So what if you said that you were going to miss him? So what if you didn't even bother to push him away when he practically threw himself all over you? So what if I just happen to want to murder him for holding you? Holding you is my job! Mine! See I don't care! Not one damn bit! Not at all!_

Grimmjow didn't realize just how much his jaw was clenching or how hard he was fisting his jeans at all. When he was in a better mood he was going to kill Ulquiorra too.

_What does he even think he's doing anyway? Holding Ulquiorra…what a douche! And doing it when he knows I'm so close by! He's mocking me! I'll show him next time. No one touches Ulquiorra. _No one. _And no, I am not jealous. I'm not jealous at all!_

And Grimmjow stomped off into the downpour, purposely going a separate direction from the one his friends would take, and vanishing into the foggy streets of New York City.

And somewhere behind him, Ulquiorra stepped out of the building and looked around before frowning somewhat worriedly when he didn't see Grimmjow amongst Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed.

* * *

Blue looked up when she heard the door click but it was only Kyoshiro coming back from the store. "Where is he?" she murmured and Kyoshiro said eagerly, "Here!"

"No not you Kyoshiro, Grimmjow."

"Oh. Never mind me." He murmured bitterly, setting the groceries down on the counter and Ulquiorra sighed and lay down on the couch. It had been an hour since Grimmjow had walked off into the rainy streets and he hadn't come back yet. Blue frowned and said, "Why do you think he was so upset?"

"You know Grimmjow. One little thing can set him into a rage. Maybe the whole elevator adventure upset him?" Kyoshiro said, seemingly not worried about Grimmjow and his strange behavior.

"I wonder…" Ulquiorra said thoughtfully and Weed cocked his head.

"What, Ulquiorra?"

"I'm wondering if maybe my boss's behavior upset him. He was unusually clingy today."

Blue nodded. "_That_ would have definitely done it. How about you ask him when he gets back?"

"I intend too." Ulquiorra said quietly, turning his gaze towards the door.

* * *

Grimmjow shivered and finally stopped walking. His cell phone was dead and to make matters worse he didn't even know where the hell he was or how to get back home. He wasn't scared just really frustrated. He needed to find a place to use a phone at least…

He was still angry but now he was angry at himself for getting lost. It was still raining and he was freezing cold, he stopped walking to promptly kick a lamp post and then he saw something. A telephone booth!

Grimmjow raced across the street after checking for cars and then seized the phone and pulled out his wallet to insert a coin but stopped when he heard something. He could hear whispering and soft footsteps.

Grimmjow turned around and came face to face with a man wearing a large gray hood, a wide grin on his face. "Yo! Care to—?"

"Fuck off." Grimmjow said, shoving the man in the chest and walking away up the street. The man glared at him and said, "What are you doing out here alone? Don't you know it's dangerous?" and as he spoke the last words, men appeared from a side alley, all of them hooded and Grimmjow scowled.

"Now, hand us any valuables and you won't get hurt." said the man.

Grimmjow felt his temper rising. He was lost, feeling a little insecure about his relationship, freezing cold, hungry and pissed off and he really _did not_ feel like being messed with right now.

Then Grimmjow grinned.

He had an answer to his frustration.

"Fine, you want money? Here." And he pulled out his wallet and watched one of the men advance towards him. Grimmjow slammed his fist into his face and relished in the cracking sound as the man's nose broke.

"Alright, you wanna fight? Bring it!" Grimmjow challenged sadistically, his grin promising pain to whomever came close enough. The entire gang charged at him and Grimmjow leapt into the fray, a battle cry tearing from his throat as his grin widened.

The sound of fighting was heavy in the air and cries of pain were heard along with maniacal laughter.

* * *

Weed sighed and said, "I'm gonna go look for him again. I'll be back soon!" and the dog ran outside into the rain.

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and lay down on the couch and put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He was trying hard not to imagine what was happening to Grimmjow for whatever reasons.

"Try calling him." Blue said and Kyoshiro reached for the phone for the fifteenth time. Ulquiorra sighed softly. "Where are you…?"

* * *

Grimmjow staggered up the street, blood dripping from several cuts and bruises on his body, his clothes ripped but despite his injuries he wore a small grin.

That small grin vanished however as he staggered and fell against a wall with a small gasp of pain. "Agh…damn." He hissed but he straightened up and walked on, a limp in his step and bits of blood staining his teal hair.

He stopped walking and looked around. He could swear he was starting to recognize the area. He stumbled and fell onto his knees with a gasp as his leg went into a muscle cramp and he lay there for a moment, in pain.

"Son of a bitch."

Ulquiorra was surprised when his eyes opened and two hours had passed. He had fallen asleep on the couch. It was now midnight.

He sat up and then took notice of another person in the room and he relaxed when he realized who it was. It was Grimmjow sitting in a chair at the kitchen table—bleeding.

The teal haired man jumped slightly when Ulquiorra spoke to him and it was obvious he was barely awake.

"What happened to you and where have you been?"

"Huh—? I—Oh hey Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said tiredly.

"Where did you get these injuries?" Ulquiorra asked. Most of the wounds had been bandaged already but the bruises were visible and Ulquiorra frowned. "Where have you been and what have you been doing? You've been gone for four hours straight. What happened to you?"

"Stop asking so many fucking questions! I got into a scrape with a couple of weaklings, so what?" Grimmjow snapped and it was clear he was still angry about something. "A scrape? Or a street fight?" Ulquiorra said skeptically, staring at several deep slashes on his arms that he was working on bandaging.

"A smarter man would not fall asleep before bandaging those, idiot." Ulquiorra said calmly, his voice so passive it was hard to tell if he even cared but Grimmjow could sense that he was angry by the hard tone of voice he used.

"Aw, what? You care?" Grimmjow asked mockingly and Ulquiorra walked away up the stairs. "Grow up." he muttered before knocking on Blue's door.

"Grimmjow's back."

And the door banged open and the three inhabitants raced downstairs to greet Grimmjow and Ulquiorra heard them give exclamations of shock at his condition but Grimmjow didn't seem to care.

Ulquiorra clicked his tongue. "Fool." And he pushed open the bedroom door and walked inside.

"How did this happen?" Blue asked, staring at the wounds, her eyes fearful. "I got into a fight." Grimmjow answered, draining a glass of water tiredly and then resuming the dressing of his wounds.

"You think that is funny—to go out and disappear for four hours and then to come home like this?" Weed asked angrily and Grimmjow waved a hand and said, "Get off my case. I got lost too, before I got into the fight."

"Why did you fight exactly?" Weed asked coldly and Grimmjow said, "I was pissed off. They happened to turn up and the rest is history."

"It isn't funny to do that. You could get hurt doing that, you know!" Weed snapped and Grimmjow glared at the floor. "Shut it. I can go whatever I want." And he stood up and went upstairs to his room.

Blue however slumped against the couch and murmured, "This is serious. I think he needs someone to talk too."

"It's no worse than usual to me. Only kind of strange." Kyoshiro said, leaning against the back of the couch, his shoulders pressed against Blue's. "But it will get worse," Blue said worriedly a frown on her lips, "One day he may get in over his head and not even tell us why he's upset. He tends to keep things bottled up sometimes."

"No." it was Kyoshiro who spoke and there was a sort of knowing tone in his voice, "Grimmjow is…not the type of person who will keep his dislikes inside him. He's the type of guy who'd let everyone know what is wrong if he has a problem or if he's angry. For him to not want to tell us it must be personal to him or he feels it is embarrassing to talk about. And I know this because I'm like that too. But he needs to understand that we want to hear his complaints, no matter how stupid they may be." Kyoshiro said, his voice thoughtful, and Blue and Weed were slightly shocked for a moment at his words.

Kyoshiro and Grimmjow, though neither exactly wanted to admit it, shared similar personality traits. They were reckless, rude, brash and headstrong. However, Kyoshiro also had a strong sense of justice, which Grimmjow lacked.

"Wait…I wonder if this has anything to do with Ulquiorra. But—Grimmjow would probably tell us anyway." Kyoshiro said, his excited tone dying down to a quieter one.

Blue only sighed and said, "I want to act on this. If he won't talk to us, we'll have to do something."

* * *

It was 8:46 in the morning when Grimmjow woke up and the room was very cold and he shuddered and hugged the blankets tighter and winced when his wounds stung. Grimmjow blinked his eyes open and was greeted by a rather nice sight. It was Ulquiorra, turned to face him, sleeping.

Ulquiorra's hair was slightly mused and gently falling across his face, his face was relaxed, no frown upon his lips and his eyebrows were relaxed too, giving the feeling of peacefulness wherever he was, his lips slightly parted as he breathed gently in and out. He looked so innocent at this moment.

Grimmjow had to suppress the urge to jump him on the spot and decided to simply gaze at him; after all he was very lucky to have this view of Ulquiorra. No one in the world had ever seen the other man like this, except for him.

Or did someone else also have this view? Was someone else out there just as equally lucky as himself?

_I never know what to think about you, ya know? Sometimes it feels as though I barely know you at all. Sometimes not even I know what you think of me. It's impossible to tell because of that mask you put up. I could ask you, what place do I have in your heart? But would you answer me truthfully? Not that I would ask such a pathetic question…But sometimes I get so confused because of you. Sometimes I don't know if you truly want me or just get annoyed with me. Have you gotten tired with me? I know I'm not the greatest person in the world but are you really tired of me? Tired of fighting and arguing with me over almost everything? Normally the thought that you could be cheating would never cross my mind so…why now? _

Grimmjow jumped when he felt a single finger poke his brow and he looked down and saw Ulquiorra, a frown on his face, a single finger stretched out in front of him which he used to poke Grimmjow again. "You're going to get wrinkles at this rate."

"Why should you care?" Grimmjow asked, turning over onto his back and putting his hands behind his head. He swore he could feel Ulquiorra's gaze roaming over his bare chest and he smirked before saying, "Put his eyes back in your head. I feel them."

"You'll get sick sleeping without a shirt on. Why bother?"

"Because." Grimmjow grumbled and Ulquiorra frowned.

"Because why?"

"Just because!"

"Why?"

"Because it's what I do! Shut up! You sound like a kid and as adorable as it is, I don't want to talk right now." Grimmjow said, scowling as his chain of thought came back.

_Hey, we're alone. I could just ask him, ask him anything. I need to confirm this for myself. I hate living in suspense._

Grimmjow cleared his throat and said, "Uh…Ulquiorra?"

"Yes?"

"Uh…"

But Grimmjow's brain had shut down and he couldn't think, no his brain wouldn't _let_ him think. _God damn, why is my heart pounding so fast? Just ask him! What is the matter with me? Am I nervous or…or do I just not have the confidence to hear what his answer would be? _

"If you are not going to speak then there is no need for me to remain here. I'm hungry." Ulquiorra said, putting one foot over the edge of the bed. "Just wait a second, dammit!" Grimmjow snapped and he seized Ulquiorra's arm and wrenched him back, pushing him back onto the bed and effectively keeping him there by straddling him, the hand holding his wrist tightening its grip.

Ulquiorra's stare hardened and it was clear he did not appreciate being dragged around. "What are you doing?" he inquired coldly and Grimmjow whispered, "What is it that you feel for me?" and Ulquiorra went very quiet.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and Grimmjow heard his breath catch in his throat. "What?" he said softly, but Grimmjow knew he had heard.

What Grimmjow couldn't know right now was just how fast Ulquiorra's heart was racing and just how much he was really thinking over it.

Images of his time with Grimmjow were flashing through his mind, every thought, every feeling, every memory of their time together raced through his mind. So many times had Grimmjow's words affected him along with his actions, evoking so many different emotions from him, emotions he didn't, no couldn't have, emotions he didn't even know the names too.

"What…do I…feel…?" Ulquiorra whispered.

Grimmjow's hand loosened on his wrist and gently moved upward to entwine their fingers. He could see just what his question was doing to Ulquiorra but he needed to know. He had to know.

And then Ulquiorra closed his eyes and whispered shakily, "Grimmjow, I…I don't have an answer to that question." He whispered, and for a moment he felt drained, like those words had released energy from his body.

He opened his eyes and saw a look of pain cross Grimmjow's eyes but on his face he simply wore a frown. "Okay." Grimmjow said and he stood up and Ulquiorra looked somewhat surprised. "Okay?" Ulquiorra repeated and Grimmjow nodded and crossed the room and seized a shirt from a pile on clothes.

"Yeah. It doesn't really matter. Sorry for putting you through brief emotional trauma." And Grimmjow kicked open the door and left the room, not wanting to let Ulquiorra see just how much those words had affected him as he walked down the stairs, a frown upon his lips and something sad in his gaze.

Ulquiorra let out a sigh and slumped over, putting his face in his hands, truly unable to calm the beating of his heart. _For a moment, I really thought my heart my was going to break in two. This really is…_

Ulquiorra stared at the hand Grimmjow had been holding and let out a shaky sigh. _This really is pathetic of me._

_

* * *

_When Grimmjow got out of the shower he found Ulquiorra sitting at the table with Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed sitting on the floor near him, eating breakfast from their dog bowls. "Good morning." said the black wolf dog, her tail wagging very fast.

Kyoshiro raised a paw, his mouth too full of kibble to talk and Weed practically choked on his food in order to say, "Good morning, Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow nodded and before he could respond Ulquiorra handed him a drink. "Drink this." Grimmjow frowned. He had expected things to be a little awkward between them.

But as to be expected, Ulquiorra seemed not to care anymore.

"Hell no, it looks nasty." Grimmjow said repulsed by the smell from the drink. "I hate lemons—and so do they." Grimmjow said looking over at Weed and Kyoshiro and Blue as all three dogs winced at the smell.

"Yuck! What is that stink?" Kyoshiro said, burying his face in his food.

"Fish oil. Drink it."

"No it's not. That's lemonade."

"It is fish oil. Drink."

"You drink it." Grimmjow retorted and Ulquiorra said, "They've put lemons in it I expect to give it a better flavor. It is good for you. It gets you thinking properly and it keeps you in a good mood from what I've read. Drink it."

Grimmjow snatched the drink and stared at the liquid in disgust. "I thought cats liked fish?" Weed teased affectionately and Grimmjow ignored him and after a moment of hesitation he drained the glass and set it down on the table.

"So why exactly did I do that?" Grimmjow asked and Blue said, her furry face looking towards him and her beautiful blue gaze on him, "It keeps you calm, we all don't want you to settle your anger through violence. We're worried about you." she said and Grimmjow frowned and walked into the kitchen to get some proper food.

"Yeah well I don't feel any different." Grimmjow said, pulling a box of cereal from the shelf and then he stopped and said, "We have pancake mix?"

"Yup." Weed said, padding in the kitchen fro some water.

Grimmjow pulled the pancake mix from the top shelf and stared at it and he began to gather the necessary equipment such as bowls, ingredients, and some powdered sugar.

"Swedish pancakes?" Kyoshiro asked, looking at the back of the box and Grimmjow nodded. "Yup."

Within seconds Grimmjow had made pancakes for himself and Ulquiorra and put generous amounts of powdered sugar on them. "Wow." Ulquiorra said in some surprise. "That was fast."

Grimmjow sat down opposite him and began to eat. Blue sat down in her human form beside him and started to do the crossword puzzle out of boredom. "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra? A four letter word starting with A and he's a character in the movie Madagascar. Any suggestions?"

"I've never seen that movie." Ulquiorra said, returning to his breakfast.

"Ally?" Weed suggested.

"That's a girl's name, dope." said Kyoshiro but his tone wasn't angry and he said it affectionately. "I'm not a dope!" Weed replied defensively.

"Alex." Grimmjow said. "Four words A-1-L-2-E-3-X-4." Grimmjow said and Blue blinked. "Oh, thanks! Did you see the movie?"

"Nope, just guessing. Let me see the thing." Blue handed him the paper and Grimmjow gave it one good look before he drew all over it with her pencil and then handed it back. Blue let out a surprised gasp when she went over it and then checked the answers—written upside down below the puzzle—. She double checked the answers. He had gotten all the questions right!

"What—? How—?" Blue began, amazed and confused.

"The answer is simple. Fish oil, my dear Blue," and he walked away upstairs. Kyoshiro stared. "Did he just quote Sherlock Holmes?"

"Wow…I wonder if he'll stay like this forever." Weed said and Ulquiorra said, sensing a small bit of worry in Weed's tone, "Or maybe it will wear off."

Blue chuckled and said, "Well I have three crossword puzzles I haven't finished and I am _not_ complaining."

* * *

Two days later it was raining and the streets were not busy because of the heavy rain. Grimmjow walked through the rain, holding an umbrella over his head, he felt like the weather today. Miserable.

Even after taking the fish oil he still couldn't help but feel…suspicious and worried about his relationship with Ulquiorra. He knew it was probably just his mind but he couldn't help being worried. He didn't want to talk to Ulquiorra about it because he really had no idea what to say and half of him did not want to hear Ulquiorra call him foolish for doubting him. He also did not want to look like an idiot who made a big fuss and then was wrong. He had his pride. Plus, admitting he was jealous meant he cared. Again, he had his pride.

Who knows maybe Ulquiorra would actually get mad and leave? That was not likely though. Ulquiorra was always a calm man, he preferred to think things through and he always approached things with either an indifferent manner or a calm one.

So why was he worried? Maybe—just maybe—Ulquiorra did not want him anymore? Because no matter how often he told himself he was lying and that he had to trust Ulquiorra, this stupid fear would pop up and eat at him and make him feel sick with anger?

He hated feeling insecure about anything, because normally he was on top of his insecurities. But with Ulquiorra…why was it such a big deal? With Ulquiorra he could not control his worries or suspicions. With him it was something else.

And that was why, above his other reasons, that he didn't tell Ulquiorra. Because he wanted to be in control of his fear, it didn't matter if it was Ulquiorra or not. He was not going to be run down by fear and suspicion.

He would stand above it.

Grimmjow stopped walking and looked to his left as he heard noises and laughter from inside a bar. There they were, getting drunk and laughing and talking and dancing. He had heard that drinking numbed people's troubles, made them forget, at least for a little bit.

Maybe it would help him?

* * *

It was the second time Ulquiorra got a call from the police in three days and the second time he had hurried from the house to the location mentioned in the call.

Ulquiorra hurried towards the bar and saw a police car parked outside and people being ushered out of the bar and forced to start walking away on police orders. Ulquiorra saw a familiar woman, the same woman he had seen at the desk when he had gone to pick up Grimmjow, calling out at people to start moving.

"Woman." Ulquiorra greeted and said, "Where is Gri—?"

But his question was immediately answered when Grimmjow practically flung himself onto Ulquiorra, almost knocking him sideways. "Oh. There you are." Ulquiorra said, closing his eyes a little and then he said, "Let's go. I'm tired of having to clean up your messes."

"Wha' th' fuck di' you wan' me to do 'bout it?" Grimmjow said loudly and Ulquiorra scowled when he realized that Grimmjow was drunk. _Very_ drunk. He was tottering a little on the spot and there was a rosy flush to his cheeks and he looked rather disgruntled.

"He's—he's th' one who di—who di—!" Grimmjow stammered, taking a swig of his whiskey and laughing loudly when he said, "There's eighth a' you—Eight Ulquiorra's! Ah ha!" then he frowned and said, "Tha's fucked d'up. Which one a' you m'I s'posed' ta fuck anyway? Too many—Barney's a pedo—a pedo!" Grimmjow said, swaying and looking up at the sky.

Ulquiorra, slightly flushed from Grimmjow's comment, looked questioningly at the police officer. "He started a fight with the bar tender. It turned into a bar fight." The police woman explained and Ulquiorra sighed. He was tired of Grimmjow getting in trouble with the law and then dragging him into it.

"I see. I will take care of this—Grimmjow, let's go." Ulquiorra grabbed Grimmjow's arm and Grimmjow staggered after him, mumbling incoherently about nonsense.

"I am sick and tired of you getting in trouble with the law. If you want to get in trouble stop getting them to call me and—"

"Wha? Ya don' like me a-any-any- anymore?" Grimmjow stammered, looking upset and Ulquiorra responded coldly, "I do like you Grimmjow but if you want to get in trouble—"

Ulquiorra and a man accidentally bumped into each other and Ulquiorra said, "Sorry." And the man made to speak but without warning Grimmjow plowed into him. "Don't touch him!" Grimmjow yelled and the man yet out a yell of pain and Grimmjow retaliated by seizing him by the back of the neck and throwing him into a car.

Ulquiorra grabbed Grimmjow by the front of his shirt and said, "Grimmjow, knock if off." His tone very annoyed and he began to drag him away up the street. "Why do you let 'em do that?" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra was shoved violently into the wall by a furious Grimmjow.

"N'one touches 'im! He's mine!" Grimmjow yelled, seizing the nearest man by the front of the shirt and drawing back his fist when without warning he was seized from behind by a police officer and forcibly restrained and forced to the floor and Grimmjow seemed to snap.

He let out a howl of fury and began writhing and squirming madly like a mad cat and finally succeeded in bucking the officer off before Ulquiorra raced over and got in front of him and was about to say something when Grimmjow slammed his fist into Ulquiorra's face.

The instant this happened however Grimmjow went very quiet and looked close to crying. Ulquiorra's jaw felt numb and for a moment he couldn't speak. He heard Grimmjow begin to say something but he found that he couldn't care less.

Ulquiorra punched Grimmjow in the face—hard. Grimmjow fell over, knocked out, his nose bleeding slightly from the impact. Everyone in the street was quiet and scared and watching with wide eyes. The female police officer who had restrained him said with very forced calm, "Get him out of here."

"Gladly." Ulquiorra said coldly and he heaved Grimmjow's arm over his shoulder and began to drag him home.

* * *

"Ulquiorra! What happened?" Blue exclaimed, running down the stairs. She was half way down when Ulquiorra said, "Give me a moment with him. Leave." And Blue winced at the cold tone in his voice.

Kyoshiro and Weed exchanged worried looks and Blue said, "Alright. We'll be upstairs. C'mon guys." And the three of them left the living room and went into their bedroom.

Ulquiorra walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a water pitcher full of freezing water and proceeded back to the couch and without hesitating he threw the water into Grimmjow's face.

"Agh! Wha' th' fuck was tha' for? You little—!" But Ulquiorra silenced him by slapping him hard across the face and Grimmjow let out a sharp gasp and went very quiet.

Ulquiorra's gaze was very hard and his mouth was set in a thin line. "I don't expect a proper answer from you in this pathetic state but would it be possible for you to tell me what your problem is? If you could possibly manage to use what _little intelligence_ your brain posses, _would_ you tell me? I am sick of being kept in the dark about every little problem you have—and whenever you do tell me something bad happens first. I'm sick of it," Ulquiorra said harshly, sitting down next to Grimmjow, the latter of the two lay against the corner of the couch, his knees drawn up to his chest.

Then Ulquiorra added. "And I'm sick of you."

Silence fell as Ulquiorra glared at the wall and Grimmjow simply stared at him, eyes wide. "I knew it." Grimmjow slurred and Ulquiorra glanced over at him and saw raw pain on his face.

"Yer sick of me. I knew it…I knew it…" Grimmjow moaned his jaw shaking as he said the words again. He was almost child like.

Ulquiorra stared at the floor and felt a stab of guilt as he heard Grimmjow sniff loudly.

Silence fell apart from Grimmjow's sniffles and the occasional boom of thunder outside.

"Grimmjow I—I didn't mean that. I'm just tired of your behavior. First you go out and get mauled half to death and then you risk getting arrested and possibly killed in a bar fight. It's stupid."

Ulquiorra glanced at him and saw a few cuts and scrapes on his face and sighed and stood up. "I'll take care of—" but without warning Grimmjow flung his arms around Ulquiorra's waist, burying his face in his stomach. "Dun be mad, Ulqui. Dun be mad a' me." Grimmjow whined, nuzzling Ulquiorra's stomach.

The pale man sighed and looked down at the blue head of hair nuzzling against his stomach and he sighed for probably the fifth time. "It's impossible not too."

And yet at the same time it was hard to stay mad at him. And while he was thinking this, Grimmjow's hand slid down to rest on Ulquiorra's ass and jolted him out of his thoughts. "Are you trying to be nice or are you trying to be nice to seduce me?" Ulquiorra said, fighting the urge to grope the man back as Grimmjow's hand started to massage his ass.

He had to remain in control.

"I dun wan' anyone else touchin' you. It has t' be me. Only. Only me." Grimmjow murmured his voice more stable and Ulquiorra could tell that he truly meant this.

"Why are you saying this?" Ulquiorra asked, grabbing Grimmjow's arms and removing them from his body, he pushed Grimmjow away from him.

He felt warm, slightly shaking, hands grip his arms and pull him closer until they were inches apart and Ulquiorra could smell whiskey on his breath. Just how much had he had to drink? And why had he drunk so much?

"Tell me why. Tell me what's wrong, why can't you just talk to me?" Ulquiorra whispered and he felt Grimmjow's lips brush against his neck. "What are you hiding from me?"

Grimmjow ignored him and continued to kiss his neck, his kisses getting rougher as he moved farther up his neck. One of his hands left Ulquiorra's arm and pushed itself up his shirt and the man let out a growl when Ulquiorra shuddered as Grimmjow's warm hand made goose bumps erupt on his skin.

Grimmjow yanked on Ulquiorra's arm and crushed their lips together in a fierce kiss, his hand leaving Ulquiorra's arm to fist in his hair while his hand played with Ulquiorra's chest.

Ulquiorra was resistant, he knew he had to be in control over him; he needed to get answers but, really, for the life of him he couldn't resist Grimmjow. He could not help wanting more from him.

Ulquiorra responded to the kiss immediately, his hands holding Grimmjow's face, bringing them even closer together. Ulquiorra pulled himself into Grimmjow's lap, gasping when Grimmjow's arm wrapped around his waist and pulled Ulquiorra's hips against his and leaned his torso forward. Grimmjow's hands tightened on Ulquiorra's hips and began to grind against him, extracting moans from both of them as the friction between their thighs increased.

"Fuck." Grimmjow hissed.

Ulquiorra growled at the tone in Grimmjow's voice and hastily covered Grimmjow's mouth with his roughly, Ulquiorra's tongue pushed itself into Grimmjow's mouth and hungrily rubbed against his, growling into Grimmjow's mouth as Grimmjow responded passionately to the kiss, still continuing to grind against Ulquiorra in a maddening way.

Grimmjow's hand slid down the back of Ulquiorra's jeans and shamelessly squeezed and massaged his ass, rolling over so that Ulquiorra was beneath as he continued to grind against him.

Ulquiorra couldn't suppress the moan that escaped him when Grimmjow's hand thrust itself down the front of his jeans and began to stroke him.

"Fuck." Grimmjow cursed roughly as Ulquiorra let out a moan he had been unable to hold back. "I bet I could make ya scream, you'd like tha' wouldn't ya, Ulqui? I bet you'd love me to fuck—oh god dammit."

And without warning Grimmjow hurled himself off of Ulquiorra and raced into the bathroom and Ulquiorra jumped up, not wanting to admit just how pissed off he was.

Ulquiorra however winced as Grimmjow gave a violent heave over the toilet and after a few moments he seemed to have regained control of himself, but he lay there slumped against the toilet like he had no strength left to move. Ulquiorra frowned.

"Grimmjow?"

No response.

Ulquiorra walked into the bathroom and sat down on the floor beside him and said, "Grimmjow?" and Grimmjow groaned. "Fuck…I feel sick…" he gasped and Ulquiorra said, "You shouldn't have gotten excited."

"S'your fault." Grimmjow grumbled and Ulquiorra could tell that some of the effects of alcohol were wearing off on him. Ulquiorra scoffed. "Hardly. Are you done?"

"Not wi' you." Grimmjow answered a perverted smile on his face and Ulquiorra said, "You are not kissing me now. You've just vomited."

"Who said I was just going to kiss you?" Grimmjow mumbled and Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow to his feet and said, "Brush your teeth." And he left the room and sunk onto the couch. He could not believe that he had allowed Grimmjow to grope him. And practically make out with him.

A part of himself felt disgusted with himself at the sounds he had made and he inwardly cursed himself for letting Grimmjow get a reaction out of him. Ulquiorra jumped when Grimmjow's head rested against his lap. "Get off." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow shook his head. "Fuck no…" he slurred.

Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Get—never mind. Goodnight." And Ulquiorra made to stand up but stopped when Grimmjow's arms wrapped around his waist. "Stay. Don't leave me. Don't." Grimmjow whispered and there was a tremor in his voice.

And Ulquiorra knew he couldn't. "Okay. I won't." Ulquiorra lay down beside the man and allowed Grimmjow to pull him into a tight embrace, burying his face in his chest. Ulquiorra pulled the comforter from behind the pillows and threw the afghan blanket over them and he heard Grimmjow sigh.

It seemed he was starting to sober up.

"My Ulqui…" Grimmjow whispered, his arms pulling Ulquiorra close and Ulquiorra's mind drifted into stressful thought. "What is going on with you? I'd like to hear it. I want to hear you complain, I want to know what's troubling you. You said the same to me once. Grimmjow, tell me." Ulquiorra murmured, his hand resting against Grimmjow's cheek.

Grimmjow only buried his face in Ulquiorra's chest and Ulquiorra pulled him into a tight hug.

Tomorrow morning however, things would change completely.

* * *

Grimmjow slept late, while he did, Ulquiorra was talking to Blue over breakfast.

"I have an idea. The fish oil didn't work too well so I want to try something else." Blue said, thinking and Ulquiorra sighed, trying with all his might not to think about the events between him and Grimmjow last night.

"If he won't talk to us, he'll have to talk to someone else." Blue said and Ulquiorra looked up. "You mean a therapist?"

"Exactly. Kyoshiro and Weed have gone out to look for one. Now all we need to do is talk to Grimmjow about it."

"Perhaps it would have been a good idea if we consulted Grimmjow about this before sending Kyoshiro and Weed out. Grimmjow probably won't like the idea of talking to someone—a complete stranger—about his problems." Ulquiorra said, frowning.

"Dammit." The object of their discussion—Grimmjow—was waking up behind them on the couch and apparently was suffering from a huge hang over. Grimmjow staggered to his feet and walked over to the kitchen table before slumping down in a chair across from Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra avoided his gaze and instead began to eat more of his scrambled eggs. He wondered if Grimmjow had any recollection of last night. He hoped not.

Truth be told, he had enough of Grimmjow plaguing his thoughts. First he made Ulquiorra question every one of his feelings and then he went and forced sounds from him that Ulquiorra himself didn't know he could make. He honestly didn't know what to think now.

_Nor do I know where he sits now in my heart. Do I even want to know?_

"Grimmjow, how do you feel about seeing a therapist?" Blue asked and Grimmjow immediately said, "No."

Blue sighed. "Why not?"

"I ain't talking to a complete stranger—ow, dammit!" Grimmjow groaned tiredly, clutching his head.

"But we obviously can't help you and I was thinking that—maybe— we could—?"

"No. I don't want too. I'm not confessing to a stranger."

"Then tell _us_." Blue said and Grimmjow sighed. Blue took that as a no. "Give the therapist a try okay? If you don't like it, then you can stop." Blue suggested and Grimmjow was silent for a moment.

The door opened and Kyoshiro and Weed hurried in, obviously frisky from the cold, and Kyoshiro said a bounce in his step and his tail wagging, "We found someone on a recommendation ad. Her name is Shizatte and she lives in a big building called 501. And best of all! She helps with gay relationships! Did you discuss it with him?"

Blue and Ulquiorra looked expectantly at Grimmjow and when the man showed no sign of answered Ulquiorra spoke. "Therapists are paid to talk to people. They do not gossip or criticize you. Do it and get it off your chest."

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Alright, I'll do it. Just shut up my head is killing me."

Weed reached into a plastic bag and said, "Ulquiorra told us to get this in case you got a headache! Here you go!" and he threw Grimmjow a small container of pills.

Grimmjow sighed. He hoped talking to a therapist was better than it sounded.

* * *

It was precisely 10:30 when Grimmjow and Ulquiorra hurried down to Shizatte's building for Grimmjow's therapy session. The streets were busy and it was drizzling lightly as they went.

Ulquiorra walked through the revolving doors with Grimmjow behind him. After registering at the front desk they took the elevator to the top floor.

Grimmjow was quiet and Ulquiorra looked over at him and said, "Has your headache gone away?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the medicine by the way." Grimmjow added somewhat miserably. The doors opened with a ding and they walked up the corridor to a door and Ulquiorra passed through the door with Grimmjow trailing behind him.

They took their seats and waited to be seen.

Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra examine the candy dish sitting between their seats. _This could all be resolved if I just told him what was wrong. _

Ulquiorra looked over and Grimmjow looked away. _No. Forget it. _

The pale man beside him was quiet, also in thought. Ulquiorra wondered if Shizatte would have some answers for him too. Not that he was admitting to feeling anything for Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra forced his lips to move and said, "Grimmjow? Do you remember anything last night?"

"Nope. Why? I don't even know how I got home. Did you come and get me?" Grimmjow asked while unwrapping a butterscotch candy.

"I did. That's all I needed to know."

"I do remember…you. You were talking to me on the sofa. Saying something like—no I don't remember. It hurts when I try. Damn." Grimmjow mumbled.

Then Grimmjow noticed something interesting, something that made him smirk. Ulquiorra was blushing as he glared at the floor. Grimmjow chuckled and said, "What, did I do something to you last night? Something you liked? Or something you liked but don't want to admit you liked?" and he knew he had struck gold when Ulquiorra's face reddened even more.

Grimmjow was now intrigued beyond belief and leaned across his chair, now almost shoulder to shoulder with him. Ulquiorra turned and found Grimmjow nose to nose with him. "What did I do?" Grimmjow asked with a wide smirk and Ulquiorra said, "Nothing."

"Care to remind me?" Grimmjow asked his tone seductive and his hand already starting to slide up his shirt. Ulquiorra fought back gasp. "Not here."

"Someplace else then?" Grimmjow asked, licking at his neck and chuckling when Ulquiorra shuddered. "Cute."

"Grimmjow stop." Ulquiorra said, hoping his tone didn't give away just how much he was enjoying the attention. Ulquiorra's head was spinning and he found it hard to keep breathing evenly.

Did Grimmjow know just how much he wanted him? Did he have any idea how hard it was, for his pride's sake, to keep his hands still when all he really wanted was to touch every part of him?

He hated it that Grimmjow could do this to him.

"It was good wasn't it? What I did?" Grimmjow's voice purred and Ulquiorra snapped. He seized Grimmjow's collar and forced him forward, almost knocking him out of his chair. Just before Ulquiorra could kiss him however the door around the corner opened and a man ran by, crying loudly and half choking on his own snot.

He ran outside, sobbing, slamming the door behind him.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked from the door and then at each other. "Come back next time!" came a voice and Grimmjow's head turned as soft footsteps grew closer…and closer…

A figure appeared around the corner and stepped into the light of the lamps. Her appearance, to put it mildly, was not reassuring.

Her hair was bushy, almost like an afro, and an ugly shade of brown. Her eyes were brown as well and bugged out of her head. Her face looked and thin and bony and she had unattractive bags beneath her eyes. She wore a very orange dress and rainbow socks, making her look slightly more deranged that was needed.

Grimmjow scowled and said, "You better not be—"

"Are you here for Shizatte?" she asked and her voice was raspy and rather strained and Grimmjow nodded.

"Good. Because—I am Shizatte!" she exclaimed happily, spinning in a circle and racing over to them happily. "Yay! I have cute boys for my patients! YAY!" she practically screamed and Grimmjow recoiled in his seat.

"Oh god. How come we always get the crazy people?" Grimmjow groaned and then snarled when Shizatte continued to fangirl behind them "YAY! AND YOU BOTH ARE SO ADORABLE! YAAAAAAAAA—!"

"Shut up!" Grimmjow yelled and Shizatte squeaked and went quiet. "Sorry. Anyway, follow me! Which one of you is Grimmjow?"

"I'm leaving, especially if you are my therapist. Let's go, Ulqui." Grimmjow stood up and made to leave with Ulquiorra but Shizatte said, "Wait! I'll calm down if you want! I'll do anything! Just don't leave! It's been forever since I've had such interesting patients!"

Grimmjow sighed. "Fine. But if your too weird I'm leaving." And he turned to Ulquiorra and said, "You staying?"

"Yes." Ulquiorra answered and he looked away when he felt Shizatte's protuberant eyes on his face. Grimmjow seemed a little more at ease and he began to follow Shizatte into the room.

Shizatte skipped ahead of him, humming loudly and she said, "Right inside if you will." And Grimmjow stepped inside.

The room was far from he expected. He had been expecting creepy objects and disgusting things but instead he found that the room was quite clean and comfortable looking, complete with leather armchairs and a leather couch and a coffee table with Kleenex sitting on it. Grimmjow seated himself and Shizatte seated herself across from him.

"Mr. Jaeger-something."

"Jaegerjaques." Grimmjow growled and Shizatte happily said, "Mr. Jaegerjaques! Tell me about your problems and I'll see if I can help you out!"

Grimmjow was quiet. He liked this less and less, confiding in a complete weirdo was not exactly one of the things he wanted to do today. "Um…uh…well…I have a few problems."

And slowly, Grimmjow told her and was surprised to find that she actually listened and he was surprised to find out that he could actually talk about it. He told her about his fears and suspicions about Ulquiorra and then asked her what he could do to quell them.

"Quell them? No. You can never quell fear, Mr. Jaegerjaques. You have to face it. If you are truly worried about what he thinks of you and whether or not he is cheating or tired of you, the one thing to do is ask him. Your pride will be the death of you. How about we get him in here and—?"

"No. I'd rather not let him hear me like this." Grimmjow responded.

Shizatte frowned and said, "Let me get this straight, you are worried about what his answer will be? Don't you know him well enough too—?"

"I guess not." Grimmjow suddenly felt surprised. He often assumed that he knew Ulquiorra well enough, he did know a fair bit about him, like what he was thinking; why he did things…but did he really know Ulquiorra? Of course not.

"The guy is almost impossible to understand sometimes. Half the time I think I hate him and then uh…half the time…"

"You adore him? So cute!"

"No! Shut up!" Grimmjow snapped, his face reddening.

"Denial is not good for you. If you deny what you feel for him, then how will you ever be able to admit that you love him?"

"I don't love him. That's ridiculous." Grimmjow stammered.

"Does he love you?"

"Uh…no?"

_What does he think of me? I have no idea. What does he feel for me? He probably doesn't even know himself._

"I'll take that as a "maybe". Anyway, if your pride is so big and fat that you can't even confront him for fear of him thinking that you actually care for him, then you have got to let some of it go."

Grimmjow frowned and said, "How? That's impossible."

"Anything in this world is possible. But if you believe otherwise then nothing will ever change!" Shizatte said dramatically.

"If you truly care for him, you will tell him. If you really want to keep your relationship going then you will tell him. Also, you should not get so angry and worried over a suspicion. As some random person once said 'Jealousy is nothing more than a fear of abandonment.' If you get jealous, that only proves how much you care. But jealousy can also destroy a relationship. Confront him. If he truly means anything to you, confront him and tell him your suspicions and work something out. You told me that you've argued before, but you have also resolved your problems. This is no different."

Shizatte then asked, "Do you care about him? Do you truly care for him?"

"Yes." Grimmjow answered, the smallest of smiles twitching at his lips as he admitted this.

"Then can you change, just a bit, for him? Can you tell him that you don't want to loose him?"

"Yeah. I can. I would."

"Than go and do it!" Shizatte said, standing up and Grimmjow jumped. "Oh! And also, if you want to have some fun and see what might possibly attract him, then pay attention to his piano teacher and see what he tells him! Try and best him."

Grimmjow smirked a little and then he blinked and said, "Uh, that's advisable?"

"Definitely. As the saying goes, "alls fair in love and war!" Shizatte said, smirking.

* * *

Grimmjow left the room to go join Ulquiorra outside and Shizatte waved once before she sighed and leaned back into the leather armchair. Humming, she reached for the phone on the table beside her and dialed a number.

"Hello?" said a clearly French voice.

"This is Shizatte. May I speak with my daughter?"

"Yes Mademoiselle."

A minute later a shaky voice spoke. "M-mother? Have you f-found him?"

"Yes." said Shizatte, a smile coming onto her face. "I have. I will let you speak to him next time you see him."

"Oh thank you, mother!" the voice practically shrieked. "Thank you!"

* * *

The following morning, Grimmjow was gone most of the day. Around the evening however Weed gasped loudly and yelled, "Wow! Look at that!" and he ran outside and Kyoshiro and Blue hurried after him with Ulquiorra on their heels.

Weed's jaw dropped.

Blue simply blinked.

Ulquiorra—looked bored.

"Holy crap!" Kyoshiro said, wide eyed and Grimmjow grinned, dressed in a leather jacket and jeans and a white shirt and wearing a leather and metal bracelet around his wrist.

All of them stared in bewilderment at Grimmjow as the man slowly removed himself from a beautiful, shiny, glossy azure motorbike, pulling a helmet from his head and whipping back his hair which blew in the wind.

Grimmjow smirked and leaned against it and said, "Like it?"

"Where did you get it?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, racing over to sniff it rapidly. "More importantly why? It is beautiful though." Blue said, hurrying over to admire it.

"Why? Because I wanted too. Where? Some random Harley Davidson store."

"What's with the new wardrobe?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow grinned and said smugly, "Like it?"

Weed ran over and then gave a scream and jumped away as something plowed into Grimmjow and his motorbike and sent him flying.

The random cloud of dust vanished and revealed Azure Adolfo standing there on his green motorbike, shiny emerald helmet on, grinning. Unlike Grimmjow he wasn't wearing jeans and leather, he was dressed rather blandly.

"Y-you bastard." Grimmjow snarled, glaring over his shoulder at the man. "Yo, everyone! I followed Grimmy down here and I was wondering if any of you would like to take a ride on my motorbike? Ulqui? Would you join me?"

Ulquiorra made to respond but Grimmjow got up and said angrily, "Hell no! Especially since you have just demonstrated how shitty your braking skills are, fuck off!" Grimmjow snarled, nose to nose with the piano teacher.

He didn't even get mad, he only laughed stupidly. "Well, how about you show Ulquiorra just how good _you_ are, Mr. Jaegerjaques? You just got yours! Show Ulquiorra how _bad _you are. We all know he'll pick me!" He said, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest.

Smoke was practically coming out of Grimmjow's ears. "Your on!" he yelled, sadistic grin in place and positively trembling with rage.

"Grimmjow I would not recommend this." Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow was already mounting his motorbike and securing a red bandana around his neck.

"Grimmjow!" Weed called but his voice was drowned as Grimmjow started the motorbike. "Shall we make it a race to the Hudson river?" said Azure with a smirk and Grimmjow yelled, "Sure, just don't cry like a bitch when I crush you!"

"Grimmjow, ignore him!" Ulquiorra called and Grimmjow yelled, "Forget it, Ulquiorra! I'll beat this guy!"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh! I've won two awards for best motorcyclist in New York city!" and Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow scowl as he put on his blue helmet.

"Grimmjow, be careful!" Blue yelled and said, "Are we just going to let him take off like this?"

"Kick his ass!" Kyoshiro yelled, grinning.

"Shall we make it five minutes to get to the Hudson River and then back? Ulquiorra time us!"

"Don't tell him what to do!" Grimmjow yelled.

"I'm not taking any part in this." Ulquiorra said and Kyoshiro looked at Ulquiorra's watch and said, "I'll do it!"

"Great!" said Azure happily. "You know what? Make it two minutes!" and he took off and Grimmjow gasped. "Two minutes?" he hissed and he started the engine and without warning the motorbike reared up on the back wheel and Grimmjow clung on for dear life as the motorbike sped away, reared up.

Weed and the others exchanged worried glances.

"He really hates your teacher doesn't he?" Weed said, his teeth chattering and his hair a mess from the wind.

Meanwhile!

Grimmjow was screaming at the top of his lungs as the motorbike continued to drive in the same strange position. Grimmjow passed a truck and the driver stared at him in bewilderment.

Grimmjow pushed all his weight forward and the motorbike almost tipped over as it fell right on its first wheel and stayed up in that position, its rear in the air.

"Shit!" Grimmjow yelled and he gasped when he drew closer to colliding with a truck and he reared back and the motorbike landed on both wheels. Grimmjow sped away past cars and spotted Azure ahead of him and he snarled and put on a full burst of speed until they were level with each other.

Grimmjow swerved out in front of him and almost tipped his own bike over and he gasped and tilted to the right and the bike started to sway violently and Grimmjow gasped. He finally got the motorbike to stop wobbling and he sped on until Azure pulled up ahead of him and Grimmjow seized the throttle and pressed harder until he sped past Azure so fast he swore his wheels were smoking.

Up ahead the lights changed to red and Grimmjow cursed and let go of the throttle and the motorbike screeched to a halt and flew forward through the air. Grimmjow gasped when he saw the collision course he was about to make with the stop light and he jumped off the bike and seized the lamppost and swung himself twice on it before he let go.

He flew through the air! Grimmjow looked down and saw his motorbike falling towards the ground and he reached out and he relaxed and grinned as he reached out and seized the handlebars, pressing on the throttle and successfully seated himself on the bike.

"WAHOO!" He yelled, grinning widely. People all around watched with wide eyes and some men called out in shock and amazement.

"Beat that sucker!" Grimmjow yelled over his shoulder and he saw Azure speed up. "Watch out!" Azure called and Grimmjow turned back to the road.

He was heading right towards a block in the road where men were drilling and doing road work.

"Oh shit." Grimmjow muttered and he sighed and sped up and Azure yelled, "Stop! You're insane!"

"If I weren't this wouldn't work!" Grimmjow yelled and he speed up and drove right towards a set of small pipes beside a cement truck. Grimmjow seized one of the pipes as he drove by and then drove right up the chute of the cement truck and used the pipe to rip off the covering and drove right up onto the top of the cement truck.

Azure gasped. "That fool is insane!"

Grimmjow drove across the top of the cement truck and put on a burst of speed and flew right over the hot tar and threw his hands into the air and let out a whoop as he landed on the ground and headed towards the Hudson River which was now clearly visible.

People screamed as Grimmjow's motorbike crashed right through a hedge and drove through the grass and then onto the concrete. Grimmjow whooped and said, "One minute left!" and he began to drive in the opposite direction up the piers.

Azure had lost. Grimmjow had won._ Grimmjow_ had won and that _loser _had lost! He had lost!

Grimmjow let out a triumphant cry and squeezed the throttle and drove in a circle once before he continued back up the piers, leaving tire tracks behind him.

The wind whipped at his jacket and the sun set behind him as he drove like hell up the piers and back towards his home.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra were standing in front of their house. "Five seconds." Ulquiorra said, checking his watch and Weed frowned. "Neither of them has been seen yet."

"Knowing Grimmjow he probably crashed." Kyoshiro said, looking worriedly around him for a sign of their blue haired motorcyclist.

"Look!" Blue called, looking over her shoulder and Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro and Weed turned and they were all instantly met by a white cloud of dust, the roar of a motorcycle all around them.

"What the—?" Weed exclaimed, squinting through the dust, trying to spot something or someone. Blue flung her arm up over her eyes and Kyoshiro shielded his face as well while Ulquiorra simply stood there, his hair blowing in the wind and his emerald eyes squinting through the dust.

Judging by the sounds, whoever it was was driving in circles around them. And then the roar of the motor stopped.

And then, in slow motion, Grimmjow walked through the dust, his helmet under his arm, a triumphant grin on his face and his hair blowing in the wind. Kyoshiro grinned and muttered admirably, "Asshole." and Weed and Blue started clapping. Ulquiorra smiled slightly and the final second past by on his watch.

* * *

"_Dinner? With your therapist?" Blue asked and Grimmjow nodded, "Yeah. She said you guys could come if you want."_

And that was why, a day after Grimmjow's epic motorcycle adventure, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro ended up at a tall apartment building in Hell's kitchen. Grimmjow frowned and said, "I don't know why the hell I am even bothering. I don't want to be all buddy-buddy with her."

"Well, good impressions count!" Weed said cheerfully, ringing the doorbell and waiting for an answer. The buzzer went off and they entered the lobby. Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow take the note from his pocket and he said, "The fifth floor."

They started up the stairs and Kyoshiro sniffed the rather stale air and said, "Is it just me or does it feel like she is the only one who lives here?" he growled. "All the scents are old except for hers."

"Everyone must have moved out—Can't say I'd blame them if I had her for my neighbor." Grimmjow replied.

"She can't be _that_ creepy." Weed reasoned and Grimmjow replied immediately, "Hell yes she is!"

Blue rung the doorbell and waited for a response.

"Come in! The door is unlocked!" came her loud, raspy voice and Blue jumped. Kyoshiro pushed open the door and then let out a terrified scream!

Someone was hanging from the ceiling by the neck! Dead!

"Holy shit!" Kyoshiro yelled and then suddenly they all saw movement in the shadows of the room.

The person took a step forward. "You are Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and his friends?"

"Y-yes." Grimmjow squeaked.

"Then….please come in dinner is ready!" said the now happy voice, switching on several lights. It turned out that the thing hanging from the ceiling had been a dummy.

Weed relaxed and then immediately jumped when he saw how creepy Shizatte looked. "I have dinner on the table! Come in and sit down, please!" she said happily, skipping away. "She cooks in the dark?" Blue said, apparently feeling a little insecure.

"Anything else we should be warned about?" Kyoshiro asked entering the dinning room. The floor was carpeted green and the only thing in the room was a table and six chairs. No pictures. No other furniture in the room. The rest of the house except the dinning room and kitchen was dark, so seeing into the living room and bedroom was impossible.

"Yeah. She's really weird." Grimmjow said, not caring if Shizatte heard him. Though really, Grimmjow had had no time to get to know Shizatte better since he had only started seeing her once. Nor did he want to know her better.

"Please sit down and I will serve food!" Shizatte called from the kitchen.

Grimmjow and the others seated themselves at the table and Shizatte entered the room, carrying drinks for them and then she brought out some foul smelling food. Kyoshiro gagged and said, "What the hell is that?"

Shizatte set the food down on the table. The 'food' resembled bread, soup, and pudding. "That," she said, pointing to the soup, "Is lemon tomato soup with potatoes and raw carrots. That," she pointed to the bread, "Is donkey meat bread—very good! — and that is chocolate pudding! Enjoy!" and she sat down next to Blue and began to eat.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Weed stared at Kyoshiro and Blue, who sat opposite them, in disgust. Ulquiorra made the first move and took the chocolate pudding and ladled some onto his plate.

Ulquiorra took a small amount onto his spoon and ate it. Grimmjow and the others watched with baited breath as Ulquiorra sampled it while Shizatte eagerly dug in noisily.

"Well?" Kyoshiro said tentatively and Ulquiorra was quiet. Then after a moment he said, "It tastes fine." He took another mouthful and then he stopped, about to swallow.

Ulquiorra began sucking on his teeth quietly and then he frowned and reached into his mouth and then pulled out a single twisted hair.

"Ugh." Blue said, disgusted.

Ulquiorra pulled out another, looking more and more shocked. Then he began pulling out an even longer one and Grimmjow looked away and muttered, "Shit!"

"Aren't you guy's hungry?" Shizatte asked, smiling at her guests.

"Yeah…" Weed said and it was obvious he really wasn't and he reached over and took a piece of donkey bread and bit into it and gasped when he heard a crunch.

"What—?" Grimmjow began and Shizatte said, "Oh that must have been a donkey tooth." Weed stared at her and then reached into his mouth with his suddenly opposable paw and pulled out a single donkey tooth. He groaned and then fell out of his chair and fainted.

A few minutes later, after Weed had recovered and had some water, Shizatte said, right out of the blue, "So, did Grimmjow tell you about how he's jealous yet?" and Grimmjow choked on his drink as he yelled out, "Be quiet!"

"What?" Blue exclaimed and Kyoshiro said, "Oh whom?"

"Oh you didn't know?"

Grimmjow wanted to murder her.

Ulquiorra stopped drinking his water and said, "What?" and Grimmjow said, "Nothing! Let's go." And he stood up and prepared to leave but Ulquiorra grabbed his arm and said, "You're jealous? Of whom?"

Grimmjow wanted to kill him more than he wanted to kill Shizatte! How could he still—after all this time—be so fucking dense? Grimmjow let out a yell of annoyance and yelled at Ulquiorra.

"So what?"

"Grimmjow what are you—?"

"If you say that again I'm going to—you stupid little—! God!" Grimmjow exclaimed and then Shizatte said, "Quiet, my phone is ringing!" and she stood up and pulled a pink, dirty cell phone from her pocket.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were still quarreling however and Shizatte scowled and said, "QUIET!" and everyone in the room jumped and everyone went silent at once.

"Thank you." she said, closing her eyes and smiling stupidly.

Ulquiorra was sitting there in very confused silence now and Grimmjow was fuming and bursting to confess everything now and Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue were also just trying to figure it all out.

"Oh, hello dear! Is who—? Oh. Yes. He's here."

Grimmjow looked over in interest everyone turned their gazes to Shizatte. Then the woman looked at Ulquiorra and smiled. "Okay dear. Mr. Ulquiorra? My daughter would like to speak with you."

Ulquiorra frowned and reached out and took the phone. "Hello?" he said.

And then without warning a voice screamed, 'Ulqui! Ulqui! Is that you?" and Ulquiorra's eyes widened the instant he heard the voice. He knew that voice anywhere. And he began to understand why Shizatte was so familiar to him.

It was Shizaa's voice.

"Ulqui! Get me out of this place! Ulqui!" the voice screamed and everyone in the room heard it and everyone in the room yelled in shock and reached over and made to snatch the phone from him as the desperate terrified voice got louder and louder.

Grimmjow seized the phone and threw it into the pitch black living room and Shizatte gasped and said, "NO! MY PHONE!"

"You're Shizaa's mother?" Blue exclaimed and Shizatte made to speak but Grimmjow sat up and said, "Let's go. C'mon." and everyone hurried to their feet.

"But why? What's wrong?" Shizatte said, clearly upset.

"Your daughter is a psychotic stalker and the last time I met her," Grimmjow said fiercely, "She kidnapped him!" he said, pointing to Ulquiorra. "Nonsense! My daughter wouldn't—!"

"She did! And I hate her!" Grimmjow yelled, pure rage in his voice.

"But!" and Shizatte made to come closer to them but Kyoshiro snarled, his hackles rising. "Stay away from us!"

But Ulquiorra spoke instead. "Tell me about her, why did she stalk me?"

Shizatte sighed and said, "My daughter has erotomania. It is a mental disorder in which one person, in this case my daughter, believes in a none-existent romance. It's like an obsession! But no matter what you do, they cannot be swayed from it or grow out of it. The person will continue to believe that you are in love with them and will even interpret things that you do as a sign of love. Some people have been killed by their stalkers and some stalkers killed innocent people because they believed that if their deaths happened the person would love them back or more than they already did—but my daughter isn't dangerous! She's—!"

"She isn't dangerous?" Ulquiorra repeated coldly. "That wasn't what I saw when she kidnapped me—or when she strapped me to a chair and was ready to keep me there until I rotted away alone in the catacombs. She can't possibly be human either—the strap she made was built specifically for sealing my reiatsu. What is she?"

Shizatte made to respond but Weed said, "Let's go, okay?" and he shuddered when he realized he could still hear Shizaa's voice, screaming, from the cell phone lying in the pitch black living room.

Ulquiorra could hear it too and as he stared into the darkness of the living room, he felt like he was back in the catacombs, staring into the never ending darkness—staring right back into the eyes of his stalker.

* * *

It was around dawn and Ulquiorra was barely awake. He had tried with all his might to get Grimmjow to talk to him about his jealousy but Grimmjow had ignored him and seemed even more furious than before.

And it didn't help that most of them had stayed up with upset stomachs from the small amount of food they'd eaten. Even the water had tasted odd. Grimmjow was _definitely_ never going back to her again!

Ulquiorra suddenly realized how roomy the bed was—and also how bumpy it was. And how dark the room was.

Ulquiorra's eyes opened and he realized that he was under the covers. Ulquiorra suddenly realized how big the covers were. When had the covers gotten so big?

Or…had he gotten really small? He heard the door bang open and he heard running paw steps and the blankets were wrenched off and he and Grimmjow jumped up and both of them gasped when they saw a huge dog staring down at them.

It was Kyoshiro! And he was huge! Massive!

"Holy shit!" Grimmjow yelled and Kyoshiro yelled as well. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"What happened to you?" Grimmjow yelled but then he gasped. He looked over at Ulquiorra and his eyes widened. The bed was huge—the pillows were huge—the blankets were massive! "Kyoshiro hasn't gotten bigger, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra said. "We've gotten smaller. _Much_ smaller."

Grimmjow cautiously looked over the edge of the bed and stepped away. "What the hell is this?" he murmured, horrified. "What the fuck happened to me? Why did I shrink over night?" he exclaimed, hurrying over to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra was still slightly smaller than him. "Don't feel alone," Kyoshiro said, his voice making everything vibrate. "It's happened to Weed, too."

"What?" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra exclaimed.

"That's why I went in here, to see if it happened to you guys too."

"Why would it have happened to us?" Grimmjow asked moodily, looking like he wanted to kill something. Kyoshiro had to lean down to listen to them. They were about the size of action figures now.

"Isn't it a coincidence that all of this happens right after we come back from Shizatte's?" Kyoshiro said, "What I'm trying to say is, you guys are the only ones who really touched any of her food. Well, Grimmjow had some water but I don't know if that counts."

Grimmjow snarled and grabbed Kyoshiro's whisker and yanked, making him yelp and lower his head and Grimmjow climbed onto his muzzle. "The only good thing is that our clothes shrank along with us." Grimmjow grumbled as Ulquiorra climbed onto Kyoshiro's muzzle with him.

"Take us to Blue." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro bounded out of the room and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both freaked out momentarily and held onto him.

Blue was still normal sized and was waiting for them downstairs and she gasped when she saw them. "Kyoshiro was right. It happened to you too."

She let them climb onto her hands and she helped them onto the table and then they both saw Weed.

Weed was now the size of a small puppy figurine which meant he came up to Grimmjow's knee. "You're not much bigger than a peanut!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Weed gasped when he saw them as well and said, horrified, "What do we do? I could get crushed! I want to be big again!" he wailed, practically having a heart attack.

Ulquiorra sat down on a pencil and grumbled something. "Shizatte did this. It was either the water or the food but somehow she did this. I can't stand that woman." He growled.

"Well," Kyoshiro said, smirking a little, "I guess now Grimmjow has to rely on Blue and I." Grimmjow shot him a filthy glare and said, "Not if I can help it!" and he took his Espada form and said, "I'll fly."

"You'll be seen…possibly," Blue said and then she added with a bit of a smile, "And the slightest gust of wind could blow you away. You're much safer either riding on our backs or in one of our pockets. You're choice."

Weed had calmed down in order to look out the window and he said, "It _does _look windy outside. I want my body back." He said, his body randomly twitching.

Grimmjow growled and got back into his gigai and said, "Fine. I'd like to be able to kill Shizatte rather than get blown away." Kyoshiro grinned and said, "Alright, to Shizatte's!" and he stood next to the table and watched as Grimmjow leaped off the table and jumped onto his back with a whoop of excitement.

Ulquiorra made to jump as well but then hurried back and picked up the tiny, little, Weed and jumped onto Kyoshiro's back. Blue took her wolf form and began to walk next to Kyoshiro and they both ducked out through the dog door and out into the chilly air.

* * *

When they got there, Blue buzzed the doorbell and after doing this three more times she said, "She mustn't be home."

"Shit." Grimmjow growled, climbing up onto Kyoshiro's head next to Ulquiorra and Weed. "She has to be home! We can't stay this way forever!" Weed exclaimed and then he took a deep breath and said, "Maybe she—?"

"There." Ulquiorra said, pointing inside as an ugly woman skipped down the stairs and towards a door next to the stairwell. It was a basement door. Blue pounded on the door and yelled, "Hey! Shi—whatever your name was! Miss!"

Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Weed began to yell too but their yelling voices were smaller because of the level they were at and Kyoshiro began barking. But Shizatte was_ singing_ now and very loudly—and terribly.

"Oh c'mon!" Grimmjow yelled, jumping up and down on Kyoshiro's head. "I have an idea." He said to Ulquiorra and he climbed onto Kyoshiro's muzzle and yanked his whisker, making Kyoshiro yelp loudly. Shizatte didn't hear them, still!

She opened the basement door and skipped downstairs. "She has to come back out." Ulquiorra said but then he said suddenly, "Blue, Kyoshiro, break down the door. Both of the doors are glass so it should be easy."

Kyoshiro and Blue began to try and break the door and after a few attempts the glass broke enough so that Blue could slam herself through the door. Several people gasped loudly and Grimmjow swore. "Great."

"Ladies and Gentleman this is not a robbery!" Blue called. "We lost our keys!" and she smiled and skipped inside. "That was terrible." Grimmjow mumbled but Blue didn't hear him and proceeded to the basement door.

"Another lock." Weed said, clearly annoyed. "We have to get in!"

"Of course we do, captain obvious." Grimmjow muttered and then Blue reached out and turned the knob and the door opened. "That's funny. I guess the basement lock broke a long time ago…"

"Funny," Weed said, smiling widely, "But lucky for us! Let's go!" and Kyoshiro jumped down the stairs and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Weed all latched onto his ears—Weed however fell into Kyoshiro's ear and Kyoshiro shook his head rapidly, making Grimmjow and Ulquiorra almost fly off.

They reached another door and this one was locked. Weed frowned and then said, "I have an idea. Stay here!" and he jumped down and crawled under the crack in the door. "Clever kid." Grimmjow muttered, putting his chin in his hand and Ulquiorra lay back against Kyoshiro's muzzle in between his eyes.

Weed meanwhile looked around for a key but from he was which was almost below ground level, he couldn't see any key. Everything was so enormously huge it was almost scary. Weed hurried towards a table and began to climb up the table leg. "Good thing my nails haven't been trimmed in a while." Weed murmured, using his tail to balance himself like a cat as he climbed.

He finally reached the table top and saw a bunch of books and even more foul smelling liquid burning away in little glass containers. "What is this, a science lab?" he said aloud. He began to creep amongst the items and jumped when a huge hand slammed down on the table in front of him and he lost his balance and fell on his butt.

"No. Wrong ingredient!" a voice boomed and the ugly woman skipped away, humming and singing "I will always love you" by someone or other. Weed felt the table and items vibrating from the sound and he even felt his eardrum pop and he winced. "If there's one person who is tone deaf it's her." He muttered and then he gasped!

He could see a key across the room where Shizatte was standing!

"Bingo!" he murmured. "Now how do I—?" and he saw his answer. A fan was up on the ceiling, switched off, and attached to the fan was a paper airplane. "Perfect…" he whispered, creeping towards it.

Then without warning Shizatte tripped and fell against the table and Weed was thrown through the air, screaming in terror.

Weed's eyes opened when he crashed onto the paper airplane and he sighed with relief and seized the thin rope in his teeth and began to swing back and forth on it. The plane gained more flight as his efforts grew faster and faster and then Weed leapt right off and flew through the air again and landed next to the key and grinned happily.

Just as he was inches from it however Shizatte skipped over with a pile of books and said, "Phew! These are heavy!"

"NO!" Weed screamed in terror, his eyes popping and he grabbed the key and made to drag it away but the books crashed down on top of him. Shizatte stopped humming when she heard a small noise and then she said, "Did I drop my books on a mouse? Oh no! I killed an innocent creature!" and then she heard a scream of horror from behind the door.

"WEED!"

And Shizatte jumped and opened the door and Kyoshiro and Blue, with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra still on Kyoshiro's back, burst into the room. "Where's Weed?" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Shizatte hurried over to the books and lifted them and revealed a very dizzy and half concussed Weed.

Kyoshiro and Blue hurried over and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra slid off of Kyoshiro's muzzle and Grimmjow picked Weed up and shook him. "Oi, Weedy!" Grimmjow yelled, shaking him harder and Weed squeaked and said, "I'm okay, Grimmjow." in a very weird voice. "I got the key!" and he was set down and he staggered and fell again.

Shizatte gasped and said loudly, making Grimmjow and Ulquiorra jump, "Oh my gosh! I did that? That is so cool! I can't believe it worked—that is just too—!" Grimmjow picked up one of the books with Ulquiorra's help and they both chucked it at her.

"Shut up and change us back! Now!" Grimmjow yelled, steam practically coming out of his ears and his fists clenching at his sides and Ulquiorra said calmly, "Change us. I can still fire ceros from where I am and they will still hurt and may possibly kill you." and to prove his point he got out of his gigai and charged up a cero.

"Okay, okay. I just thought it was fascinating!"

"Do it!" Blue and Kyoshiro said loudly, ganging up on her and Shizatte said, "Okay, okay, take it easy!" she said happily, skipping away to a shelf full of strange looking drinks.

"Are you a scientist?" Weed asked, using his paw to massage the bump on his head. "Yes I am," Shizatte said, skipping back to them with a glass vial containing a purple liquid. "And that's why I am so pleased my shrinking concoction worked! I put it in some water last night but apparently, these two dogs didn't drink it."

"How do you know I'm a dog?" Blue asked and then said, "Er, wolf-dog?"

"I can see you, regardless of whether or not you can take a human form." She said and she reached behind her and put on some very wacky looking goggles that only made her mad eyes look bigger. "Now, drink this. It tastes of strawberries. Only one mouthful will be enough to restore you to your original sizes! I'm so glad it worked! I made it to shrink some clothes of mine in case Shizaa and Ulqui here were to have kids—!"

Ulquiorra choked and Grimmjow swallowed too much of the growth potion and Weed gagged while swallowing his amount. "Hell no—!" Grimmjow choked and broke off coughing.

"Disgusting, Shizatte—Grimmjow? How much did you swallow?" Ulquiorra asked before shooting up to his original size and bumping his head on the ceiling. He hastily jumped off the table and Weed gave a content sigh as he returned to normal. "I've never felt very big but I feel big now!" Weed said happily and Blue helped him off the table.

Kyoshiro however immediately jumped away from Grimmjow as the man returned to his normal size, coughing slightly.

"Uh…dude, how much did you drink?" Kyoshiro asked as Grimmjow continued growing.

"I—don't know." Grimmjow said, suddenly looking very concerned for his well being.

"Uh oh." Ulquiorra said, backing away and Shizatte gasped and said, "Don't break my roof!" as Grimmjow continued to grow, smashing into the roof and then breaking through it.

"Oh crap." Kyoshiro said as he heard several other crashes as Grimmjow broke through even more floors! "Do you have an antidote to this?" Ulquiorra asked, wincing as he heard the final crash. Grimmjow's feet were now the size of a sled and that was all they could see. Luckily his clothes expanded along with him.

"Don't move, Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra called, very unnerved. Because Grimmjow's body had stretched out, he had broken most of the apartment and that meant the building could possibly fall in at any second. "I think he knows." Blue said, looking up at Grimmjow's knees, which was all they could see now apart from his feet.

Five floors up however Grimmjow was over looking the world, he would have paid more attention but he was too busy trying to figure out how to not bring the building caving in. Grimmjow removed one of his arms and put his chin on his hand and sighed. "I hate you, woman." He muttered and his friends could all hear him clearly.

Ulquiorra sighed and began to fly up into the air before calling, "Give that concoction to my Gigai!" and Shizatte put a drop into his tiny Gigai's mouth and then threw the concoction to him just before he flew up through the hole in the ceiling and began to fly up towards Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra squeezed around Grimmjow's shoulder and out through the hole in the roof and Grimmjow said lowly, "Took your time. Give me the antidote I wanna kill Shizatte!" Ulquiorra felt the ground vibrate and he said, "Keep your voice down. Can you move your arms?"

"One of 'em's out. Sure. Give me the antidote." Ulquiorra handed him the antidote and Grimmjow took it very gingerly between his thumb and forefinger.

Grimmjow opened his mouth slightly and put a drop in and swallowed. Nothing happened.

"Shit." He muttered and Ulquiorra flew up and landed on his shoulder and said, "Take two drops." Grimmjow did so.

"Uh…wait Ulqui." Grimmjow said, his beautiful blue gaze swiveling to Ulquiorra. "We're all the way up here?"

"Yes."

"So when I shrink—" And then Grimmjow shrunk right back to his normal size and Ulquiorra fell right into his arms. "Oh. Yes. That would be a problem." Ulquiorra said, looking down. Grimmjow hugged Ulquiorra for dear life and both of them plummeted through the hole.

Blue meanwhile had predicted the event and prepared a blanket below them and Kyoshiro, Weed and Shizatte grabbed each corner and spread it and Blue called, "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra! We got you! Don't worry!"

"Don't worry?" Grimmjow shrieked and he yelled at Ulquiorra over the roaring of the wind, "Fly! You're in your Espada form, _fly_!" and Ulquiorra attempted to brake, digging in his heels. "Gravity…" Ulquiorra ground out and Grimmjow held him tighter and then there was a huge_ yank_ and both men gasped and looked up.

Ulquiorra's hakama top had gotten caught of a remaining bit of metal railing. Grimmjow sighed with relief. The rail creaked.

"Shit." Grimmjow gasped and he yelled out as they fell, plummeting towards the ground which was— only inches below them and not four floors down like they had predicted.

"I told you we got you." said Blue, smiling and then laughing at Grimmjow's expression on panic.

"Yeah. Ha ha. Funny." Grimmjow growled only to yell out in shock as Shizatte let go of the blanket and he and Ulquiorra fell on their butts.

* * *

This was the fifth time this week that Ulquiorra had failed to meet with him at Chelsea market. Grimmjow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and fighting off a growl.

It was a week after the incident with Shizatte and Grimmjow had stopped seeing her immediately after that and in turn, his fears and suspicions were back. Grimmjow knew Ulquiorra was probably at his piano lesion but it seemed that recently he had been called over there more and more often, making it impossible for Grimmjow to see him at all!

He sat here at the table alone in Amy's Bread with two slices of black and white cake, waiting and waiting and still nothing happened. He saw no one he recognized. That stupid pianist was cutting in on his time with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow hated it!

_Okay. Enough is enough._

Grimmjow stood up and said, "Hey, give me these to go!" Grimmjow called and the woman nodded and put the cakes in the bag and Grimmjow left the store and went outside the market and took a cab up to the studio.

* * *

It was drizzling lightly by the time he got there and he hurried to the elevator and went up to the top floor. Grimmjow stepped out into the half empty room as people waited to get into different rooms to either dance, have vocal lessons, or piano and maybe more. Grimmjow preceded towards the room that Ulquiorra and his stupid teacher always reserved.

He sat down in a chair outside the door and tapped his foot impatiently as he waited, if he listened above all the chatter he could hear the sounds of a piano. Was that Ulquiorra playing it? Grimmjow listened and then stood up and stepped in front of the door and looked in through the little window in the door.

It was curtained and Grimmjow was immediately pissed off.

_Why the fuck does he have a fuckin' curtain? Why is he blocking Ulquiorra for my sight? What is he doing to him?_

Then Grimmjow felt as if a pin poked him and all the anger deflated from him. _He's playing the piano. That's all. They have a curtain for privacy, you dumbass. What kind of privacy? _His mind immediately screamed and Grimmjow suddenly wanted to break down the door.

"God I am so pathetic." Grimmjow muttered angrily, sitting down in the chair next to the door, absentmindedly twiddling his thumbs. During the next minute a huge amount of little kids had come into the room and lots of them were screaming and crying and laughing and Grimmjow really wanted to pull out a chainsaw and massacre them all.

The door to his right opened and Ulquiorra stepped out and Grimmjow immediately said, "You took your time." And Ulquiorra turned and said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up. I got tired of waiting for you at Amy's as well and—" Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra was about to walk out when Adolfo flung himself onto Ulquiorra and said, "Aw, you can't go with him! Little Ulqui's mine!" he said, hugging Ulquiorra, his stupid smiling face pressed into Ulquiorra's shoulder.

Through his shock, Grimmjow saw Adolfo turn to stare at him, a small smirk on his lips, watching his every reaction. And Grimmjow's blood began to boil. _He's messing with me. He's screwing with me. He's holding what's mine. Mine. But that doesn't bother me at all! Because I am a calm, mature adult. I can handle it. Just because he's smirking at me as he's holding Ulquiorra so openly means nothing. _

Grimmjow's fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

_Yes. I am a calm adult. I'm in control of the situation. It isn't like he hasn't been holding Ulquiorra and flirting with him openly for weeks—and even if he had that wouldn't upset me at all! Not at all! _

Grimmjow advanced, his feet moving faster and faster and the expression on Adolfo's face changed from smug to horrified.

_Even if I were bothered I would never, ever, ever—_

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ULQUIORRA!"

And Grimmjow's fist slammed right into Adolfo's face and sent him toppling backwards into several plants. All the kids in the room started crying—except this one kid who started clapping but then immediately went quiet.

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes widened and he turned around and saw Adolfo trying to crack his jaw back in place and Ulquiorra walked over and said, "Are you alright?" and Adolfo said, wheezing, "Y-yeah…"

And Grimmjow stood there, shaking from head to foot with rage, his knuckles white and his eyes narrowed into slits. Did Ulquiorra care that the guy had just invaded his personal space? No. He didn't.

Grimmjow stomped over and grabbed Ulquiorra's wrist and dragged him off up the hall and back to the elevators and everyone immediately cleared a path for them.

Once inside the elevator, Grimmjow's hand was forcibly removed from Ulquiorra's wrist and he was pushed against the wall and Ulquiorra said, "What was that? Do you know how tired I am of you and your problems?" and Grimmjow yelled, "My problems! My problems? You little—!"

The elevator doors opened and people started to pile inside until Grimmjow turned and glared at them and screamed, "GET OUT!" and all of them screamed and ran out and the doors closed.

"Yes, this is your problem." Ulquiorra said his tone harsh and Grimmjow turned his glare back on Ulquiorra. "If you're so immature that you can't even handle such little things like that then you need to grow up."

"_You_ grow up! You may not care if someone hugs you or molests you, but I do! So sue me for actually giving a damn!" Grimmjow shouted.

"I do care, you _idiot_." Ulquiorra said coldly, "Do you think its comfortable being hugged by another person I barely know? I don't like it but I put up with it."

"Why? What is the point in that?" Grimmjow yelled and then fiercely glared at some people as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor and they ran off.

"If he tried to molest me then I would punch him. But what he does is innocent enough. I don't have much of problem with it and I'm learning fast enough and I'll be able to leave soon."

"You don't have a problem with it?" Grimmjow growled.

"Not entirely it is annoying though." Ulquiorra answered and without warning the elevator lurched to a stop. "What did you do?" Ulquiorra said, looking over and he saw Grimmjow's fist remove itself from the stop button.

"What are you—?" Ulquiorra began suspiciously but two strong hands seized his shoulders and pulled Ulquiorra flush against Grimmjow's body and Grimmjow stepped forward until Ulquiorra's back was against the wall, trapping him.

Grimmjow kissed him fiercely, his hips starting to grind against Ulquiorra and he growled when he heard Ulquiorra gasp into his mouth. This kiss was fiery, rough, passionate, hot, angry and possessive; everything Grimmjow was capable of being. Everything that he was.

And even as the kiss deepened Ulquiorra felt his self control slipping away and he clenched Grimmjow's shirt, willing his control to stay as the friction in his thighs increased to a whole other level.

It was only when Grimmjow's hands began to roam his body brazenly that Ulquiorra felt his control finally slip. Ulquiorra's arms wrapped around Grimmjow's neck and pulled him closer and kissed him back zestfully and shuddered when he heard a soft delicious moan escape the other man.

Grimmjow's lips left Ulquiorra's and he smirked when he heard a disappointed sigh from the man. Grimmjow's hands settled on the front of Ulquiorra's shirt and slowly undid the buttons.

"Grimmjow what—?" but Ulquiorra's surprised tone was cut off by a soft yelp of pain as Grimmjow's canines bit at his neck, drawing blood and leaving a very noticeable bite mark. Ulquiorra scowled at him and Grimmjow punched the 'down' button and smirked.

"Wait 'till your piano teacher sees that." And the doors opened with a ding and several annoyed passengers began to board. "I am going to kill you." Ulquiorra growled and Grimmjow said, grinning, "Oh no your not!" and he raced outside the elevator and vanished through the revolving doors.

"Idiot." Ulquiorra muttered before he began to chase after him, racing through the revolving doors and tearing up the street after him. He could see Grimmjow running ahead of him as raindrops fell from the sky.

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and grinned when he saw Ulquiorra's glare and he began to laugh. "Get your ass in gear Ulqui! You'll never kill me at the speed your—!" but Ulquiorra put on a fresh burst of speed and was suddenly beside him and Grimmjow sped up, zigzagging through the crowd.

"Crap!" Grimmjow said and he shoved Ulquiorra in the chest, laughing as he did so and Ulquiorra hurried to catch up with him, brushing his hair out of his eyes, a daring smile playing at his lips as he chased Grimmjow through the streets.

Grimmjow rounded a corner and crashed through some doors. The banners inside said "YMCA." And Grimmjow looked around the neat alley and then the doors behind him crashed open and Ulquiorra ran in. Grimmjow grinned and turned a corner and ran past security and both security guards it didn't seem were there.

Ulquiorra followed Grimmjow down the stairs and around a corner into a hallway with huge windows to the left, showing a large swimming pool.

Ulquiorra looked around, trying to find him.

"Yo!"

Ulquiorra turned and saw Grimmjow by the men's changing room and he shot towards him and Grimmjow darted inside and ran past several men preparing to leave, Ulquiorra right on his tail.

Grimmjow ran through the deserted shower room and Ulquiorra raced after him and both of them ran through the door. Ulquiorra looked around the swimming room.

The room was wet and smelled of chlorine water and then Ulquiorra looked left and then right and Grimmjow jumped out from around the corner and plowed into him, knocking them both into the middle of the pool.

Ulquiorra surfaced with a gasp and glared fiercely at Grimmjow as the man surfaced, his hair plastered to his face, and grinning from ear to ear. Ulquiorra splashed him and Grimmjow scowled and splashed him back, dodging Ulquiorra as Ulquiorra lunged at him and slipped and fell, disappearing under water.

He surfaced and glared at Grimmjow and Grimmjow laughed at the sight of his hair plastered to his face and made to splash him and Ulquiorra jumped backwards and vanished from sight.

Panic momentarily flared inside Grimmjow as Ulquiorra vanished and he hurried over and dove under. Ulquiorra had slipped onto the deep end and was trying frantically to surface.

Grimmjow swum deeper and seized Ulquiorra around the waist and surfaced. Ulquiorra's arms immediately wrapped around Grimmjow's frame as Grimmjow swam over to the side of the pool and clung with one arm to the edge, feeling surprisingly light.

"D-don't y-you d-d-dare let go." Ulquiorra threatened, his teeth chattering and Grimmjow shivering as well and said, "What, c-can't you s-s-swim?" Grimmjow asked, his teeth chattering together. "B-by th-the way- Ul-Ulquiorra, you sound adorable ra-rather th-than threatening." He added, chuckling.

Grimmjow let go of Ulquiorra to grasp the edge with both hands and Ulquiorra gasped and latched onto him tighter, his legs wrapping around Grimmjow's waist and he exclaimed, "You let go!"

"Sorry dope!" Grimmjow said angrily, glaring down at Ulquiorra as the man clung to him, his head resting against Grimmjow's shoulder, listening to Grimmjow chuckle.

"I-it's really n-not that f-funny." Ulquiorra said, shaking and Grimmjow only laughed harder.

Silence fell and both men adjusted to the water. The lights in the room went out, the pool lights remained on though, and they could tell that the building was locking up. Ulquiorra frowned and said, "Getting out of here is going to be a blast."

"Yeah. Espada forms will work. But if ya wanna set off alarms then we can leave in our gigai, still easier and more fun."

Ulquiorra jumped when he felt Grimmjow unbuttoning his shirt. "What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked, his bored tone masking his surprise, and Grimmjow said, "You float better with fewer clothes on." And he pushed Ulquiorra against the side of the pool and Ulquiorra latched on while Grimmjow removed his own jacket and shirt.

Ulquiorra blinked when he saw Grimmjow's pants join the pile and he said, "Is that really necessary?"

"Yeah. You do the same."

Ulquiorra stripped his clothing until all he had on were his boxers. He peered through the water and saw that Grimmjow wasn't completely naked either. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Silence fell again until Ulquiorra felt the need to get an answer to all the crazy things going on with Grimmjow.

"I want you to tell me." Grimmjow looked at him and Ulquiorra continued. "I want you to tell me about what's wrong with you. And I'm not talking about how you have brain damage."

Grimmjow splashed him and Ulquiorra sputtered.

Grimmjow was silent, piecing together what to say. And then Grimmjow blurted out, "Okay I was jealous of your stupid teacher. Is it so wrong? Huh? Or am I not allowed to care?"

"You were jealous?" Ulquiorra said and with such surprise that Grimmjow wanted to drown him. "Yes! My god you are so fucking dense, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow yelled, his fists clenching under water, his feet still kicking to keep him floating.

Ulquiorra slid into the water in front of him and placed his elbows on the rim behind him and said, "Have I ever indicated that you would have the right to feel jealous or what not?"

"No, but _I _have the right. I don't need permission to feel, god dammit." Grimmjow said furiously. Ulquiorra's eyebrows were knitted together slightly and Grimmjow could tell that he was troubled. "And why have I ever given you any reason to think that I would leave you?"

Grimmjow went silent and closed his eyes, both of his hands gripping the rim Ulquiorra leaned against. "Go on, talk." Ulquiorra coxed and Grimmjow looked at the water, watching the ripples disfigure his feet.

"You're so damn mysterious. I can never tell what you're thinking just by looking at you. There are times when I don't even know if you like me or if you just hate me!"

Ulquiorra made to speak. "Grimmjow—"

"It's because you're so unreadable that I don't know what to think when I see you with someone else. And maybe that's why I'm so suspicious when you don't push them away or when you say you don't mind but you put up with it. And the other reason is—the other reason is that there are already so many reasons for you to leave me, so many reasons for you to be tired of me. And—"

Grimmjow hesitated, gazing down into the water as he began to speak. "And I don't want anyone to have what I have. I don't want anyone to have you—I can't bear the thought of anyone having what I have. Only I can have you. It has to be me. Only me." Grimmjow whispered his grip on the rim tightening as he spoke.

"You're… you're like my other half in a sense. You—you've given me something to live for—and I know that is so damn ironic considering that you're deader than I am but… I don't want to loose that half to someone who doesn't deserve it."

Grimmjow looked up and saw Ulquiorra's gaze had softened as he listened and Grimmjow let out a sigh, his hand brushing against Ulquiorra's cheek. "Just tell me you don't look at anyone else that way."

Before Ulquiorra could respond Grimmjow gave a growl and muttered, "I'm sick of this. I'm sick of it all. I am sick and tired of fawning over you like some stupid lovesick moron! I hate it!" Grimmjow's head came to rest against next to Ulquiorra's shoulder, his forehead near the edge of the pool, both hands on either side of Ulquiorra's body.

"It's like…it's like, with you I have absolutely no control over what I say or how I feel. I'm a mess, all because of you. With you I cannot control my suspicions; with you I can't control the possessive urge to keep you with me no matter what. You…you complicate everything." Grimmjow murmured, his tone wasn't angry; it was more like he was truly admitting this to himself for the first time.

"I don't understand this." Grimmjow whispered, frustrated, closing his eyes.

Ulquiorra stared down at him and suddenly, he felt like he could relate to Grimmjow.

Silence fell between both men as the water lapped at them.

"I want to tell you something." Ulquiorra said, looking off into the distance as he did so and Grimmjow looked around at him and Ulquiorra could tell he was listening.

"Recently I have been feeling strange and I—…" Ulquiorra pondered what to say and Grimmjow was even more intrigued than before. Ulquiorra had to stop and think about what to say? That was somewhat unlike him.

"It's a strange feeling and it seems to only happen around you. My heart won't stop beating around you, and for some reason it is completely the opposite around Adolfo and our friends. There are rare occasions when Blue will touch my head, just affectionately or Kyoshiro will, teasingly, do the same thing or Weed will hug me and I feel nothing. And with Adolfo it's the same. But with you it's completely different. I cannot comprehend why. But…" Ulquiorra hesitated for a moment, looking down at his feet.

"You…completely…"

"Go on." Grimmjow urged and Ulquiorra, after a moment, said softy, "Recently I've felt that you completely blow away any self control I have. And I can't believe that someone like you is capable of doing that. Almost every time, you are able to step over the barriers I've placed around me. You break through them. It's like I have absolutely no control when it comes to you. It's pathetic."

Grimmjow's eyes were wide with wonder as he listened.

Ulquiorra caught his gaze and then hastily looked away and said, "But I also have a very simple answer. I, like you, am brain damaged and that is why you are able to affect me like that."

Grimmjow frowned and poked Ulquiorra on the cheek and the pale man closed his emerald orbs and was silent. But inside, both of them were thinking the same thing, despite the slight differences in their situations, they both had absolutely no control when it came to their significant other and because of that they were both able to feel connected in this situation.

Ulquiorra glanced over and his gaze met with Grimmjow's. They stared at one another for a moment and then Grimmjow said, a little teasingly, "So, just when is it that you feel your control wavering?"

"None of your concern." Ulquiorra said sternly, clearly wanting to avoid the answer but he knew Grimmjow knew. Ulquiorra still wanted to keep some of his dignity though.

Grimmjow lifted his head so that it was level with Ulquiorra's and he slid his hand up Ulquiorra's chest and smiled when he felt the deep thudding in his chest.

Grimmjow's smile grew and he moved in and kissed Ulquiorra and he keep his eyes open, staring deep into Ulquiorra's. He could see so many things in his eyes, he could see how his eyes softened, he could see the understanding in his gaze and he could see the need behind that gaze.

Grimmjow's arms wrapped around him and pulled Ulquiorra flush against him and Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's legs wrap around his waist to keep himself from sinking. Grimmjow's elbows propped up on the edge and kept them both from sinking.

Ulquiorra's eyes closed and Grimmjow felt his heart flutter at the sight of his face so relaxed and at peace. There was no doubt about it. Ulquiorra Cifer was a beautiful being. And Grimmjow was more than happy to have him as his own.

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around his shoulders, one of his hands fisting in the back of Grimmjow's wet hair, keeping them closer together and he deepened the kiss, running his tongue across Ulquiorra's lower lip and moaning softly when Ulquiorra let him in and Grimmjow's tongue hungrily caressed Ulquiorra's, making Ulquiorra moan longingly.

The kiss grew more desperate and Grimmjow knew he wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon. Their arms were probably already too badly tangled together to remove himself anyway.

He had never wanted anyone more in his life, he had never cared for someone else this much. Ulquiorra's lips left his and Ulquiorra attempted to control his breathing. "Grimmjow, stop—" he began but Grimmjow only kissed him again and Ulquiorra's eyes remained open, unable to register how it was possible for his heart to beat any faster.

Grimmjow's hips moved against Ulquiorra's and both of them were rendered speechless as pure pleasure shot through them.

Grimmjow groaned and Ulquiorra held him tighter. "_Fuck I want you so bad, Ulquiorra…_" Grimmjow hissed, his fingers tangling in Ulquiorra's damp hair. Ulquiorra shuddered at the sound of his rough voice and felt goose bumps erupt on his skin as the meaning of Grimmjow's words sunk in.

And before Ulquiorra's brain could crash from overload of thought, he was lifted by Grimmjow and carried from the pool, still clinging to Grimmjow. Grimmjow bent down and grabbed their clothes from the floor and kicked open the door to the shower room before walking inside. Grimmjow switched on the lights and entered the room, carrying Ulquiorra with one arm.

"Are we going home or—?" Ulquiorra began and Grimmjow said, kissing Ulquiorra's neck and shoulders with obvious relish, "What, you think I'm going to _wait_ to fuck you? Hell no. And if you're too sore to walk I'll carry you home and we can continue there." Ulquiorra felt his face redden at the man's bluntness.

Grimmjow settled himself inside one of the shower stalls and turned on the warm water and then whispered in Ulquiorra's ears, "They'll be plenty of time to spend here though, you know. They open around five in the morning. It's 10:00 here. That's eight hours we have here alone." Grimmjow whispered arousal apparent in his voice, his tongue licking at Ulquiorra's earlobe.

Ulquiorra suppressed a shudder and yanked on Grimmjow's hair to shut him up, pressing their lips fiercely together.

Grimmjow's hand slid down to Ulquiorra's boxers and rudely grabbed his aching member and began to stroke him hard and fast and Ulquiorra's lips left Grimmjow's as he threw back his head, his nails clawing at Grimmjow's back.

"Fuck." Ulquiorra gasped and Grimmjow smirked widely, trailing kisses down his neck. "That's really hot coming from you…" Grimmjow muttered and then he went quiet as Ulquiorra rested his head against Grimmjow's shoulder. Ulquiorra closed his eyes for a moment and he sighed.

"Uh…Ulqui…?" Grimmjow glanced over at him and then he frowned and said, "You aren't telling me to stop are you?" Grimmjow asked warningly and he felt Ulquiorra shake his head.

"Do you believe me?" Ulquiorra whispered and Grimmjow said, "What the hell?"

"The fact that I am letting you do this to me is my proof that I don't want anyone else. I would be annoyed if after all of this you continue to doubt me. Give me your word." Ulquiorra whispered and Grimmjow's arms tightened around him.

"I'm not stupid, Ulqui. If there is one thing I know about you I know that you definitely wouldn't let anyone else do this to you. I believe you." Grimmjow said softly.

He felt Ulquiorra relax and he said, "Anything else?"

"No." Ulquiorra said, feeling much more at ease. "I have another thing to say too and I am wondering if it may have had anything to do with Adolfo's behavior."

"Can it wait?" Grimmjow asked moodily, kissing Ulquiorra's collar bone and he heard Ulquiorra gasp as Grimmjow nipped him.

"He said something to me the day you and Blue and the others came to get me," Ulquiorra said, shivering as Grimmjow's hand slid up his chest. "He said something to me about being like a son to him and that he wanted to make sure that whomever I was with valued me—or something similar. So perhaps he simply wanted to make sure I was valued by you?"

Grimmjow growled and said, "Well, my punching him in the face and besting him at motorcycling certainly seems like enough—fuck, I can't talk, just shut up." Grimmjow groaned, kissing Ulquiorra again and Ulquiorra kissed him back passionately, showing no sign of wanting to talk.

* * *

"Ulqui?" Grimmjow murmured, looking over at Ulquiorra, the man lay facing him, the blankets drawn up to his chest. "What?" Ulquiorra asked, placing one arm behind his head. He wanted to fall asleep.

"Remember my question? You never answered it."

"Which one?" Ulquiorra asked tiredly.

"I asked you what you felt for me remember?" Grimmjow placed his chin in his hand, his elbow pressing into his pillow. "You got an answer yet."

Ulquiorra was quiet for a moment and Grimmjow could tell he was thinking hard. "No."

"What?" Grimmjow exclaimed and Ulquiorra said defensively, "Well do _you_ know what you feel for me?" and Grimmjow said, also defensively, "Do you realize how big a leap that is? It's huge!" Ulquiorra sighed. "Then how could you possibly expect me to have worked out my feelings if it's such a big 'leap'?"

Grimmjow glowered at him and said, "Well that's about as much as I'd expect coming from your little brain!"

Ulquiorra reached over and placed his hand on top of Grimmjow's head and promptly pressed the man's face into the pillow.

_Idiot. How could you expect me to work out my feelings in such a short amount of time? _Ulquiorra thought, turning over onto his side and gazing at the opposite wall. _Especially when I cannot even begin to imagine just how many countless emotions those three words hold. Are they emotions I have or—?_

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he shook his head slightly, not noticing just how red his face was. _Not that I ever would say that to him of course. The very thought is more than embarrassing._

Ulquiorra jumped as Grimmjow's arms wrapped around him and pulled Ulquiorra against his chest before letting out a contented sigh. And Ulquiorra felt something inside him melt when he looked up at Grimmjow's relaxed face.

_He may have to wait a long time. A _very_ long time._

And Ulquiorra fell asleep in the comfort and warmth of Grimmjow's arms and outside their window the dawn light broke through the gray clouds, promising a day of rain which was soon to come.

* * *

And that was chapter 12. Finally. *dies*

I kind of rushed to get this done because I have a Halloween themed chapter I wrote before this chapter just in case I was too slow about writing this one. In other words I wrote chapter 13 first because I wanted to make sure I got it done first.

Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter. I especially enjoyed writing the make out scenes there were like...three of them. *A* Sorry they were so short and not so detailed though! I want to keep this at a T+ rating...I might have just changed that though, hehheh...Anyway!

People do indeed drink fish oil! That whole scene with Grimmjow drinking it was inspired shortly after my dad gave me some. It made me happy and carefree the whole day. xD It doesn't make you super smart though. I just added that in for kicks because my dad says it gets you thinking properly. 8D

And also, the scene where Grimmjow rode the motorbike was heavily inspired by Yes Man! I love that movie. Jim Carrey is as as funny as he is handsome. If not more. xD so frickin' funny! I had fun picturing Grimmjow and Ulquiorra as the two main characters. Grimmjow as Jim Carrey = WIN!

And yes, Grimm and Ulqui spent the whole time at the YMCA smexing each other up and then some more back at the house. Dear God. *A*

Jealous Grimm is adorable Grimm!

Anyway, I'll have chapter 13 up VERY soon. I need to proof read it. YES, I do proof read. I recently kicked my butt into doing that and if there are still errors in here that would be because they missed my 'amazing' eyesight.

On another note! This thing was 75 fucking pages. This is the longest chapter. O.O The story itself is what...600-something pages? More? Anyway, it is REALLY long.

Anyway, see you next time! Thank you for reading! *goes to sleep*


	13. Adventure 13

**Adventure #13**

**Grimmjow Afraid**

The first thing that greeted Grimmjow upon waking was a horribly deformed face inches from his own. Grimmjow screamed bloody murder and Ulquiorra, half asleep, kicked the thing in the head and the thing screamed and said, "Ow, ow, guys, no, wait! It's me!" and Kyoshiro removed the mask with his—strangely—opposable paw.

Grimmjow sighed heavily and said, "I knew that. I was just fucking with you."

Kyoshiro looked away and said, "Sure."

Ulquiorra rubbed his eyes once and said, "Why did you feel the need to disturbed our sleep? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Yeah but this already worked wonders on Weed and Blue...sort of I guess…"

Grimmjow frowned and then scowled, _and I slept through their screaming? How the heck did I manage _that?

"In case you're wondering, neither of them screamed. Blue punched me in her sleep. I accidentally stepped on her."

Grimmjow snorted before pulling the covers up over his bare chest, shivering. "God damn its cold in here…"

"Kyoshiro? Is today—?" Ulquiorra said and Kyoshiro interrupted him, "Yup! Today is Halloween! That's why I decided to scare the crap out of you and blue-berry—!"

"Shut it. And get out!" Grimmjow snapped, bucking his legs and sending Kyoshiro falling onto the floor. "It's almost what…? 3:00 in the morning! Now, burn that stupid mask and leave us alone."

Kyoshiro scowled and said, "I'm not burning it! This cost forty dollars!"

"Oh that is just tragic! Heartbreaking! I don't care. Burn it anyway and I'll give you twice as much. Not." Grimmjow hugged Ulquiorra and made to pull the covers over their heads but Kyoshiro said, "Doesn't Ulquiorra have the morning shift at the store?"

"No he doesn't." Grimmjow responded grumpily, ignoring Ulquiorra's attempts at removing himself from Grimmjow's tight hug. "Now shut up and leave me alone."

Kyoshiro nodded and said, "Okay, okay. See ya." And he left the mask lying on the end of the bed. Grimmjow chanced a glance at it and suddenly felt his heart jump at the sight of it.

It was unmistakably the face of Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elmstreet. Grimmjow grinned to himself as he nuzzled Ulquiorra's chest. He would have to remember to rent that movie later.

* * *

Blue and Weed looked up as Ulquiorra came downstairs, yawning softly into the back of his hand. "Good morning." Weed greeted and then said quickly, "And happy Halloween! Did you see Kyoshiro's mask?"

"Yes. Grimmjow almost had a stroke." Ulquiorra answered, sitting down at the table and flipping once through the paper. The only interesting thing he saw was that three delinquents had been released from prison. They had been sentenced for forty years but were released for their fifth. "I read that too." Weed said, peering over Ulquiorra's shoulder, his hands in his pockets. "It's disgusting to think that they got out that early."

"What were they charged with?" Blue asked, leaning back in her chair. "Murdering a family of four." Ulquiorra answered.

Kyoshiro scowled behind the counter. "Sick shits. They should have gotten the death sentence."

Weed looked over at him and said, "But then we'd be no better than them."

"They would have deserved it!" Kyoshiro argued a little angrily.

"But then what would that make us? Killers. Just like them. Murder, no matter for what purposes, is not justice."

Kyoshiro scowled. The one thing that he and Weed didn't have in common was their beliefs. Other than that they got along very well most of the time. They hardly argued because here in the city, none of them really ever got involved in cases with murder and therefore there wasn't really much arguing over whether or not murder was right or wrong.

If they were in the wild where the rule was kill or be killed, Ulquiorra knew that they would probably argue a lot. He wasn't sure he was alright with the thought. It seemed so foreign, imagining Kyoshiro and Weed fighting.

Ulquiorra was trying to remember the last time they had gotten involved with murder and the one memory that came to mind was Skull Aleron Blair.

Sometimes Ulquiorra was a little surprised by how mature (or perhaps otherwise) Weed's beliefs were.

A groan came from upstairs and Grimmjow came downstairs and immediately headed towards the kitchen. "Morning, Grimmjow!" Blue called and Grimmjow grunted. Ulquiorra looked over in interest and said, "What is it?"

"I feel weird. Like the back of my nose is dry."

Blue frowned. "Maybe you have a cold? I'll check your temperature if you want?" she offered, standing up and walking to him. She put her hand against his forehead and said after a moment, "You're a little warm. You're most likely getting a cold."

"Ugh that sucks." Grimmjow muttered, pouring himself a glass of water and draining it quickly, clearing his throat. "That's a little better I guess." He murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Grimmjow suddenly spun around with a yell and everyone in the room jumped and screamed at his suddenly deformed face. "What the shit?" Kyoshiro shrieked, recognizing the mask as Grimmjow removed it, roaring with laughing and slapping his knee.

Kyoshiro had bolted over the counter and into Blue's arms now in his dog form and was shaking violently and Ulquiorra had choked on his drink and Weed had dove under the table with a girly scream.

"You guys—! That was f-fucking priceless! Oh my God, that was too good! You totally ate that up! Oh—OW!" Kyoshiro punched him in the arm and said, "Don't do that, dammit!"

Grimmjow only shoved the Freddy Krueger mask at him, a wide toothy grin on his face. "What and who_ is_ that anyway?" Blue asked recovering from the shock.

"You'll find out later." Grimmjow said with a grin before he said, "I'm going to the video store. See you guys in a—"

"I'll go as well." Ulquiorra said, standing up and Grimmjow looked over, looking somewhat pleased by this decision. "I need to go to the store anyway. I'll accompany you there and then head on my way."

"Fine by me." Grimmjow said eagerly, following Ulquiorra out the door. "You should dress warmly though, it's cold out." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow chuckled to himself. "Whatever." Ulquiorra glared at him. "You already have the start of a cold, don't make it worse by not covering your neck at least."

"Hey, I've got a jacket, that'll do. Let's go."

"Grimm—"

"Get off my back, Ulquiorra! Let's go!" Grimmjow snapped, walking outside with Ulquiorra on his heels.

"And besides, if I didn't know better I'd think you were concerned."

"I'm not. I'm just stating a fact that has been proved several times before. If you don't dress warmly you get sick."

Grimmjow scoffed. "People get colds in the _summer_ Ulquiorra. And anyway, the fact that you are bringing that fact up just proves you care."

"Fine, be stubborn. But don't expect me to look after you when you're sick."

"Tch. Like I'd need your help. I can look after myself."

Blue and Weed watched them argued from the open door. Both men had stopped in the garden to quarrel briefly before passing through the gate.

"Those two…" Blue muttered and Weed smiled.

* * *

Halloween for Grimmjow and his friends was spent watching horror films. The last one they watched was a Nightmare on Elmstreet which was _very_ scary and disturbing. Everyone, except Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, had hugged each other when they got scared. Especially Weed who was too young to even be watching it in the first place.

The effects had been rather good for such an old movie and it was really creepy and intense to watch, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had not really been too freaked out by it but they had been on the edge of their seat throughout. It was really bleak too.

Ulquiorra had, at some point, allowed Grimmjow to put an arm around his shoulders. It was sort of a comforting gesture and Grimmjow had been able to tell Ulquiorra was a little tense.

"That was really, really, really, scary!" Weed squeaked, hugging Kyoshiro and Blue tighter.

"Yeah, that was a little extreme…" Kyoshiro said, standing up and taking the DVD out of the player. "I am definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight." Blue admitted. "Especially since Freddy kills people in their sleep!" Weed said.

Grimmjow grinned and said, "I've got the Grudge and Grudge II unrated directors cut!"

"NO!" almost everyone said. "It's midnight anyway," Blue said. "Witching hour!" Kyoshiro said evilly and Blue sighed. "Scared?" Grimmjow teased and Blue said, "You wish! But I also think I might fall asleep during the next one we watch."

"No! Don't sleep—! Nah, just kidding. Anyway, you definitely won't fall asleep during The Grudge! That is a really creepy-ass film!" Grimmjow said eagerly.

"I am still astounded by how stupid people in horror films are." Ulquiorra said, he seemed to already have gotten over the slight shock the film had given him. Blue momentarily wondered if he had indeed been unnerved. She decided to ask him.

"Did the film disturbed you, Ulquiorra?" she asked.

Ulquiorra responded, looking tired, "No. It was stupid. The acting was good and the first death was very realistic looking, but after that it became cheaper and less—"

"Oh c'mon!" Kyoshiro and Grimmjow exclaimed and they both looked at each other in surprised. "You have to admit Johnny Depp's character's death was gross!" Kyoshiro exclaimed.

"It was highly unrealistic. Blood cannot possibly flow like that unless the person is upside down."

"The parents annoyed me. I hated it that they didn't believe Nancy." Weed said. "But it gave the movie a more hopeless feel—not that that is a good thing."

"The next big one is Halloween. The movie I mean." Blue said, hoping not to confuse the movie with the holiday.

"I didn't get that one." Grimmjow said, "I got The Shining, SAW, The Strangers," Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra scowl a little and he grinned, "And of course little Ulqui ain't gonna watch it."

"Be quiet." Ulquiorra said.

"And I got Dead Silence and Boogeyman, but I heard the last one is crap."

"Let's go with…The Grudge. I heard that one is really scary. And it's PG-13 so Weed I think is of a legal age to watch it." Kyoshiro said and then Blue looked at Weed and said, "Are you gonna watch it with us, Weed?"

"Um…" Weed tried to make up his mind and then Grimmjow said, "Well you can't go to sleep otherwise Freddy Krueger will kill you and—!"

"I'll watch it." Weed said seriously and Grimmjow grinned. "Good choice!" and he popped the DVD into the player and sat down in between Blue and Ulquiorra while Weed, in his dog form, sat in Blue's lap and Kyoshiro, in his human form, sat on the floor at her feet since there wasn't enough room on the couch for him.

Grimmjow put an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders and said, "Ya can hug me if ya get too scared Ulqui." And Ulquiorra said, "I'll bet you'll be the one doing the hugging, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow blinked and said in surprise, "Me? Don't be stupid!"

Ulquiorra looked over at him and said with a hint of a smirk on his face, "Let's see how long you hold out then. I'll bet five minutes into the movie."

Grimmjow hugged Ulquiorra, pressing the man's face into his chest and tightened his hold and smirked, "No way. Five minutes? Ha! I could go the whole movie without getting scared!"

Ulquiorra removed his face from Grimmjow's rock hard chest with difficulty and said, "Let's see then."

"You're on!" Grimmjow said a grin on his face as he returned his gaze to the TV and all of them got ready to be scared out of their wits. Except maybe Ulquiorra.

* * *

The following morning Ulquiorra was woken by something shoving him in the back and he sat up and saw, to his surprise Weed curled up with him and Grimmjow. "Weed? When did you get here?"

"Last night. I went downstairs to get a drink but it was too dark and uh…anyway, I can leave if you want?" the little dog offered and Ulquiorra declined, saying, "No, it's alright. Were you scared?"

"No." Weed deadpanned and Ulquiorra scoffed, "Of course you weren't. If you weren't scared you wouldn't be here. Why come to our room?"

"Uh…I don't know."

Grimmjow coughed loudly and Weed jumped and raced from the room. Ulquiorra fought of the urge to chuckle and instead turned to Grimmjow who was waking up somewhat badly. He coughed twice and then opened his eyes a crack before shutting them; it seemed he was barely awake.

"Morning." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow groaned before coughing again. "It doesn't look like your cold has gotten better." Ulquiorra observed, raising a hand to place it against Grimmjow's forehead. He was much warmer than yesterday.

"Naturally. Colds have to get worse before they can get better." Ulquiorra said when he heard Grimmjow growl in annoyance.

Grimmjow grumbled and rested his head against Ulquiorra's leg, his hand clenching in Ulquiorra's sweatshirt. Ulquiorra went quiet and had to suppress a smile. The fact that someone like Grimmjow was cuddly when he was barely awake was beyond adorable.

Ulquiorra wondered if Grimmjow's conscious was fully awake yet. Probably not.

Ulquiorra rested his hand against Grimmjow's face and felt his heart beat faster when Grimmjow's hand groggily moved up to hold Ulquiorra's, sighing softly when he felt it and gently nuzzled his face against it.

Ulquiorra had to admit he really wanted to hug him right now.

Ulquiorra draped his arm over Grimmjow's shoulders and felt his mouth twitch at the sleepy moan he received and he felt Grimmjow nuzzle his leg. Ulquiorra lowered his head, bending over to gently kiss Grimmjow's cheek and he smiled slightly at the sigh he received.

Silence fell between them, a very peaceful silence. Up until the alarm clock struck four and Grimmjow sat bolt up right with a gasp and said, "Alright, alright! Stupid thing!" and Grimmjow turned it off with a growl and then sighed when he realized how weird his voice sounded. "Great. It's gotten worse!"

"Of course. Things like this tend to get worse before they can get better." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow looked around and said, "I know that. But just because I already knew that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

Grimmjow stared at him and then said, clearing his throat a little, "You look unhappy. I mean more so than usual."

Ulquiorra looked up in confusion.

Grimmjow smirked and said, "If you wanted a morning greeting all you have to do is ask." Ulquiorra allowed himself to be pushed down underneath Grimmjow and had to suppress a shudder as Grimmjow's warm body pressed against his and Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around the man's waist without second thought. "You're sick. I don't exactly want to share germs with you."

"Oh. Fuck." Grimmjow grumbled, looking pissed. "We all live together so we're all gonna get sick at some point though."

"By the way, did you know that you are cuddly when you're barely awake?" Ulquiorra inquired and Grimmjow went still, his mouth half open. "I am not." He immediately denied tonelessly.

"Yes you are."

"And you know this, how?" Grimmjow asked, frown slipping onto his face.

"You've cuddled with me when you're barely awake. I'm just wondering if you have any control over it."

"Why do you know this? What have you been doing, molesting me in my sleep? Sicko."

"I was not molesting you."

"Yes you were."

"It never seemed unwanted."

"Shut up." Grimmjow snapped, his face feeling warmer than before.

"I'm not insulting you. I actually find it rather—"

"I don't care. I am not cuddly, shut up." and Grimmjow got up and moved towards the door only to stop. He pounced back on the bed, kissed Ulquiorra on the cheek and said, "Man, kissing you only on the cheek is gonna suck." He murmured, resting his forehead against Ulquiorra's.

Ulquiorra pulled him closer and sighed softly, closing his eyes.

* * *

Near the end of the week Grimmjow's condition worsened to the point where he now had a fever. He felt too dizzy to stand and had to lie down and he was burning hot with fever.

Blue frowned as she checked his temperature with a thermometer. "You've gone up."

"Shit…" Grimmjow grumbled. "Is it possible to feel cold and hot? Because I am burning hot and yet I'm cold in some places…"

Kyoshiro handed him an ice pack and said, "Second of all is it even possible to get a cold and a fever at the same time? Maybe only Grimmjow is capable of accomplishing such a thing?"

Grimmjow snatched the ice pack and pressed it to his flushed face. "Stop makin' me sound so fucked up. Though admittedly I do feel messed up…"

"Have you taken another capsule?" Weed asked, looking at the bottle of capsules on the bedside table and Grimmjow nodded. "Where's Ulquiorra?"

"Downstairs." Blue said and then she glared at Kyoshiro and said, "Oh take of the stupid mask!" and she seized a thick mask covering Kyoshiro's furry face and ripped it off. "Okay, okay, sue me for worrying about getting sick!"

"Actually if there's anyone who should wear a mask it's Ulquiorra." Weed said and right on cue Ulquiorra entered the room and said, "Time for another capsule." He handed Grimmjow a glass of water and a capsule and said, "Sit up." Grimmjow said softly, "What's the use? Those things aren't making me better; all they're doing is making me sleepy. I'm not taking them. I'll take this fever like a man and stop taking pills like a girl."

Blue glared at him and Grimmjow said, "What?"

"That is foolish. Don't they at least make you feel better?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Not in the least." Grimmjow grumbled. "Anyway, I never asked for your help. I don't need your pity nor do I want it."

"It's not pity, we just want to help." Weed said.

"Than forget it. I don't want your help."

"Fine, let's go then." Kyoshiro said, clearly a little annoyed by Grimmjow's behavior since he had been the ones to go out and buy the pills.

"I'm going out to get proper medicine for you." Ulquiorra said, turning and walking towards the door and Grimmjow said, "Hey, I just said I don't want—"

"Well _I_ want you to stop lying around like a dead body and burdening us with your presence." Ulquiorra said and he saw Grimmjow sneer.

"Ulquiorra!" Weed said, "You shouldn't talk to him like that! It's not his fault he's sick!" and Grimmjow said coldly and angrily,

"Fine. I can't wait for you to leave since you're so goddamn useful! You think it's a thrill to be sick? You think I like it?"

"Ulquiorra," Blue said as Grimmjow broke down in a coughing fit, "If you're going to say that you want him to get better because you miss him stomping through the household then say so pleasantly."

Ulquiorra ignored her and crossed to the door and said, "I will return shortly and when I do I expect you to take the medicine."

"Oh you know what, shut up! I'm not taking the shitty stuff you bring me, you little jerk!" Grimmjow snapped, standing up and immediately swaying a little as the room began to spin.

"If you were clever the first thing you would do is take medicine to help your cold instead of suffering. But if you want to be stubborn that's fine. I'll make you take it."

"You little shit! Try it and I'll break your fucking skull!"

Weed winced and said, "Guys, stop! Grimmjow this can't be helping your cold!"

"Who asked you to care?" Grimmjow snapped and Blue said, "Fine. If you're going to be that way we won't bother. Jerk." Grimmjow looked a little taken a back as Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed filed past him, leaving him and Ulquiorra alone.

"Smart." Ulquiorra replied and Grimmjow snapped, "Why asked you? Get out. This is just a stupid cold I ain't dying."

"Pity."

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra said, "Masterfully put. How amazing of you to learn such a clever insult that hasn't been used hundreds of times by yourself. Brilliant. You must be very proud."

Grimmjow's fist was inches from his face when Ulquiorra blocked his fist. "What the fuck is your problem you little shit?" Grimmjow snarled and Ulquiorra said, "You are. Goodbye." And Ulquiorra pushed Grimmjow away from him and left the room but not before seeing Grimmjow flip him his middle finger.

* * *

Rain was falling outside as Ulquiorra made his way up the street to the local pharmacy. He entered and immediately began to browse the store for the aisle that sold medicine.

Instantly upon entering the aisle however he bumped into someone and the woman said, "Oh, I am so sorry! Are you—Ulqui? What are you doing here?" the voice was deep and almost gruff and Ulquiorra immediately recognized it.

He looked up and saw none other than Shizatte, her bushy brown hair a bigger mess than usual and her mad eyes popping in her head, her pink raincoat wet from the rain outside and a duck umbrella folded under her arm.

"I should be asking you." Ulquiorra said, standing up. "Now move."

"Why so hostile?" Shizatte whined, the sound hurting Ulquiorra's ears. "It's been ages since I've seen you! I wish you'd bother stopping by! Why haven't you by the way? I've missed seeing you and your lovely friends and your cute, sexy, boyfriend—!"

"He's not my boyfriend." Ulquiorra said hastily and Shizatte gasped and got in his face, "NO! You've broken up? How horrible—but then that means you have room for my daughter in your life and—!"

"I have not broken up with him and even if I did I would never take your daughter. To be perfectly honest she repulses me."

"How mean!" Shizatte said, pouting a sight which made her look even worse. Ulquiorra moved away towards the cold/flu aisle and she followed him, Ulquiorra wished she wouldn't. She reminded him too much of Shizaa and he had had enough trouble from her and her crazy experiments.

"What are you looking for?" she inquired. "Oh and if you really want to know why I am here I went here to look for gorilla milk and gorilla glue along with some duct tape! I need it for an experiment."

Ulquiorra shuddered. "Cold medicine." Ulquiorra answered, just to make her shut up.

"Are you sick?"

"No. Go away."

"Here!" and Ulquiorra looked around and saw her holding something. It was a bottle of anti fever/cold medicine called "Fever Be gone!" and Ulquiorra stared at it. Shizatte thrust it at him and said, "I found this in the isle up ahead and I want to use it for an experiment but I think you should have it!" she said happily.

Ulquiorra took it and saw that it promised to completely remove cold/fever symptoms and cure the sick person. "How is that possible?" Ulquiorra asked and Shizatte shrugged and said, "Take it and help your true love! Bye!" and she skipped off.

Ulquiorra simply stared after her in some bewilderment before he stared at the small bottle in his pale hand. He shrugged. It was better than nothing anyway.

* * *

"Eat it."

"No."

"Eat it."

"Fuck you."

"Eat."

"Make me."

"This is stupid, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, "I don't need your help. Go and talk to someone who cares."

"Why are you being so ridiculous? Is it because I insulted you earlier? Or is it because you simply don't want my help?"

"Both. Get out." Grimmjow growled, turning over onto his side away from Ulquiorra, one arm folded underneath his head. "I can take care of myself."

"Getting sick certainly proves your point." Ulquiorra argued back.

"Shut up and get out."

"I expect you won't want me here at night?"

"Course not." Grimmjow replied and Ulquiorra said, "I'll sleep in here then and how about you take the bathtub?"

Grimmjow threw Ulquiorra's pillow at him and said, "Get out! What fucking part don't you get?"

"Gladly."

"Yeah, great, see ya!"

Ulquiorra left the room and went downstairs just as Weed carried something up for Grimmjow. Weed entered the room and said, "Food. Are you hungry?"

Grimmjow grunted in response and Weed proceeded forward with the tray of food before noticing the pill and the glass of water on the bedside table. "You didn't take it?"

"I don't want it, I don't need it."

Weed frowned and said, "You know, Ulquiorra's just upset because he misses you. He wants to see you get better. I've seen it in his eyes. He misses you."

"Ha. Yeah right." Grimmjow growled angrily. "I'm in the same house as him, he still sleeps in the same bed as I do—what's to miss?"

"I think he just misses you. We all do, and apart from sleeping together you aren't really around the house. He's just angry because he doesn't see you as often as he'd like, I mean he still has work and everything so he sees you even less and most of the time your asleep." Weed said to him and he saw Grimmjow shift slightly.

"Do you miss him too?"

"Hell no."

"I know he acted like a jerk earlier, but maybe there's more to his attitude than meets the eye, right? Anyway, I hope you get better. Please take the medicine, Grimmjow. But I'll understand if you don't want too."

Grimmjow sighed.

"I'm…still not use to relying on people. I don't like people taking care of me."

"Well, sometimes," Weed said, "People want too take care of you and help you, Grimmjow. If only you'd let them."

Weed left the room and though he had seen little response from Grimmjow—including facial expressions—he had a feeling that he had planted a seed of thought in Grimmjow's head. Maybe now there would be a little less fighting between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra?

* * *

Grimmjow glanced over at the pill and the water and sighed before reaching out and taking the pill in his hand and turning it between his fingers.

Truth be told he did miss seeing Ulquiorra, the only time he really saw him anyway was before he went to sleep or whenever Ulquiorra came up here. Of course he would rather be buried alive than admit he missed him.

Grimmjow sighed and shrugged as if to say 'what the hell?' and then tossed the pill into his mouth and washed it down with water. He reached over and seized the small container that contained the pills and read the back. The possible side effects were bloating, diarrhea, bloody stool and dizziness and the rest was blurred out by water. Grimmjow sighed.

"I better not be effected by these." He said, frowning and the door opened. Ulquiorra walked in and saw Grimmjow set the glass down on the table. "Don't gloat. I didn't take it because you wanted me too." Grimmjow said warningly and Ulquiorra simply closed his eyes.

"Blue and the others are asleep?"

"Not yet. Weed's doing the dishes and Kyoshiro…I think he's taking a shower. Blue retired early."

"Ulquiorra?"

"Hm?"

"Is it true that you've missed me?" Grimmjow inquired a little arrogantly, leaning over towards him and he saw Ulquiorra's jaw clench a little. "No. Who told you that?" Ulquiorra asked a little annoyed by now. "If you've taken your medicine there is no need for me to be here anymore. Good—"

Grimmjow seized his wrist and pulled him back. "C'mon, stop being a pain and just tell me!" and Ulquiorra sighed. "I don't see why it matters. Goodnight." Ulquiorra placed his hand on Grimmjow's to gently remove Grimmjow's hand. Grimmjow winced. "Your hand is freezing." He said and Ulquiorra removed his hand from Grimmjow's and said, "Really? The house is cold. The heaters still aren't on yet. What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked as Grimmjow rested his head against his back.

"Your whole body's cold. Why?"

"I went out to get those and then came back to a house with no heat. Of course I am cold. I'll turn on the heater we have in the closet and I'll make my leave after that."

After setting up the heater next to the bed, Grimmjow felt the room getting warmer. Ulquiorra was getting ready to leave but stopped when Grimmjow said, "What? You think I'm gonna let you waltz out of here without at least warming yourself? Don't be dumb. Sit down, warm up, and then leave."

And to his slight surprise, Ulquiorra sat down on the floor beside the bed next to the heater. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes.

Ulquiorra fell asleep beside him.

* * *

It was seven in the morning.

The floor was freezing cold. The whole _house_ was freezing cold! And the bathroom was no exception! Grimmjow was getting ready to take a shower and he cursed softly as he slipped his shirt off and felt goose bumps erupt all over his skin.

He suppressed a shudder with difficulty and turned on the shower water. He turned it up to the warmest temperature and he sighed when he reached his hand in the warm water spray.

He was feeling a whole lot better today, no sore throat, coughing, or fever or headaches. It almost felt like the sickness was gone. Grimmjow leaned against the wall near the mirror and sighed as the shower mist began to fill the room.

Normally he would have jumped right into the shower but for some reason he didn't today. He wanted to give it the chance to warm up.

Grimmjow moved towards the shower and without warning the lights went out. Grimmjow stopped and scowled before reaching over and to fix the light switch only to stop and realize that it was still in the 'on' position. "What the hell, all three lights at the same time?" he growled and then he heard a sound that made him freeze.

Someone was breathing softly in the room. Directly. Behind. The shower curtain.

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he felt his heart jump. "Hello? Kyoshiro if you playing a joke I am gonna kill you."

And then without warning a clawed hand gripped the shower curtain and pulled it back.

Grimmjow leaped backwards in horror when he saw a horribly burned and terrifying figure behind the shower curtain. Grimmjow's jaw dropped when he realized who it was! It was Freddy Krueger standing before him, water dripping through holes in his skin, his razor blade ripping through the curtain.

"Holy shit!" Grimmjow gasped leaping back to the corner of the room, horrified beyond belief.

He grinned a horrible grin and Grimmjow staggered back, unaware that his breathing had grown harsh and terrified. "Here's Freddy…" his whispered in a deep growl of a voice and then he ripped the shower curtain back and stepped out towards him, his clothes sopping wet and his gloved hands clicking the razor sharp blades.

All thought had shut down in absolute horror and Grimmjow was unable to think properly as terror clouded his senses. "I'm dreaming…I'm dreaming…I'm dreaming…!" he whispered, his jaw trembling. "Fuck." And he seized the doorknob and gasped when it wouldn't open. "Fuck! Fuck! Open the door!" Grimmjow yelled and he looked around. Freddy took a single step from the tub and moved closer.

Grimmjow slammed his hand against the door and twisted the knob frantically but nothing happened! Nothing worked! "Open the fucking door!" Grimmjow screamed and then Krueger was inches from him and Grimmjow shoved him in the chest only to have his hand go right through him!

Krueger seized Grimmjow's wrist and Grimmjow gasped. His body was frozen, he couldn't move. It was like his brain had shut down but somehow he was still alive. "Wanna play?" Krueger whispered, raising his razors right to Grimmjow's face.

"No one can hear you scream, it's just you and me now."

Grimmjow couldn't even scream.

"You fucker…" Grimmjow hissed and he slammed his knee into Krueger's stomach. Nothing happened, his foot went right through him. "Someone open the door!" Grimmjow yelled.

The doorknob twisted violently and Grimmjow jumped.

"Grimmjow?" it was Ulquiorra's voice.

"Open the door!" Grimmjow yelled his voice terrified and he heard Blue's scared voice, "What's going on, are you okay?"

"No, open the fucking door now!" Grimmjow screamed retreating to a corner of the room, shaking uncontrollably. Krueger advanced a leer on his horrible.

"Stay back!" Grimmjow yelled and the man took another step, stopping at the door before seizing the knob and twisting it.

His clawed hand reached through it and stabbed at something. Grimmjow's eyes widened in horror as Krueger's claw reappeared covered in blood, his grin growing as Grimmjow's terrified howl escaped him. "NO!"

The door banged open and the lights went back on and voices could be heard but Grimmjow had shut his eyes tightly and curled up on the floor, shaking and almost sick with fear. "Grimmjow!"

Two hands seized his shoulders, hands that were not clawed and Grimmjow clutched onto whomever it was, gasping. Blue hurried forward and said, "What the hell is going on? Grimmjow are you okay? What's wrong?"

Ulquiorra's eyes were wide and there was fear in them as he looked down at the man clutching him for dear life. "Grimmjow, it's okay. It's me and Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue. It's okay."

Grimmjow only held him tighter and Ulquiorra put an arm around his bare shoulders and at the back of his head and gently began to stroke his hair. "Grimmjow, are you okay?" Ulquiorra murmured, but he knew Grimmjow wasn't. And it scared him.

Seconds later Grimmjow was laid on his bed, pale, sickly and still shaking uncontrollably. His friends all gathered around him, almost as scared as Grimmjow was, if not more.

"He's waking up!" Weed exclaimed and Kyoshiro and the others moved closer. Grimmjow's eyes opened wide and he sat bolt up right, turned over and was immediately sick. Weed gasped. "Grimmjow!"

Grimmjow gave a dry heave and gasped his face pale and covered in a thin sheet of sweat and his eyes wide with terror. "Grimmjow lie down, it's okay you're safe!" Blue exclaimed, making to push him back down but Grimmjow refused, shaking his head and taking in huge gulps of air, fighting off the urge to be sick again.

He looked over at them, his gaze roaming over them before he gave a huge sigh of relief and seized Ulquiorra's shoulders and said, "Don't go downstairs, just don't!"

"Grimmjow, what is going—?"

"We have to get out of here now!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Ulquiorra slapped him and Grimmjow went very still, looking like he'd been stabbed in the back.

"First, you have got to calm down and tell me what happened." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow immediately said, "I saw Freddy Krueger!"

Kyoshiro and Blue and Weed exchanged worried glances and Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow if you are playing a joke—which I highly doubt—"

"It is NO JOKE!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra jumped slightly, "I saw him! He tried to kill me! He cornered me just before I could get in the shower, slashed the curtains and stabbed one of you through the door! I saw him and I am not lying!"

"Grimmjow, this is nuts." said Kyoshiro, looking scared. "Freddy Krueger is a fictional character, he doesn't—!"

"Then what the fuck was that?" Grimmjow screamed, completely hysterical. "I saw him! He tried to kill me! He was…you guys don't believe me. Why?"

"Grimmjow," said Blue, "This is not possible."

Grimmjow stared at the floor and shook his head. "How can you guys not believe me? Would I be this scared if I was lying? You've got to believe me! No, I don't care if you do! He tried to murder me and I know he did, I felt his blades, I saw him, the curtains are slashed go downstairs and see them! Go!"

Blue stared in absolute shock before she said, "I'll go and see then." And Grimmjow suddenly gasped and said, "No, don't!"

"Should I stay or go, make up your mind?" Blue said a little impatiently.

But Weed raced downstairs and Grimmjow said, "Go after him." and Blue hurried after Weed.

Tense seconds past and then slowly, Weed and Blue reappeared together and Weed said, "The curtains are fine, the lights are fine, nothing is out of order Grimmjow. Maybe it was some twisted guy playing a sick joke."

Grimmjow shook his head, biting his lip. Ulquiorra frowned and said, "You really saw him, didn't you?" and Grimmjow gave a frantic nod. Ulquiorra stared into his eyes and saw absolute terror and confusion in those blue eyes. Grimmjow was not lying; he was not joking or playing a prank. He was genuinely scared.

"I don't know why your seeing him but—"

"I couldn't touch him." Grimmjow whispered, "But he could touch me. I couldn't hurt him but he could hurt me. I can't do anything. I can't fight him. I can't."

Kyoshiro scoffed and Grimmjow seized a glass form the bedside table and threw it at him. "I AM NOT LYING!" Kyoshiro had ducked the glass and looked shocked and they could all tell Kyoshiro didn't want to believe it. "S-sure you aren't." Kyoshiro whispered.

Ulquiorra looked around and said, "Leave." And Kyoshiro eagerly left the room. Grimmjow jumped slightly when Ulquiorra put an arm around his shoulders and Grimmjow sighed shakily and rested his head against Ulquiorra's shoulder.

"I'll look this up. Maybe his fever has worsened?" Blue whispered shakily before leaving the room. Weed looked ready to cry. "Grimmjow…"

Ulquiorra gently stroked Grimmjow's back and whispered, "Tell me about it." But Grimmjow had gone very still and was instead looking over Ulquiorra's shoulders. Weed turned and stared towards the door. There was nothing there.

But Grimmjow could see what was standing there. A man cloaked in shadow was standing in the pitch black hallway, his razor blades clicking as he moved them together.

Ulquiorra looked around and said, "Grimmjow, there's nothing there." And he looked at Grimmjow and saw despair settle in his eyes. Grimmjow was the only one who could see it, the only one who could hear it and be victim to it.

The figure stared for another second and then pressed his blades to the wall and walked away leaving a terrible eerie screeching sound as he went. A sound that only Grimmjow could hear.

Weed and Ulquiorra exchanged glances and Weed could see genuine concern in Ulquiorra's eyes before he turned to stare at Grimmjow who simply stared into the hallway and if Ulquiorra stared hard enough, he could make out the hair on the back of his neck standing straight on end.

* * *

"Well, Mr. Jeagerjaques, why don't you tell me about what's been going on with you?" the doctor asked, sitting down opposite Grimmjow, the blue haired man shifted slightly in his chair and said, "Yesterday I was about to take a shower. The lights went out and the curtains were pulled back and I saw…Freddy Krueger staring at me. I sound nuts right? But I saw him."

"Did he do anything?"

"He slashed the curtains and cornered me, he tried and came very close to killing me. I couldn't hit him but he could touch me. I was practically defenseless."

"Did anything trigger this?"

"No."

"Headache? Any pain of any sort?"

"Nothing."

The doctor nodded and Grimmjow whispered, "I'm crazy aren't I?"

"We'll see after I run a few tests, but first tell me if you've been suffering from fever recently."

"I have! Could that be the reason? No…"

"What?"

"The fever passed. I can't still be sick." Grimmjow muttered his chin in his hand. "I need to check your temperature anyway." the doctor said.

"How is he?" Blue asked immediately, all of her friends standing up.

"Your friend is not sick," the doctor said, walking to them. "He is completely free of contamination of any sorts."

Ulquiorra frowned. "How is that possible? I assumed that his fever had reached a new level when he told me about Freddy Krueger..." Ulquiorra's voice trailed off into silence. "Where is he now?"

"Getting a few tests done. He seems to be completely normal."

Kyoshiro scowled, "Maybe he's insane. Why the hell would a normal person be seeing Freddy Krueger? What's wrong with him?" Kyoshiro's voice was concerned and Weed said, "Any headaches before it happened?"

"He said negative."

Grimmjow appeared behind them and said, "The results will be ready in about a week." He said, walking towards his friends. "Mr. Jaegerjaques, keep track of when these hallucinations happen."

"Hold it!" Grimmjow growled, grabbing the doctor's shoulder. "Hallucinations? Are you supposed to be able to feel hallucinations, as in touch them or hear them?"

"Any of those things are possible."

"Can they kill you?" Grimmjow asked.

"No. But they can drive you to it. Here," he handed Grimmjow some medicine, "Take this, it will calm them down, if not eliminate them for some period of time. Take one everyday."

Ulquiorra tapped Grimmjow on the shoulder and said, "Let's go." And Grimmjow nodded, "Right." And the five of them began to head home.

* * *

Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes!" Grimmjow snapped from behind the shower curtain. "Okay, okay…" Ulquiorra murmured, crossing his arms. Grimmjow had had Ulquiorra 'stand guard' outside the bathtub to make sure he wasn't alone when he got attacked.

Truth be told, Ulquiorra didn't mind being there for Grimmjow, even if he did act like it annoyed him. Ulquiorra sighed, running his hand through his hair like he normally did when he was stressed out. He wished he knew what was going on. The only thing he did know was that Grimmjow was scared, and that alone was reason enough for him to stay by his side.

And to be honest, Ulquiorra was scared for him. He had never seen Grimmjow like this before, normally the man was so fearless and strong but now he was reduced to a quivering mess.

"Ulquiorra? You believe me right?"

"I do. You're scared. That's all I need to know." Ulquiorra answered and he looked over his shoulder when he heard Grimmjow sigh. "What's wrong with me, Ulquiorra?"

"I don't know. I have no idea."

Grimmjow wrenched back the shower curtain and Ulquiorra sat up and found himself face to face with Grimmjow. "What is wrong with me?"

"I don't know, Grimmjow. If I did I would try and stop it."

"But you can't, right?" Grimmjow said, closing his eyes, looking at the floor. "You don't know what it is like, do you? Being helpless, seeing things you shouldn't. I'm a coward aren't I?"

"No. You are not a coward." Ulquiorra responded and Grimmjow was surprised that he could tell Ulquiorra meant it. Ulquiorra stared into his eyes and he could see desperation in Grimmjow's gaze. "Then what is wrong with me?" Grimmjow whispered his voice desperate.

"Nothing can stop what I'm seeing. What—?" Ulquiorra took Grimmjow's face in his hands and whispered, "Just because you are seeing things I can't doesn't mean that you have to be alone in this. I will find out how to help you."

"You can't—"

"I can and I will." Ulquiorra whispered and Grimmjow closed his eyes before saying softly, "I'm—I've gone mad haven't I?"

Ulquiorra stared into his eyes and whispered, "You can't suddenly be mad, Grimmjow. Why? Because in all the years I've known you, you have constantly proved yourself to be mad."

Grimmjow scowled. "Haha, really fucking funny."

"But if you're insane, then I am too." Ulquiorra said, "Other wise I wouldn't like you this way." Grimmjow allowed a smile to cross his face.

Ulquiorra's lips gently pressed against Grimmjow's and both of them closed their eyes, at peace for the moment. Ulquiorra moved away and whispered, "I will find a way to help you." and then he added, "And then off course facing your fear helps too."

"No." Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra said, "Okay, never mind then. I'll think of something." He kissed Grimmjow again and made sure that he didn't move away this time, that was partly because Grimmjow had wrapped two damp arms around him to keep him in place.

Their lips parted briefly and Grimmjow said, "So, you ready to admit that you missed me?"

"No." Ulquiorra answered, "Because I didn't." Grimmjow growled in annoyance and kissed him again but this time he was rougher, bringing his teeth and tongue into play, letting out a pleasured growl when Ulquiorra moaned softly into his lips but Grimmjow moved away before he could respond.

"You're an asshole." He growled and Ulquiorra said, "Then what does that make you?" and Grimmjow kissed him again to shut him up.

"Aroused." Grimmjow replied with a smirk and Ulquiorra said,

"That's disgusting." And Grimmjow ruffled his hair. "You sound damn sexy when your angry, emo-kid."

* * *

Blue sighed and briefly fought off the urge to hit the keyboard. "Hallucinations can be caused by extreme fever but Grimmjow doesn't have one!"

"Then he's crazy! Let's face it, we already knew that!"

"Kyoshiro, this is serious!" Weed said angrily, "Grimmjow is suffering and we need to help him! If you don't care then why are you here?"

Kyoshiro looked around from where he lay on the couch and said, "I never said I didn't care. I guess…I'm kind of unnerved."

"Yeah." Blue said quietly, "Seeing Grimmjow like this really has unnerved me too. It's so unlike him I can't help but be scared. Whatever it is that's wrong with him I really hope it isn't serious."

Weed suddenly stood up and went to the window and said in surprise, "Someone's crying!"

Kyoshiro looked around and stood up, walked towards the window and said, "Crying? Really?" Blue walked over as well and said, "Where?"

"There!" Weed said, pointing across the street. There was a girl sitting across the street, her face in her hands. "So? People cry." Kyoshiro said, turning away.

"Maybe she's hurt?" Weed said, concerned. "If she is, it isn't our business is it?" Kyoshiro said, clearly not wanting to get involved since his nerves were so messed up.

"Kyoshiro, are you really going to ignore someone in pain?" Weed asked incredulously, crossing the room and opening the door before hurrying outside. Kyoshiro growled and said, "Alright, alright, so maybe I'm a little interested." He got up and hurried outside with Blue on his heels.

Weed was the first to reach her and he knelt down beside her and said, "Are you okay?" the girl lifted her face. She was a girl with fair skin and long blonde hair tied back into a braided ponytail. She was slightly freckled and she wore a red dress with a blue jean jacket draped over her shoulders. Weed jumped back a little. "Y-yes, I'm fine, thank you." she stood and began to walk away when Kyoshiro said, "Didn't look that way to me."

"Oh, it's really nothing. Just stress piling up that's all."

"Want to talk about it?" Blue asked a friendly smile on her face.

"No, it's really okay. I don't want to be a burden." She said hastily, attempting to smile but Weed could sense she was distressed. "Your not burdening us," Blue said kindly, "Actually we have very little to worry about." But she realized she was lying when she remembered Grimmjow and his problems.

"Anyway, we can't ignore someone who's upset." Blue added.

The girl looked a little suspicious and Kyoshiro said, "We don't want to attack you or anything so don't be so freaked out." Blue elbowed him and Kyoshiro grumbled something.

The girl sighed and said, "Okay it's a long story, I can shorten it if you like?"

"Anyway you like." Blue said, sitting down on the sidewalk with her. "Oh! Would you like to come inside? Oh. That must sound really weird." The girl laughed a little and said, "I guess I could. I am a little cold."

Kyoshiro stood up and said, "Okay, let's go." He passed Weed and looked over. Weed was standing very still, sort of just gazing into space. But then Kyoshiro realized he was looking at the girl and he elbowed Weed and said, "Hey, you can space out inside the house, c'mon."

"Huh? Oh, um, okay!" Weed said, seeming to snap out of a strange trance and Kyoshiro rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face.

Upon entering the house loud bickering reached their ears and Blue scowled and said, "Just ignore them." To the girl and lead her inside. The source of the bickering was, of course, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra in the kitchen arguing about the directions on the back of the anti-hallucinations bottle of pills.

"It says take two." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow rapidly shook his head and said, "No way! If this stuff makes it worse I'm gonna see worse than before! I'm taking one!"

"It says take two, Grimmjow. You're supposed too—"

"And I'm saying I don't give a damn about what the directions say—I'm taking one!" Grimmjow snarled, seizing the bottle and attempting to pull it away from Ulquiorra but with difficulty.

"This doesn't concern you anyway! You're not the one hallucinating here!" Grimmjow snapped.

Blue groaned. This was the last thing she wanted, a guest hearing two grown men arguing about pills and hallucinations. "Guys!" Blue snapped and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked over in surprise and Grimmjow took this as an opportunity to bonk Ulquiorra on the head and shove the pills into his jean pocket.

"Stop arguing, okay? We have a guest."

Grimmjow took sight of the girl and waved once before shuffling out of the kitchen and seizing a glass of water on the table. Ulquiorra showed more interest than Grimmjow and said, "Why is she here?" at the same time as Grimmjow however and both men looked at each other in amusement.

"Well, she was a little upset so we thought we'd bring her here." Kyoshiro said, "And now you two and your talk of hallucinations and medication have made it look like one of you are insane."

"That's funny." Grimmjow said, washing down the single pill with the glass of water. Blue glared at him and Grimmjow stuck out his tongue, a smirk on his face.

The girl giggled behind them and Grimmjow jumped and said, "How long are you gonna be here?" and Kyoshiro said angrily, "Grimmjow, shut up!"

"What? I was just asking!"

"Alright, before you tell us your story," Blue said, "My name is Blue and that is Kyoshiro, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Weed," she said, pointing to each of her friends in turn. "And for some reason, the guy who came up with the idea to help out is being awfully quiet." Kyoshiro said, looking over at Weed.

The young boy was standing a little towards the door, looking at the floor and shyly shuffling his feet. "Uh…hi?" Weed said, raising a hand and waving, a smile on his face and he immediately gasped when the girl smiled back.

Blue laughed a little and said, "What's your name?"

"I'm Rebecca. You can call me Becca though." she said, sitting down on the sofa next to Kyoshiro. Blue leaned against the TV set in front of Becca and said, "Okay then. So, what's your story?" she asked, tucking her hands into her pockets and relaxing against the TV.

Becca began to speak, "Well, today I uh…today is the anniversary of the day my family died. So, as you can imagine it would be upsetting to anyone…"

Kyoshiro nodded and said, "I see. What then?"

"I also kind of got locked out of my apartment and my friend is not answering her cell phone when I try to call so I'm kind of having a rough day. Not to mention I accidentally left my wallet in my apartment so I can't buy any flowers for their graves. I'm kind of…distressed and lonely today. I really miss them."

Grimmjow said suddenly, "Wait, your family died on the same day? You mean they were murdered?"

"Grimmjow!" Kyoshiro said annoyed that Grimmjow could be so blunt.

"Yes, they were murdered. That was fifteen years ago…and they, the murderers, got released only two days ago."

Ulquiorra suddenly remembered something, an article in the New York Times that he had read on Halloween morning.

"_Yes. Grimmjow almost had a stroke." Ulquiorra answered, sitting down at the table and flipping once through the paper. The only interesting thing he saw was that three delinquents had been released from prison. They had been sentenced for forty years but were released for their fifth. "I read that too." Weed said, peering over Ulquiorra's shoulder, his hands in his pockets. "It's disgusting to think that they got out that early."_

"_What were they charged with?" Blue asked, leaning back in her chair. "Murdering a family of four." Ulquiorra answered._

"Were you the fifth member in your family?" Ulquiorra asked and Becca nodded, "Yes, I was." she said a little tearfully.

"Three of them killed your family?" Ulquiorra asked and it was clear Becca was getting upset, "Yes, three men. Right in front of me."

"And they were released five years too early." Ulquiorra said and Weed suddenly said loudly, "Ulquiorra, stop it! You're upsetting her."

"Ulquiorra, what's up?" Grimmjow asked, looking over at him and Ulquiorra said, "I read an article on Halloween morning about three people who were released from prison. They were charged with murdering a family of four. I guess they didn't mention the fifth member because she is still alive."

"Why didn't they kill me?" Becca mumbled miserably. "Why? I don't want to die but why did they make me the only survivor?"

"Cause they probably wanted you to suffer. Some people like seeing kids suffer." Grimmjow said a little groggily, clutching his head. "Damn I think that pill has given me a headache."

"Is there anything we can do?" Blue asked Becca and she said, "No it's okay. I'll be fine." She made to stand up but she stopped when her cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out and then gasped.

"What?" Kyoshiro asked and Becca said shakily, "It's from my old house." Ulquiorra looked over in interest and Grimmjow suddenly went still.

"Don't answer it." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow said loudly, "Give it to me." But Becca took it from Kyoshiro and shakily clicked 'talk'. "H-hello?"

Silence fell as Becca listened. She could hear soft laughter on the other side of the line and then a soft voice whispered, "Remember me?" and without warning there was a scream from the other side of the line and Becca almost dropped the phone, her face frozen in expression of horror as the screams and pleads filled the phone.

"Do those screams sound familiar yet?" the male voice whispered, barely hiding his laughter, "We recorded them the night your family…uh…died. And…uh…guess what? Your next."

Becca had dropped the phone, tears sliding down her face.

"What's wrong?" Weed gasped, hurrying over only to have Becca bury her face in his chest. Weed went very still and Becca attempted to calm herself down, "I'm s-sorry, I-'m just…I'll leave now, I shouldn't have troubled you. I'm so sorry." She attempted to calm her breathing but Weed said shakily, "You haven't bothered us at all, Becca." He said, clearly a little unsure of what to do.

Weed gently patted her on the back and Grimmjow and the others all watched in surprise. Weed held her a little tighter and said, "Your just fine here, they can't find you." and Becca relaxed a little.

Grimmjow reached for the cell phone and picked it up. Their call was traceable and he smirked. "I can prank call them." He murmured, "And I can do it without leaving the kid's number." Blue snatched the phone from him and said, "Maybe later."

Kyoshiro clicked his tongue. "Sick twisted freaks." Then he looked over at Weed and blinked when he saw the gentle smile on his face as he held Becca. Kyoshiro smiled.

"Thank you, Weed…" Becca murmured and Weed turned very red and said, "Uh…anytime."

* * *

The sun would soon be going down. Becca was sleep on the couch and Weed stood protectively with her while Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Blue stood upstairs in Grimmjow's room.

"So, the killers have taken up refuge in Becca's house, and plan to torment her and then kill her," Blue said, frowning. "I refuse to let her leave the house."

Grimmjow leaned against the door and said, "So what? She can't stay here the rest of her life."

"She's terrified out of her wits." Blue said coldly, "We can't just let her leave knowing that her family's killers are on the loose!"

"So," Kyoshiro said, a serious look on his face, "We catch 'em! We've done this before! We know where they are! We go and nab the bastards and make sure they stay locked up."

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Well, she's your responsibility. Whatever you do with her doesn't concern me. Now, I'm going to the store." And he turned and left the room.

Blue glared after him. "Jerk!"

* * *

_Seriously, what do they expect me to do with her? I have enough problems already! _Grimmjow thought moodily as he browsed through the bread in Western Beef. _I mean here I am suffering from hallucinations about some weird guy trying to kill me and they expect me to care about some random girl I've never seen before in my life?_

Grimmjow put the bread in the slightly stuffed basket and walked away, some girls stared at him and one whispered about "how cute!" he was. Grimmjow smirked a little and checked the list. He needed eggs and some beef now.

Grimmjow turned and headed down the aisle until he reached an automatic door that led to 'the huge freezer' as Grimmjow called it. It was freezing cold inside and Grimmjow shuddered as he walked through the cold room, browsing for eggs and milk and beef.

_In any other situation I'd willingly take down a bunch of criminals but today…I just feel kind of out of it I guess, _he thought somewhat sourly as he put the eggs on top of the overflowing basket which was getting heavier by the second.

Someone bumped into him and Grimmjow winced a little and turned around and said, "Oi—huh?" there was nothing there. Grimmjow looked around and was suddenly aware of just how empty it was in the freezing room.

Grimmjow shrugged it off and proceeded to the milk only to stop when a shadow passed right by him. Grimmjow's blood froze and his breath hitched.

"Oh no…" he whispered and he looked over his shoulder. There was nothing there. Grimmjow turned back to the milk and then gasped when he saw someone walk right past the aisle ahead of him.

Grimmjow growled and seized the milk and prepared to leave when without warning two sets of eyes appeared right behind the milk shelf and stared right at him! Grimmjow jumped backwards and the cart fell over and the contents toppled everywhere.

The lights in the room flickered and began to go out. "No…" Grimmjow moaned and then he raced to the doors just as the power in the room went out.

The doors wouldn't open! Grimmjow pounded on them but nothing happened and then without warning the lights outside went out. "No…" Grimmjow whispered and he raced up ahead, staggering slightly in the complete darkness until he reached the other revolving door and attempted to open it but then he went silent completely as he heard it, chopping and the soft squelching sounds coming somewhere ahead of him directly to his left.

Grimmjow looked around and saw something moving behind the butcher's counter. The copping sound grew louder and the dripping sound intensified. Then the chopping stopped as something behind the counter turned and stared right in Grimmjow's direction. "Oh fuck no…" Grimmjow murmured, pressing himself against the door.

Then the figure began to walk out from around the counter and a horrible sound started up. A terrible screeching sound as something sharp scraped across the walls, the floor, anything. Sparks flew up from the right and Grimmjow saw, in the brief moments of illumination, a terrible leering face.

And Grimmjow broke through the automatic door and raced through the dark grocery store. He could hear no one, see no one and that terrified him more than anything. Grimmjow banged into the cashiers counter and gasped when he heard footsteps behind him. Grimmjow tore away and broke through the automatic door and was greeted by moonlight and people passing by. Most people were standing there, complaining about the sudden power out in the grocery store.

Grimmjow heaved a shaky gasp and began to walk very fast through the street and then he stopped. A figure was standing at the end of the street, cast into shadow by the street lamp, blood dripping from razor sharp claws.

Grimmjow began to walk in another direction, very fast. He rounded a corner and stopped dead when he saw the same figure, but this time closer, standing under the nearest lamppost, staring at him.

"STOP FUCKING WITH ME!" Grimmjow yelled before he raced away up the street, running faster than he ever had, not noticing the figure that watched him in every car's window's reflection, getting larger each second.

* * *

Weed looked down at Becca and said, "Are you feeling better?"

"No. Not really. I mean how would you feel if you found out that the killers who have killed your family and have haunted each and every one of your dreams and thoughts are on the loose?"

Weed frowned and said, "I'd hate it. I'd be terrified. But Becca you're safe here. We can take them on if they do find us—but of course they won't—what's that?"

And without warning the door was being violently pounded on before keys were roughly shoved into the door and the door was thrown open and Grimmjow raced in, pale white and shaking beyond belief, he looked around and jumped when he saw them. "Grimmjow!" Weed exclaimed. "Are you—?"

Grimmjow ignored him and looked around once before bolting the door and locking the windows. Ulquiorra came downstairs and said, "What is going—? Grimmjow, what—?"

Grimmjow just shook his head and raced past Kyoshiro and disappeared into the broom closet. He came out with a set of bricks and began to push him towards the door.

"We had bricks?" Kyoshiro said, looking annoyed that no one had told him.

Ulquiorra jumped the last three stairs and hurried to Grimmjow and blocked his path and Grimmjow looked up frantically as Ulquiorra said, "Another one?"

Grimmjow sat up and said, "Move it."

"These are in your head, Grimmjow. They are not real; they are images in your head. Boarding up our house is not going to help keep them out." Grimmjow grabbed the front of Ulquiorra's shirt and said, "What the fuck do you want me to do then? Nothing helps! And if you were me, you would not just say that these aren't real!"

"Then convince yourself," Ulquiorra said, seizing Grimmjow's wrist, "Face your fear and you'll see that these images cannot hurt you."

"These 'images' have touched my fucking face! I've heard footsteps, I've felt them! They are real, Ulquiorra!"

"Nonsense. You are being foolish. Face your fear, go outside and confront it."

"You do it!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra said, "This is not my problem."

Grimmjow punched him in the face. Weed gasped and Kyoshiro gave a loud exclamation of shock and Becca gasped as well.

Blue's eyes widened. "Grimmjow!" she exclaimed.

Ulquiorra looked up, poker face still in place and his hand resting against his cheek. Grimmjow's expression was livid, but beyond the anger, in his eyes Ulquiorra could see that he was scared, confused, and ashamed of himself for feeling scared. "Do you think I like it? Do you think I like being scared? I don't. I hate it. I'm disgusted with myself. But that's just the way it is. You can't help me. No one can."

"I'm trying." Ulquiorra said, staring up at him and Grimmjow stared back. There was no anger in Ulquiorra's gaze, just the truth that he was speaking. "And my advice is that you face your fear and you understand that these images aren't real. I can't be there with you when you do it, it has to be you."

Grimmjow's jaw clenched and Becca's phone rang. "I am going to break that fucking thing." Grimmjow said through clenched teeth. "Is it them?" Weed asked and Becca nodded shakily and Kyoshiro and Blue hurried over however Grimmjow snatched the phone and opened it and said, "Alright, go fucking _fuck yourself_ you little dicks!" and he turned off the phone.

Everyone in the room stared at him; Becca's jaw was hanging open and Blue's eyes were bugged out. Kyoshiro and Weed looked at each other and Kyoshiro grinned, "That was awesome."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes, a small smirk on his face. That was more like the Grimmjow he knew. Grimmjow however had gone very still and was staring at the phone in shock.

"Uh…Grimmjow?" Weed squeaked.

"Holy crap…that's good…" Grimmjow murmured, looking from the cell phone to the horror movie DVD's on the coffee table. "That's fuckin' sweet. I've got it!" he exclaimed and he turned around, making his friends jump.

"What?" Blue said impatiently and Grimmjow said excitedly, "I know how to get rid of the murderers! Fear."

"Fear?" Kyoshiro repeatedly, clearly lost.

"Yes. We're going to scare them out of that house and turn them over to the police and have them put back in jail for life!"

"Wow!" Weed said but then he added, "How?"

* * *

"You're not going?" Ulquiorra said, sounding as if he was trying to understand something incomprehensible. "Nope. You guys know the plan; all you need to do is act it out. Easy enough. Goodbye." Grimmjow said, stretching out on the couch.

"You're going to stay here all by yourself?"

"Nope. Becca is staying, she said so."

"No she didn't. We all agreed it's too dangerous to go there."

"Blah, blah, blah, goodbye."

"I can't believe this." Ulquiorra said, staring at Grimmjow and shaking his head slightly. "The second strongest in our group—jumping at shadows."

Grimmjow aimed a swipe at him and Ulquiorra said, "This is pathetic. Get up and come with us."

"I'm not even needed." Grimmjow said, scowling at Ulquiorra. Blue walked over and attempted to push Grimmjow off the couch but he refused to budge. "Grimmjow, get up!" Blue said impatiently. "Just go! It'll be midnight soon, get moving!" Grimmjow snarled, smacking her hand away.

Kyoshiro shook his head. "This is just sad…Grimmjow, get up or I'll make you! Stop being such a damn coward! It's repulsive!"

"You think I don't know that?" Grimmjow yelled at Kyoshiro and before Kyoshiro could respond Ulquiorra said, "Let's go. We don't have the time for this. We have one hour to get the costumes and the next hour to get into position. Let's go."

Kyoshiro clicked his tongue in disapproval and he and Weed left the house with Ulquiorra and Blue. Becca and Grimmjow were now alone.

"Don't you even want to accompany your friends?" Becca asked her back to him and Grimmjow replied, "Don't you want to avenge your family's murder?"

"Of course I do! I just don't want to burden your friends. They've all been so kind to me and I don't think there's much I could do."

"Tch. Yeah right. You're scared aren't ya? Your too scared to even get off your butt and—"

"Yes I am scared! I'm terrified!" Becca replied angrily.

Grimmjow sneered. "I knew it."

"But that doesn't mean I am going to sit around and just let those men roam free. I am sick of being tormented. I'm sick of the nightmares. I'm sick of them. And I stayed behind to tell you this."

"Whatever kid go talk to someone who cares." Grimmjow replied, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

"Being scared doesn't mean that you can't be brave, and being brave doesn't mean that you are never scared. Being brave is being scared but going through with it anyway. That's bravery. And I know that you can be brave too."

"Shut up." Grimmjow muttered, glaring at the opposite wall.

"If you never face your fear, it will consume you. You'll become a wreck. Let's go there together, okay?"

Grimmjow turned over onto his side away from her. "I don't give a shit, kid. I'm not scared, I just can't be bothered. Get your ass outta here."

Becca's face hardened. "I'm scared right now, I'll tell you that. But I'm going."

"Bravo."

Becca glared at him and began to walk towards the door but before she left she said, "I thought you might be better than this."

"Boo _flippin'_ hoo."

The door slammed and Grimmjow smirked to himself. Silence fell in the room and Grimmjow sighed softly his small—possibly fake— sense of pride at chasing Becca off fading into nothing as he tried not to think of Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra out there, facing three ruthless killers in a dark old house while he lay here on his butt, too scared to even move from the spot.

A frown slipped onto Grimmjow's face and his shoulder's slumped.

"I'm so damn pathetic."

* * *

"See," Kyoshiro said as he took the lead beside Becca up the street, "this is easy! Who needs Grimmjow? We got the costumes; we got the leaf he specified. No big deal, right?"

"It still feels kind of weird though," Weed admitted, "He is almost always with us and now he isn't."

"We're doing fine, just fine." Ulquiorra mumbled.

"And hopefully he'll be able to get over his hallucinations." Blue said and then she and everyone else stopped walking as Becca said, "That's it."

They were all staring at a large house, similar to their own, but it was red and the roof was white and the garden looked more like a yard. "Nice digs." Kyoshiro said and Blue said, "Don't get distracted, Kyoshiro. We have a mission here."

Kyoshiro cautiously looked up at the house and Weed whispered exactly what he was thinking, "Do you think they can see us?"

"I don't even think anyone's home." And he opened the gate and whispered, "Singe file, move fast."

Becca was quiet and she seemed to be lost in memories for a moment, "I haven't been here since I was four years old. I left as soon as I could."

Weed looked over and there was sympathy in his eyes as he said, "Becca, we'll help—!"

"Weed, go through the gate, now." Ulquiorra said impatiently and Weed gasped and said, "R-right!" and he hurried through towards the front door and crouched in the shadows.

Blue went next followed by Ulquiorra and then Becca and Blue said, "Alright Kyoshiro, lock pick." And Kyoshiro reached into his pocket and gasped. "Shit." Blue groaned. "Well, this is bad."

Ulquiorra stood and stared at the lock and said, "This can't be too hard to open. We'll attack the hinges first—with something." And it was clear he was thinking. "I'll just have to get out of my gigai and go at it with sword I guess. I would have preferred a less noisy break in though but they won't be able to hear it anyway."

Before Ulquiorra could act and before Becca could ask what an Espada form was however a voice said, "Need some help?" and a lock pick was thrust into the keyhole and Ulquiorra looked around and Kyoshiro and the others gasped.

Grimmjow was standing directly beside them, a grin on his face, looking perfectly at ease for someone about to break into a murderer's house. Ulquiorra just stared, beyond surprised. "I thought—," Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow said, "What? You really thought I'd miss _this_? Not for the world babe."

Grimmjow pushed open the door a crack and said before Ulquiorra could tell him off for calling him such a ridiculous nickname, "Get in there, c'mon." and everyone hurried in, leaving Ulquiorra last.

"What made you change your mind?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow said with a smile, "I just thought you might get scared all alone in his creepy house with a bunch of criminals—"

Ulquiorra poked him on the nose and whispered, "Not for the world." And Grimmjow grinned before saying, "Let's kick ass." and creeping into the house.

The house was dark and dusty and it was clear no one had wanted to live in it after the murder stories had got out. It was almost identical to Grimmjow's house, except for the colors and arrangement of the furniture.

Grimmjow grinned and said, "This is perfect haunted house material."

"Shush!" Kyoshiro hissed, listening. "I hear something."

"Where's Becca?" Weed gasped and Blue said, "We've kept her outside and hidden. We'll do the scaring but she can be the one to catch them as they leave. We discussed this, remember?" and then she gasped when the door knob rattled and Grimmjow hurled himself across the hall and locked the door before tiptoeing back to them and whispering, "Get to your positions. Don't die." And he left his gigai and dragged it upstairs to the broom closet.

"Don't…die?" Weed said and Ulquiorra said, "Never mind, he's just being Grimmjow. Come on, hurry." And he hurried up the stairs followed by Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro just as the door banged open below them and three boys entered the house.

The lights came on and three grown, hooded, men entered the room and began to assemble around the TV, talking loudly, smoking and drinking.

"Boys, listen—shut up for a second, dammit! Our next victim lives in east Harlem. She's got good money on her that we could use, we'll head down there tomorrow and—!" but without warning the lights went out.

The man talking cursed and stood up, "What? A power out? _Now?_"

Then they heard it, a soft creaking up in the attic. One of the men jumped and was hit on the shoulder. "Stop being a baby, dammit!"

There was a dull thud and they jumped. One of them got annoyed and said, "What? You think there's something up there? Dumbass! We've been here for years, even before we got arrested! Nothing is up there! But go and check if you like, fine by me."

The man who had been scolded immediately started to head towards the stairs mumbling, "Yeah right…stupid me…" and just as he passed the bathroom he stopped. He could hear splashing coming from within the room and he froze. He scowled and said, "Tch, like there is anything in there." And he crept towards the door.

He leaped through the door and looked around the dark bathroom. It was completely empty but one thing was strange. The tub was full of water and the water was rocking about, splashing against the rim.

The hooded man stepped forward and peered into the tub. Nothing. "What the f—?" and without warning he was seized from behind and slammed into the tub, his face submerged by freezing cold water. Every time he tried to breath he would be pulled back in and submerged.

The two men downstairs jumped as they heard his cries of terror and ran upstairs and raced into the bathroom and found him gasping and terrified out of his wits. "What the hell?" one of them exclaimed, pulling him to his feet and he ran from the room, screaming and gasping.

The two others exchanged nervous glances and left the room. "What the hell happened?" the tallest man exclaimed and the drenched man gasped and said, "I don't know! Someone attacked me! Which one of you?"

"None of us! We were downstairs you idiot!"

"What?" the man backed away, horrified.

"Hey, man, you probably tripped. No big—!"

The man seized his friend by the shirt and screamed, "I DID NOT TRIP! Someone attacked me! Who did it?"

"I don't know, stop yelling!" and he was shoved onto the floor and then there was a bang upstairs and they all jumped. The tallest, and probably the leader, scoffed and said shakily, "You idiots! I'll show ya! Stay here!" and he walked upstairs leaving his two men alone and scared.

He reached the top of the stairs and stopped, listening for the sounds. Nothing and for a moment he relaxed until another sound sent his heart racing. A pounding was coming from his room. "Shit. Who's the sick fuck playing this game…?" and he stepped towards his room and opened the door. The room was dark, like the rest of the house. There were too many places to look.

And then he heard it, a bang coming from his closet. He stepped towards it slowly and cautiously, shaking from head to foot. He gripped the closet door and wrenched it open. A scream split the room as he got a look at just what was inside the closet, a man hanging from the ceiling by a rope, thick blood dripping from his mouth and falling onto the floor, the eyes huge and bugged out, terrible gashes across his face and body.

The boy raced from the room and Kyoshiro coughed and said, "Oh God, what the hell is this liquid? Ugh…"

He opened his shirt and stared at the strap around his chest and he removed the noose and cut the rope with a switch blade and Grimmjow, in his Espada form raced in and said, "No, don't—swallow it." Kyoshiro gagged and Grimmjow said, "You'll be okay, never mind!" and he hurried away.

The boy raced from the room and turned left and gasped in horror. A red light from outside was flashing, filling the room with a bloody light and in that light he could make out someone standing in the corner of the hall, long hair and white kimono blowing in the wind, thick black liquid oozing from it's mouth.

The boy screamed aloud as he made out the wide eyes and horrifying face as the figure advanced, faster and faster, neck twitching and cracking as the figure let out a broken choking sound.

The boy screamed in horror and raced down the stairs and looked around in shock when he realized that his two men were not in the room.

The thing began to crawl down the stairs as if it had no strength to stand, letting out terrible broken croaking sounds as it went and the boy screamed and raced towards the door only to find it wouldn't open. Grimmjow held onto the knob, refusing to let it open for the desperate man. He had held the door shut for the other two and currently they were about to run into Blue.

"Fuck! Open the goddamn door!" he screamed and he looked around and saw the terrible figure walking towards him and he gasped, practically sobbing as he crouched against the door, gasping and pleading. Grimmjow sneered—not that the boy could see him—. "Pathetic." And he raced past the tormentor and whispered, "Keep it up, Ulqui." As he hurried to watch the two others get terrified by Blue.

One of the two entered his room and locked the door, gasping and shaking. "What the hell is going on?" he whispered and then he gasped when he saw something glisten on the windows and his eyes widened. There was slanted writing on the wall, carved into the wall with a knife and it said, DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE KIDS AND PARENTS YOU KILLED?

"Yes…I do…" he whispered as he recalled the reason he had been sent to prison. "Is that why you're doing this…? Who are you?" he gasped and then he turned and stared towards the shadows of the room and saw someone standing there, a masked someone.

The intruder didn't move, it only stared right at him, never moving, just staring. And the man gave a terrified whimper and whispered, "What do you want? Why are you doing this? Leave us alone!" and he tore away down the hall to the bathroom.

The boy raced towards the door and ran inside and locked it behind him and crouched on the floor, shaking until he saw something that made his blood freeze. Something was rising out of the water, something that began to slowly creep towards him. The man couldn't move, he only stared as the small figure advanced on him, blood sliding from a slit throat, one arm missing.

He remembered this boy. He had killed him, chased him into this room and murdered him. He could hear it again, the screams and pleads, his own laughter. "Leave me alone…" he gasped as the boy approached, staggering under the pressure of a bruised ankle.

"Leave me alone!" he screamed and he threw open the door and crashed into his friend and both of them tore down the stairs and found the hallway deserted except for their leader, crouching by the door.

"C'mon, get up! We've got to get out of here!" said the third man, dragging his leader to his feet and shaking the doorknob. It wouldn't open! "What is this?" he exclaimed and then he heard movement from the top of the stairs and they turned and all of them let out exclamations of horror when they saw someone standing at the top of the staircase, staring down at them.

The man shook the doorknob frantically and let out a whimper when it would open and one of the men gasped as the white robed thing began to crawl down the staircase and the young boy limped down the stairs towards them. Another figure appeared behind them, his neck seemingly hanging by a thread as if the rope had dug in deeper the whole time he swung in the closet, completely covered in blood and hardly able to walk.

Those two, the young boy and the hanged man, all three of the boys knew. They had killed the father first and hung his body in the closet and then went after the other two family members after killing the brother. These images were suddenly unbearable to remember through the terror and the renewed screams that filled their ears as memories came crashing back to them.

And the door opened and they staggered outside and began to run towards the gate, yelling at each other to move or run faster and then without warning someone plowed into them and knocked two of them over, the third made to jump the fence but was seized and pulled back by the neck and thrown to the floor and Becca cried, "I've got them! I've got them!" and all the men did was scream in terror, too scared to move.

Grimmjow—now in his gigai—hurried out of the house and was by her side in seconds followed quickly by Weed, Ulquiorra, Blue and Kyoshiro and the boys all attempted to get away until Grimmjow said loudly, "Oh for fucks sake! Don't you guys watch horror movies? Come on…"

And Ulquiorra removed the robe to reveal his jeans and black shirt underneath and then attempted to remove the wig only to gasp and say, "Blue, what did you _do_? It's stuck." And Blue removed her mask and said, "Oh, sorry, Ulquiorra!" and she hurried to help him.

Kyoshiro removed the noose from his neck and said, "You lot are absolutely repulsive, did you know that? Disgusting, begging for mercy after all the shit you've done to people! Do you think you deserve it?" Kyoshiro roared and the boy's cowered away from him. Kyoshiro snarled and yelled, "Don't flinch like that!" and he lunged at them only to be restrained by Weed. "Kyoshiro, that's enough!"

"Are you serious? They deserve more than just a huge scare!"

"Yes! They deserve prison!" Weed said, dragging Kyoshiro to the side and showing quite some strength for someone smaller than Kyoshiro.

Grimmjow sneered at them and said, "I cannot believe you fell for that! Serial killers my ass! I'd think it was pretty easy to tell Weed's arm wasn't really decapitated, just some false plastic from the Halloween Store! And Kyoshiro—actually that was pretty convincing, using a concealed strap around the middle to make the hanging look real like what we saw in the Sherlock Holmes movie…" Grimmjow added and Kyoshiro nodded and then immediately gave a dry heave and said, "Grimmjow what _was_ that stuff?"

"Something from a crushed leaf, you'll be fine even if you did swallow it. Ulqui, did you swallow it?"

Ulquiorra cleared his throat and shook his head and cleared his throat again before saying, "My throat hurts." And Grimmjow ruffled his wig and said, "That was some good stuff though, right? Damn I feel awesome for thinking of that."

"Police!" Weed called and all of them turned and the men gasped and one attempted to move but Becca kicked him hard in the head and said, "Lie still you bastard! I agree with Kyoshiro you deserve so much worse, but I understand that if I hurt you I'd be no better than the men who killed my family and I will _never _sink to your level." She said through gritted teeth.

Two police got out of the car and stared in amazement at Grimmjow and his group and said, "What are you guys, late trick-or-treaters? Thanks for this." said one of the police men, smiling at them. "I'll have you know that I did not agree with their early release."

Grimmjow shrugged and Becca said, "I don't care what happens but you had better keep them in jail this time." The police man put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll do my best."

"That ain't good enough. You keep them in there." Grimmjow said coldly, "Give us your word." The police man nodded and said, "I will keep them in jail, you have my word and James'."

The men on the floor were shaking still and one of them even raced into the police car and the other hastily followed but the leader didn't, he just lay there on the floor, glaring at the car. "I'm not going back there! I'm not!" he turned and glared at Grimmjow and his friends and yelled, "I'm not through yet!" and he seized a rock and threw it at Ulquiorra's face.

It bounced off and hit the ground. Ulquiorra turned his neck until they heard a cracking sound and he gave a sigh and then he turned and stared at the man on the floor. The longer he stared the more the man began to cower and then Ulquiorra took a step forward and the man gasped and said, "Hey, what are you doing?" and then Ulquiorra raised his foot above the man's head and brought it down and the man gave a scream only to stop when Ulquiorra's foot stopped inches from his skull.

"Pathetic." Ulquiorra said and the police relaxed.

The man however gave a terrified sob and practically screamed, "Take me to jail! Please, please, please!" he sobbed and the police tossed him into the car after handcuffing him.

Grimmjow started to laughing, a grin on his face. "Enjoy yourself, bitches!" Grimmjow yelled, laughing harder and slapping Ulquiorra on the back. "Oh that was good, Ulqui!" Grimmjow said, grinning at him and Ulquiorra's mouth twitched in response.

The second officer walked forward and handed Kyoshiro some money and said, "Thank you. I know we didn't put up posters or anything for their capture but thank you for doing the right thing and helping us jail them again anyway." Kyoshiro smiled a little and said, "No problem, just get them out of my sight."

The car drove away and Blue sighed and said, "Well, all's well that ends well I suppose."

"Thank you, all of you, so much." Becca said, "You all are amazing, thank you."

"No problem," Weed said, smiling, "And uh…thanks for being brave enough to tell me about your brother and his…anyway, it was really noble to tell me such a thing. You're really strong to able to remember things—never mind! I'm probably upsetting you, I'm sorry!" Weed said, bowing and Becca said,

"No, you're not upsetting me! I'll admit it is difficult to relive memories like those, but I think the important thing is just to remember all the great times and the love we all shared."

Weed nodded and said, 'I agree, Becca." Grimmjow nudged Ulquiorra and both of them saw a very soft smile on Weed's slightly flushed face. Grimmjow grinned down at Ulquiorra in a kind of knowing way.

Kyoshiro grinned as well and said, "Uh, here, Becca." And he walked forward and handed her the money. "No, I can't—!"

"Yeah you _can_! We don't need it!" Kyoshiro said, ignoring Grimmjow sigh of annoyance. "Take it, in our respect for your family. Take it."

Becca smiled and it was easy to tell she was very touched. "Thank you."

Kyoshiro smiled and Becca turned to the group and said, "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed, thank you again."

"No problem and…uh…thanks for getting me off my ass." Grimmjow said, shrugging and looking at the floor. Ulquiorra lightly bumped his arm against Grimmjow's and Grimmjow frowned only to smile when his gaze met with Ulquiorra's. "What, Ulqui?" Grimmjow asked as Ulquiorra tugged on his sleeve and the man replied, "I can't get the wig off."

Grimmjow let out a bark of laughter and Blue and Becca, Weed and Kyoshiro joined in and Ulquiorra frowned. "It isn't funny." He said and Grimmjow only laughed harder. Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Guys it isn't _that_ funny." And Grimmjow kissed him, a smile on his face, his hand sliding through Ulquiorra's hair that sort of wasn't his hair.

Becca looked at Blue and said, "I knew it." And Blue said, "Huh?"

"I sort of knew it. Oh my God they are adorable together." She said in awe. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked over in bewilderment at her comment and Grimmjow replied moodily, "_Who's_ adorable?"

"Care to repeat that?" Ulquiorra asked and Becca only laughed.

"Oh and the reason we laughed is because you are so damn adorable, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said, lightly pecking Ulquiorra on the nose. Ulquiorra looked at the ground and started to tug on his wig, sighing when it finally came out.

Becca suddenly jumped when her phone rang, she gasped when she saw who it was from and Grimmjow said, "Who is it?"

"Ted," she answered happily and Weed's face fell and he said, "Uh…he's?"

"My boyfriend, I've been living with him these past two years."

Grimmjow and the other three looked at Weed who was gaping at Becca. She looked around and said, "I should be going home. Thank you again." She called as she opened the gate and began to walk away from the house up the street.

"Anytime, Becca. Take care!" Blue called and she and her friends waved except for Weed who simply gaped after her. He snapped out of his trance however and said suddenly, "You have a boyfriend?" and Kyoshiro laughed and pulled Weed into a somewhat aggressive hug as Blue and Grimmjow broke out laughing and Ulquiorra closed his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"Let's go home guys," Blue said, "I've never been so tired in my life." And Grimmjow nodded and began to walk away with Kyoshiro, who was still dragging Weed with him.

"You guys go on ahead." Ulquiorra said suddenly and Grimmjow looked over his shoulder at him. "Why?"

"I've just thought of something concerning your hallucinations, Grimmjow. I'll catch you up later, right now you go home." Grimmjow frowned and said, "Whatever you want I guess." And he, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue headed home.

* * *

Shizatte sighed and took off her glasses, brushing a few crooked strands of hair from her unattractive face before she suddenly sat up and did a twirl. "Yes! I finally finished it! My super amazing automatic toilet! I'm such a genius sometimes I surprise myself!" she squealed, her voice cracking.

"Congratulations." And she gave a gasp and turned and saw Ulquiorra in his Espada form standing in the shadows. "Oh, it's just you, Ulqui-chan! For a moment I thought you were some pervert!"

"Hm."

Silence fell between them until Ulquiorra said coldly, "Show me the bottle of pills you gave me."

"Huh? I don't have them."

"Don't lie," Ulquiorra said darkly, "There is no way any pharmacy would ever sell any medicine quite as complicated as that, nor with such terrible side effects. I should have known the instant I took them from you that they were your creation. Side effects do tend to turn up when medicine is taken, but it seems to me that that this medicine was made specifically for that side effect. Show me the medicine." Ulquiorra demanded.

Shizatte sighed and said, "You're a smart one alright." And she beckoned for him to follow her as she skipped away to a door behind a few foul smelling boxes and after pushing them aside, a few of them growled or made hissing noises, she opened the door and held it for him as he entered.

The room was stacked with the same white containers of medicine she had given to Ulquiorra, some of the stacks almost reached up to the ceiling. "Incredible." Ulquiorra said and Shizatte smiled widely and said, "Isn't it?"

"Quite so." Ulquiorra said, picking up one of the containers from the floor and examining the back. This time the side effects were readable due to the fact that there was no water stain. Side effects may include: Bloating, headaches, diarrhea, bloody stool and hallucinations. Stop taking after a day if any occur.

_As I thought. _

"Am I right in assuming that you have an antidote?"

"Of course, it's right on my counter in the blue container!" she answered happily.

Ulquiorra felt his hand clenching on the bottle and he was suddenly tempted to throw it across the room. How could he have been so stupid to accept such a thing from Shizatte of all people? It was his fault Grimmjow had gone through that whole ordeal.

"You must have worked very hard on these, am I correct?"

"Yes! I am so proud of myself!"

"I see. So when I destroy these I will do it very quickly."

"WHAT?"

And Ulquiorra conjured a cero on the tip of his finger and fired! The room filled with a blinding emerald light and the smell of burning medicine filled the room and Shizatte screeched, too horrified to notice Ulquiorra wave over his shoulder at her as he departed.

* * *

The house was quiet, Blue was eating a sandwich at the table and Kyoshiro and Weed were having a staring contest while Grimmjow lay on the couch, his hands behind his head. He had not encountered any other hallucinations since he had run to Becca's old house to confront the murderers, on the way home however he had had the feeling that someone was watching him and occasionally had seen something out of the corner of his eye.

The phone rang and Grimmjow got up and saw that it was coming from Ulquiorra's cell phone and he sighed, feeling a little relieved.

"Yo Ulqui? When are you coming back?"

"He's not coming back." And Grimmjow's blood ran cold as he heard a terrible growl of a voice from the other line followed by a wheezy sort of chuckle.

"What the fuck…?" Grimmjow whispered. "Where is he?"

Silence.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Grimmjow yelled and Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed jumped.

"Pier forty. Five minutes. I'll let you get one last look at him before I leave the remains."

"You sick fuck. Don't you fucking touch him you son of a bitch!" Grimmjow roared and he threw the phone across the room as the line went dead. "Fuck!" he yelled, hardly able to breath properly as terror clouded his senses.

"Grimmjow? What the hell is going on?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, scared at seeing Grimmjow so upset. "He's got Ulquiorra! That sick bastard has Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow yelled and Weed gasped, "No way! You mean Krueger? But that's not—that can't be—!"

But Grimmjow stopped listening and was already out the door and tearing away up the street towards Chelsea piers, he could hear his friends running after him and Grimmjow removed himself from his gigai and took to the sky, flying fast through the air, the cold window burning his eyes.

_I'm not hallucinating anymore. I can't be. This is real, Krueger is real! He's real now and I don't know how that's possible. But it is. I don't need to think about it. Ulquiorra… good god. I'm going to kick that sick fuck's ass so fucking badly he's going to beg for death, I am going to fucking clobber him and then burn him alive! I'll kill him!_

All thought of fear had left his head; the only thing he truly feared right now was Ulquiorra's fate. Screw Krueger, screw all of it!

He wasn't afraid anymore, not now.

Grimmjow landed in front of pier forty and stared at the warehouse in front of him. There were so many places to hide in there, so many shadows, too many places that someone could be watching him. But right now, he found he couldn't give a damn. Grimmjow kicked down the door and stormed inside and began to run as fast as he could, following Ulquiorra's reiatsu and he found he was able to breathe properly. He was still alive. There was a door ahead of him and without warning, something shot out of the shadows ahead of him.

It was Krueger! Grimmjow didn't stop; he kept moving, flying right for the figure ahead, the razor blades shining in the light of the moon that peered through the window. "Go to hell you old shit!" Grimmjow bellowed and he flew right through him but not before Kruger's claw stabbed at Grimmjow's neck.

Grimmjow looked down, expecting to feel pain and see blood but there was nothing. "He can touch me, but he can't hurt me? How can that be?" Grimmjow murmured but he grinned and turned around and prepared to attack only to find nothing there. He would probably reappear again sooner or later but right now it didn't matter.

Grimmjow ceroed the door and leaped through the dust and looked around. There was no one in the room. Fear sunk in and Grimmjow called out, "Ulquiorra!"

"Grimmjow." And Grimmjow spun around to face his left and saw Ulquiorra casually walking down the boxes, his hands in his pockets.

Absolutely unharmed.

And Grimmjow began to understand and instant rage filled him and he charged with a yell of, "Ulquiorra you bastard!" and Ulquiorra stopped his fist and jumped backwards to dodge his other punch and finally Ulquiorra was seized by the front of his jacket and pulled right in front of Grimmjow who yelled, "You tricked me! You stupid little piece of mother fucking shit!"

Ulquiorra rubbed his ear and said, "Yes I did trick you. My voice is now permanently damaged from doing an impersonation of both Kiyako and Freddy Krueger. And it worked; you faced your fear for me."

"Fuck you!" Grimmjow yelled and Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed entered the room, out of breath and all of them gave exclamations of relief when they saw Ulquiorra. "Oh I get it now," Kyoshiro said and Weed looked very confused. "What?" he asked almost crying with relief. "Ulquiorra planned this out, didn't he?" Blue asked, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance and relief.

"I can't believe you, I seriously can't fucking believe you! How the hell could you do that, you stupid little fucking—ARGH! I hate you!" Grimmjow yelled, shaking him and continuing to yell until Ulquiorra said, "I have the antidote in case you are interested." And Grimmjow stopped yelling and looked down. "Antidote to what? My hallucinations? Where'd you get it?"

"Shizatte. I didn't tell you I got the medicine from her. It was a thought that occurred to me when we passed a pharmacy on our way to Becca's old house. I don't know why it didn't occur to me earlier—"

"What are you stupid? You took medicine from her?" Grimmjow snapped, whacking Ulquiorra upside the head before snatching the medicine and taking a pill from the container and swallowing it.

The sudden screeching of Freddy's claws stopped and Grimmjow looked around and saw him vanish right on the spot. Grimmjow sighed and said, "Well at least that's over."

"I'm glad too, I'll be glad to be rid of your screaming." Ulquiorra said, standing up and brushing invisible dust from his shoulders and Grimmjow glared at him and said, "You shut up! Who asked you? It's your damn fault this happened anyway!"

"No, actually it is your fault, Grimmjow. You're the one who got sick. I told you to bundle up but you didn't listen."

"Well you're the one who went and made it worse by taking medicine from the lunatic who's the mother of your stalker! Who looks stupid now? You do!"

"You're the one who wouldn't take the other medicine, idiot." Ulquiorra argued calmly, walking past a dumbfounded Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed who watched them argue with lost expressions on their faces.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well—you're just stupid, period!"

"Grimmjow—"

"I have spoken!" Grimmjow yelled at him and Ulquiorra stared at him in bewilderment.

"What does that have to do with anything, you moron who says utterly pointless things thinking that he'll end the argument that way."

"Shut up you stupid person who likes to use too many words at the end of every fucking sentence just to sound oh so smart!"

"But now you're doing it, hypocrite."

"Yeah and I hope it makes you realize how freaking _stupid_ you sound!"

Blue groaned and said, "Only Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are capable of truly keeping this type of an argument going for five hours straight…" she said, trying not to smile at the insanity of it all.

"Yeah," Kyoshiro said, staring after them and shaking his head, "And then it'll be all over the next day and they'll be back to normal. Good god…" and he sighed and began to walk away and Weed hastily followed him, a smile on his face. "It's just another ordinary day in the life of us." And Kyoshiro chuckled.

And Grimmjow and Ulquiorra—still bickering—Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed set off into the darkness of the warehouse and out into the piers.

And above them the sky slowly turned golden with the light from the rising sun, its golden rays breaking through the clouds, lighting the way for them.

The way home…

"Buffoon."

"Shut up emo-kid!"

* * *

Ah, don't you love the GrimmUlqui banter? I do! xD I had so much fun writing this, but I had to kind of hurry to get it done and then get to chapter 12. That's the first time I written two chapters in a backwards order!

Anyway, I hope you two-three people reading this enjoyed this chapter! I enjoyed writing it! So, tell me,what are your plans for Halloween? I plan to sit around and watch horror movies. I've picked out The Strangers (ahaha, Ulqui's movie from chapter 10!), Dead Silence, and Quarantine, all of those are supposed to be scary. So! I plan to enjoy myself! Yay, cue the blood and death! :D

Another random thing, I loved writing scared!Grimmjow. It's so OOC but kind of cute. Cute because he can run to Ulquiorra and seek comfort all the while denying that he needs it. D

I also really love writing scary scenes, especially if I have the right music!

Anyway, goodnight (or good morning, depending on what time you are reading this)!

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


	14. Adventure 14

**Adventure #14**

**Christmas in New York**

Snow was everywhere, on the ground, falling lightly from the sky, decorating buildings, turning the whole of New York City into a winter wonderland of cold, fluffy, awesomeness—and there was only one use for all this snow!

Central Park! Where there was snow _galore_! It was just like playing in the forest, only safer and better because you could actually find your way out!

Three figures made their way up a huge snowy hill, wrapped in coats, scarves and gloves and carrying something under their arms. Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed made their way up the hill, grinning and laughing in anticipation.

"This is going to be freaking awesome! I've never done this before!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, holding a garbage can lid under his arm. "We're gonna go down so fast—wow, this hill is really high." He added, panting lightly.

Weed bounded ahead, shoving his face in the snow and sneezing when he removed his fluffy face from the snow.

"Why are you doing that? You'll freeze your face off!" Kyoshiro snapped, withdrawing Weed's face from the snow.

"I love the snow!" was Weed's hyper reply.

Grimmjow heard Kyoshiro chuckle. "No reason to bury your face though, kiddo." Kyoshiro said, ruffling Weed's fur with his paw.

"Move faster. I ain't gonna wait for you guys!" Grimmjow snapped, grinning and rushing ahead.

"Not my fault you have two long legs!" Kyoshiro argued, bumping against Grimmjow's leg. "Not my fault you're a midget, Kyo." Grimmjow said, slamming his leg against Kyoshiro in a friendly but very strong nudge!

"Ow, shit, man." Kyoshiro said and he and Grimmjow started shoving each other.

They finally reached the top of the hill and Grimmjow yelled, "ALRIGHT! Let's go!" and he sat on the garbage lid. Kyoshiro flung his lid beneath himself and seated himself excitedly.

Weed however frowned as he sat down and said, "Uh, guys…whose gonna push us?"

Grimmjow and Kyoshiro looked at each other. "Didn't see that one comin' did you, genius?" Kyoshiro asked Grimmjow. "Shut up! All we need to do is throw ourselves down the hill and jump on! If we miss the lid then…we'll slide on our asses. Not good for your ass but whatever."

"Sounds fine by me. Too bad Ulquiorra and Blue aren't sledding yet, man they are gonna miss some awesome—!" but Grimmjow kicked Kyoshiro's lid and grabbed Weed's and flung himself down the hill!

They slid at top speed down the hill, everything was a blur as it sped by them and they had to swerve violently to miss the rocks that emerged here and there.

"C-c-c-c-cc-couldn't you have c-c-c-chosen a safer hill?" Weed screamed, covering his eyes. "He'd say 'where's the fun in that'!" Kyoshiro called, grinning as he lay on his stomach and began to push himself faster with his paws.

"Race you to the—!" but Kyoshiro's scarf snagged violently on a root and he gave a loud, screeching, gagging sound and fell right off his lid. "Kyoshiro!" Weed called out, grinning but freaked out for his friend and not noticing the tree he was flying right at!

Meanwhile below, Ulquiorra and Blue were starting uphill when two empty lids, followed by two very terrified and exhausted dogs, with Grimmjow in the lead were seen heading right in their direction.

"I'm glad I didn't go sledding." Blue said, seeing Kyoshiro's expression of pain.

Kyoshiro slid on his stomach, grinning as Weed casually tossed himself onto his back and put his paws behind his head. "This is fun!" Weed called. He probably didn't think it was very fun when his head struck that rock though. Kyoshiro did a pirouette and bowed as he slid past Blue, smiling at her, only to fall over when she smiled back and laughed.

Ulquiorra looked up and his green eyes met Grimmjow's blue eyes.

Grimmjow grinned and called out, "Ulquiorra!"

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra said, raising a hand only to gasp as Grimmjow leapt right off the 'sled'. Grimmjow seized both of Ulquiorra's hands and pulled him right back onto the trash can lid.

They held each other tightly at first and then slowly they spread out a bit, smiling at each other.

As they slid on the trash can lid, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra spread out a bit, hands linked out at arms length, both rocking back on their heels, and everything seemed to pass by in slow motion as the lid began to randomly spin in a slow circle!

The way it happened it was almost as if both of them were floating in midair, slowly spinning around—! In other words it felt very, _very_, epic.

They both stared into each others beautiful eyes, both with smiles on their faces as the world around them slowly spun around, and around…

And then Ulquiorra realized what was happening. He was on a trash can lid, going down hill faster than the speed of light and spinning rapidly in circles!

"If I die I am going to kill you, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra threatened his voice hardening.

And then he added. "After I vomit."

"Ew, over the edge, please!" Grimmjow said, grinning gently at him.

"Wait, it went down, never mind." Ulquiorra said.

Then they both crashed of the lid as it struck a rock, spinning in circles before they both hit the floor, tumbled head over heels in the snow and then fell onto the snowy floor, Grimmjow on top of Ulquiorra, practically nose to nose with him and a wide grin on his face.

Kyoshiro however drove by yelling, "Beat you! This hill goes on for another mile!" and he sprayed snow all over them as he slid by, laughing like a moron with Weed speeding at his heels, his tongue hanging out.

Weed was doing some random dance moves as he slid by them and Ulquiorra watched Weed dance away as he lay on his back in the snow.

They both rolled onto their backs, their arms spread out, both resting comfortably in the snow, staring at each other, snow clinging lightly to their hair, either in large or small clumps or little fluffy specks.

"Where are the lids?" Ulquiorra asked Grimmjow and the man shrugged, grinning.

The answer came rolling down the hill on its side and hit Grimmjow in between his legs—literally.

* * *

New York City really was an awesome place to be in the winter! People just seemed to have this strange air of joy about them—except for that one tramp lady who yelled at Blue just for walking by. But other than crazy people, it really was awesome!

"Hey, what's that line for?" Blue asked as she and her friends parked themselves outside a small food shack next to Bryant Park. Ulquiorra withdrew his face from his hot chocolate and Blue immediately started giggling. He had a chocolate mustache that was highly amusing to look at.

The fact that he was oblivious to the new addition to his face was even funnier.

Kyoshiro also withdrew his face from his drink and Grimmjow and Blue started laughing. "What?" he asked and when they continued to laugh he got irritable. "What?"

Ulquiorra became aware of his face and wiped it on a napkin before seating himself at one of the tables, brushing snow off the seat.

"What line?" Weed asked, returning to Blue's question.

"Over there, people are going into that house." Blue said, pointing towards a festively decorated house. Grimmjow sat down beside Ulquiorra and said, "Wanna take a look?"

"Why not? We have all day out here." Blue said cheerfully and Kyoshiro sneezed loudly and said, "That weird house is for that weird sport that involves running on ice with your shoes on. Well, sort of. It's called 'skating' and people die."

"Skating and People Die?" Weed said, clearly thinking that was the title. Kyoshiro face palmed with his opposable paw. "No, Weedy! The sport is called 'skating' and people die doing it! Or they break body parts."

He added the last bit quickly and then sneezed and said, "Dammit, I-I'm cold! C-can we go home?" he asked his black nose twitching as another sneeze came his way.

Weed frowned and said, "Here!" and he began taking off his coat and Kyoshiro said, "No! Don't strip! You'll freeze to death! Never mind I said anything!"

"It's okay; I have literally five sweaters on."

Kyoshiro's eyes widened. "Five sweaters? Y-you had extra sweaters all this time?"

"Yeah. I kind of forgot. You can take two, here." said the Akita Inu, pulling off his sweaters with his opposable paws.

Grimmjow started to laugh at the expression of anger that came onto the other dog's face and immediately had a snowball thrown into his face by Kyoshiro.

Kyoshiro pulled the colorful sweaters on and sighed. Blue smiled. The color blue looked good on the Kishu Inu.

Ulquiorra stood up, shuffling his feet—which were numb—on the snowy floor. "How about we go and check out that house? Maybe we'll get warmer."

"Aw, Ulqui-chan's cold?" Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra shoved him into the railing and walked away and Grimmjow hurried up the steps with their three friends hurry behind them.

Ulquiorra was staring at a fountain, the water frozen over. What attracted the emerald eyed man to the fountain was the frozen water that had still been falling into the pool below when it froze. It was quite pretty.

"Fascinating." Ulquiorra murmured.

"Hey, look at this!" Grimmjow said, running to the ice rink to watch the skaters. They were all failures!

They kept falling over and knocking into the edges! And then they'd laugh when they fell over! _How stupid!_ Grimmjow thought, watching them.

Kyoshiro hurried over and put his front paws on the barrier and said, "Stupid huh?"

"I was just thinking that!" Grimmjow said, scowling as a teenage girl knocked into the barrier right in front of him. She stared at him and blushed and Ulquiorra promptly pulled Grimmjow away from the edge by the scarf.

Classical music was playing from huge speakers. The song Ain't Love a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin was playing.

"Why this music? We need some death metal or rock and roll!" Grimmjow exclaimed, grinning as saw people fall over like dominos.

"Totally." Kyoshiro grinned, watching them and laughing.

"That looks fun!" Weed exclaimed and Grimmjow said, "What the hell? You wanna fall on your ass and get trampled?"

"No I wanna skate across the ice!" Weed exclaimed happily.

Ulquiorra frowned. "I cannot see us being any good at this."

"Still!" Kyoshiro said, licking his lips in anticipation. "It's better than missing out on an opportunity like this! C'mon, let's do it!" and he ran off towards the house.

"Take your human forms!" Blue called and Kyoshiro and Weed hurried off towards some bushes.

"So, are you guys coming?" Blue asked and Grimmjow said, "Uh…yeah—just to plow people over!"

Ulquiorra sighed and said, "I'm going home."

"You're just scared!" Grimmjow taunted, grinning at him and Ulquiorra scowled and looked around. "I am not."

"Then join us, dammit!" Grimmjow grabbed Ulquiorra by the emerald arm of his coat and dragged him off. "By the way, Blue? Why don't you ever take your true form?" Ulquiorra asked tugging his arm away from Grimmjow as they entered the house, Kyoshiro and Weed hurrying behind them.

The lobby was crowded and there was a food bar and a place to order skates and an emergency room just down the hall near the entrance to the rink. The floors were carpeted black and the windows revealed the happy skaters outside.

Blue answered Ulquiorra's question after looking around the lobby.

"If I did you guys would get in trouble for not keeping a wolf dog on a leash. Wolf's dogs aren't exactly legal in New York."

"Shit." Grimmjow said walking up to order skates.

Grimmjow could immediately see Ulquiorra's "this is a bad idea" sign grow bigger when he tried on his pair of skates and realized how wobbly they were. "They'll feel better on the ice." Grimmjow added, grinning as he tried on his skates and said, "Alright! Let's blow that thing up!" and he ran in his skates to the door and raced outside.

Ulquiorra frowned and stood up and began walking towards the doors, Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro watching him almost fall over. "If he falls over on the ice—" Ulquiorra grumbled but gasped as he almost fell over. Blue seized him under the arm and Kyoshiro did as well.

"I think we're_ all_ going to be doing some falling over." Blue said, smiling as she and Kyoshiro helped him towards the doors, wobbling in their skates.

Weed opened the doors for them and they all froze when they saw how crowded it was! "Lucky none of us are claustrophobic." Kyoshiro said when he saw how packed the rink was.

"Look for blue hair." Ulquiorra said, squinting through the crowd on the ice. His ears picked up the sounds of Grimmjow when he heard a loud yell of pain and Blue gasped.

"OW SHIT!"

Ulquiorra and the others hurried forward and found their blue haired friend flat on his face on the ice. Ulquiorra hurried onto the ice to help him only to gasp when he realized how slippery it was!

He fell right on his butt.

Grimmjow lifted his head and said, "Yo." When he saw Ulquiorra attempt to stand up and fall over.

Kyoshiro tentatively stepped onto the ice and immediately slipped.

Blue held Weed's hand to prevent him from slipping and she gripped the railing and said, "Perhaps we should start off holding the railing?"

"No way in hell! Only babies do that!" Grimmjow exclaimed, pointing to a mother and her child holding the railing. They both fell anyway.

Kyoshiro clung to the railing and Ulquiorra did the same and started moving slowly, getting use to the feel of the ice while Grimmjow attempted to skate properly while people zoomed by him.

Grimmjow took a tentative step and almost slipped he scowled, wanting to cero the ice and laugh manically. But he didn't.

He realized it helped to bend his knees and he gradually went from a slow walk to almost running. "See what happens where you challenge yourself!" Grimmjow called as he zoomed by his friends.

Kyoshiro grinned and said excitedly, "I wanna do that!" and he began to move slowly after Grimmjow and eventually everyone else did, except Ulquiorra.

Weed kept falling over and getting up determinedly. Kyoshiro almost kept falling and getting frustrated but Blue and Grimmjow were soon skating very fast around the rink.

Ulquiorra frowned and let go of the railing and started to move slowly and nervously and would have fallen on his face if Grimmjow hadn't wrapped two strong arms around his waist and whispered, "Need help?"

"No, not from you, I can do it myself." Ulquiorra said, tentatively stepping forward and slipping a little.

"Alright, smartass. Let's see then." Grimmjow said and he let go and Ulquiorra fell on his face and immediately sat up and staggered back, falling into Grimmjow's chest.

"See, dumbass?"

There was a crash and they saw Kyoshiro crash into the wall and people started laughing loudly.

"Funny! Really fucking funny!" Kyoshiro called, grumpily kicking the railing, steam practically coming out of his ears.

Grimmjow grinned and called, "Yeah, its funny! Alright, Ulqui, let's get you started." He said this time at a normal volume.

Grimmjow placed his hands on Ulquiorra's hips and Ulquiorra glared at him suspiciously. "What—?"

"Balance." Grimmjow explained and he began to move across the ice and Ulquiorra gasped lightly in surprise when Grimmjow moved faster, almost running across the ice.

"Grimmjow slow down. You're going to crash into—move!" and Ulquiorra seized Grimmjow's hand and pulled him away as some retard went zooming by in the wrong direction!

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow hit the railing and Grimmjow yelled, "Dickwad!"

Ulquiorra sighed and said, "I think I'll leave. This sport does not appeal to me."

Grimmjow held him close and said angrily, "You haven't even tried it yet, Ulquiorra! Give it a try for a freaking second! You can't expect to be good at everything the instant you start—Like Kyoshiro! Well, he just naturally sucks at everything but—"

Speaking of Kyoshiro—

Kyoshiro was gloomily attempting to skate but his attempts were horrible!

Cursing under his breath, Kyoshiro picked himself up from his one hundredth fall and attempted it again. He fell!

"Need help?" a hand was extended in his direction and Kyoshiro looked up and his heart jumped when he saw Blue standing over him.

_Really, it's embarrassing I need a girl to help me up! I should be teaching her not the other way around!_

Kyoshiro grumbled and accepted her help anyway, only to fall over against her as Weed braked violently behind him. "What's wrong Kyoshiro?" he asked.

Kyoshiro sighed and said, "I keep falling over! I don't know what it is but—!"

Blue grabbed his arm and said, "Weed, take his other one. We're gonna give him a little push."

"No, I can do it myself, I'm fine!" Kyoshiro protested and he attempted to move away only to stagger backwards and attempt to not fall over by doing some goofy kick to keep himself up. Blue and Weed almost fell over with him.

"Two is better than one when it comes to skating! Where's Grimmjow and Ulqui—?" Weed's question was answered instantly.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra skated by, side by side, in some sort of very dangerous fast race!

Kyoshiro even felt a wind blow as they ran off. "Jesus Christ, look at those lunatics!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, suddenly wanting to run with them. "They're gonna break their—Whoa! Slow down!" Kyoshiro exclaimed as Blue and Weed took off across the ice with sudden speed after their two friends.

"Kyoshiro, bend your knees," Blue said, smiling at him and Kyoshiro suddenly couldn't breath properly. _Huh? _Kyoshiro thought, his thoughts going blank as he saw her smile at him, suddenly seeing stars. Her face was also a little close. That realization made him blush like a stupid little girl.

Kyoshiro grinned and bent his knees and Blue nodded and Weed said, "That's better! Whee!" he called and Blue let go and Kyoshiro screamed and covered his eyes with a hand, latching onto Weed.

Weed swerved left and narrowly missed the collision with the railing. Kyoshiro relaxed and opened his eyes and began to move his legs.

"Hey, this fun!" Kyoshiro yelled and he and Weed grinned at each other. "I LOVE THIS!" Kyoshiro yelled. Kyoshiro did a spin and he heard Weed laugh and grinned when he heard him laugh. He liked making his friend laugh.

Then he saw Grimmjow and Ulquiorra ahead and he looked at Weed and said, "Let's get 'em!" and he and Weed reached them and Ulquiorra looked left and saw Kyoshiro skating on his own. "Wow that was fast." Ulquiorra marked and Kyoshiro smiled proudly.

"Cones!" Grimmjow called and he skated over the cones that circled off the place where little kids were being trained to skate. Kyoshiro saw Ulquiorra's eyes brighten and Kyoshiro hurried forward to the cones with his friends right as Blue accidentally plowed into him.

Kyoshiro smiled at her and said, "You okay?"

Blue nodded her arms around his waist. "Uh, yeah, sorry!" she said, embarrassed. "No, just stay there, I'm fine." Kyoshiro said, smiling at her and Blue scowled. "Okay, okay, sorry." Kyoshiro then caught sight of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra skating in and out of the orange cones.

"Asshole." He muttered, smirking as he watched Grimmjow.

"Let's show 'em we got talent too, c'mon." Kyoshiro said, taking her hand and dragging her gently towards the cones.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked around and smirked at each other as Kyoshiro and Blue began to circle the cones with them, and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra began to do a figure eight around the cones.

"When did this become a competition?" Blue called, grinning as she and Kyoshiro weaved in and out in front of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra stopped when he saw Weed run by, leading the kids with him, doing a sort of conga line with them on the ice. Weed lead them back to the teacher and slipped and bumped into Ulquiorra. Before he could fall however Grimmjow placed his hands on Ulquiorra's hips and then swerved to his left, taking his hand.

Ulquiorra gave him a half smile and Grimmjow grinned widely before he dragged him towards Kyoshiro and Blue.

Kyoshiro gasped, fearing that Grimmjow was going to ram them when Ulquiorra took Blue's hand and Kyoshiro raised an eyebrow. Weed hurried over and took Kyoshiro's hand and together the five of them, all smiling and laughing flew across the ice.

Grimmjow actually joined them all together? Kyoshiro smirked, shaking his head. But he grinned as they picked up speed and he whooped, grinning at his friends.

All of them however fell over for; of course skating with Grimmjow was hazardous. All of them were laughing however, Kyoshiro almost felt stupid with joy as he laughed harder. _What am I? A masochist? I laughed when I fell over. _He thought, laughing still.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra helped them to their feet and the five friends continued skating together, hand in hand and laughing through out the day.

* * *

By the time Grimmjow and his friends got off the ice, he had blisters on his feet and he was bruised from all the falling, but the upside was his cheeks hurt from grinning.

"WOW! That was awesome!" Grimmjow yelled, punching Kyoshiro on the shoulder and laughing. Kyoshiro grinned back and punched Grimmjow on the shoulder.

"Totally, did you see me? I cannot believe I did that! I sucked so much at first!"

"Hell yeah! You still sucked!" Grimmjow said, laughing. Kyoshiro threw a snowball at him and Grimmjow rolled on up and hurled it at him before throwing one at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra caught it without turning his head.

Weed ran by, joyfully pouncing in the snow, his tail wagging and a happy grin on his dog face while Grimmjow and Kyoshiro and Blue engaged in a snowball fight. Ulquiorra looked over at his four friends and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Grimmjow ran to him and said, "Having a snow ball fight. Here!" and he handed Ulquiorra a snowball. Ulquiorra stared at it for a moment, seemingly confused. "You throw this?" he asked, turning it over in his hand.

Grimmjow grinned. He looked so flipping clueless it was adorable.

"Yup."

A snowball hit Grimmjow in the face and he sputtered loudly and yelled, "What the fuck, Ulquiorra?"

"You throw it at people. So I threw it." Ulquiorra said and he dodged the snow ball Grimmjow threw at him. Grimmjow pounced on him and knocked them both down a small hill. Blue and the others started laughing and they hurried over to see both their friends lying face down in the snow.

"You guys okay?" Weed called over Kyoshiro's light hearted laughter.

Ulquiorra was lying on his back and Grimmjow was the one with his face in the snow. He lay on top of Ulquiorra, his face pressed into the freezing snow.

Grimmjow scowled and removed his face from the snow, bits of fluffy flakes clinging to his hair. A light snow started up and Ulquiorra looked up at the sky and sighed.

The indigo sky was speckled with lightly falling flakes. It was quite a nice sight to behold.

Ulquiorra returned his gaze the man above him, ignoring his ramblings, and saw snow clinging to his uniquely hued hair, bits of flakes also clung to the man's eyelashes. Ulquiorra smiled slightly.

He looked very cute from where Ulquiorra was. Grimmjow's ramblings stopped when he saw Ulquiorra's lips form a small smile.

"Stupid, what are you smilin' at, huh?" Grimmjow asked, his tone teasing but affectionate. "Definitely not—" Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow growled and kissed him, his hand fisting in Ulquiorra's soft raven locks, sliding his fingers through his hair, reveling in it's softness.

Ulquiorra gave a content sigh, his arms wrapping around Grimmjow's shoulders and Grimmjow returned the hug, breaking the kiss to catch his breath. "…you." Ulquiorra whispered finishing his sentence and Grimmjow smiled widely. "Smilin' at me huh? That's nice." Grimmjow said smirking gently at the man beneath him.

"Grimmjow?"

"Yeah?"

"My backside is freezing. Kindly remove yourself from me." Grimmjow grinned and pulled him to his feet and they both hurried up the hill only to find their friends watching them.

"Put your eyes back in your heads." Grimmjow said, smirking as he walked away. Blue hurried after them with Kyoshiro and Weed on her heels.

When they exited the park Grimmjow scowled and said, "Alright! What the freaking hell is this 'Christmas' thing?" he asked irritably, pointing to a sign that said "Get your Christmas Trees right here!"

"I've seen the word everywhere! What the hell is it? Is Christmas some kind of—?"

"It's a celebration of Jesus Christ's birthday in a way." Blue explained, walking with her hands in her pockets.

"People who are religious celebrate it—people who aren't religious, ect."

"I've never heard of it." Grimmjow said, hurrying to walk beside her. "Me neither, but Ulquiorra was doing some research on it and I found it pretty interesting." Blue said.

"And how did Ulquiorra find out about it?" Kyoshiro asked, looking to Grimmjow's right and finding Ulquiorra walking beside him.

"I was looking up a list of holidays and I found out that Christmas is the nearest one this month. It's on the 25th." Ulquiorra said, hailing a cab.

The five of them climbed into it and Blue gave the address to the cab driver.

"Wow, that's in three days!" Weed exclaimed excitedly, peering around Kyoshiro to look at Ulquiorra. Blue called from the front seat, "Really?"

"Yeah, it's the 23rd today!"

"That leaves two days left…" Kyoshiro mused and then he said excitedly, "Hey! How about we celebrate Christmas!"

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra looked around Grimmjow from where he sat next to the window, watching the world whiz by in a speed of color and light.

"No way! Don't you remember Thanksgiving?"

Memories of an almost completely destroyed kitchen flashed before their minds and they all shuddered.

"So? That sucked but Christmas doesn't require much cooking does it?" Kyoshiro asked and Ulquiorra said, "Why do you want to celebrate Christmas, Kyoshiro?"

Kyoshiro looked at the floor for a moment and then he said, "When I was a pup I got taken in by some human in Japan. Not a lot of people celebrate Christmas in Japan but this guy did. I remember the Christmas tree, the lights, the sounds, carols…and I remember the magical feeling it left me with. Sounds like some cheesy crap but that's what I felt. It's a good feeling, it really is. I think we should celebrate Christmas. Trust me, you won't regret it!"

Grimmjow tried not to remember Thanksgiving and he sighed.

Weed looked over hopefully and said, "Do you want to Ulquiorra?" he asked hopefully.

Ulquiorra looked at him. "I think it would be an interesting experience. But it's so…human."

"Ulquiorra hates human beings." Grimmjow said, sniggering.

"Grimmjow, do you want to celebrate Christmas?" Ulquiorra asked him and Grimmjow said, "Uh…what the hell. You guys are probably going to celebrate it anyway so whatever. I'll celebrate it."

"Blue are you going to?" Weed asked, clearly happy that his friends were celebrating it. "Of course," Blue said, smiling over at him.

"You're gonna join us, right?" Grimmjow asked Ulquiorra.

"While celebrating holidays is certainly not my thing, I—"

"Okay great." Grimmjow said, throwing an arm over Ulquiorra's shoulders. "Other wise I would probably feel like the only sane person in the house…" he muttered.

"What?" Kyoshiro asked sharply and Grimmjow said, "Just sayin' you all are insane."

"What a pleasant atmosphere…" Weed said sheepishly as Kyoshiro barked a response.

* * *

So, the friends split up that night, snow flakes still falling but faster this time. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Blue left Kyoshiro and Weed to do the Christmas shopping while they went to get a tree.

"Of all things, why trees?" Grimmjow asked, stomping behind them, his freezing hands tucked into his freezing pockets.

"That's the tradition," Blue said, enthusiastic about celebrating a peaceful holiday. "I don't know why people use trees, but they do look really beautiful with lights and ornaments on them. See?" she pointed to a tree outside a shop, its colorful little lights glowing.

Ulquiorra stopped to admire it and said, "Interesting." He poked one of the lights, a red one, almost as if expecting it to explode. Ulquiorra took hold of a round ornament. Grimmjow wrenched a small ornament of the tree and said, "This one is the seize of Weed's wienie. Ugh, why did I just think that—shit!" and he wrenched Ulquiorra away from the tree as it fell over.

The man in the shop began yelling and Blue hastily apologized and grabbed both men and dragged them away. "I understand touching things, Grimmjow, but why wrench them off a clearly unstable tree?" Ulquiorra asked moodily.

"Well, damn, I didn't know it was gonna fall over! And it looked stable enough to me! You idiot!" Grimmjow snapped, "Excuse me for not having—!"

"Look, there's a Christmas tree sale!" Blue said, pointing to a large row of trees. "Those trees are really good looking. Let's take a better look." She said and the woman walked towards the man selling them.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra followed and looked up at the trees; music started playing from a radio. It was apparently a song related to Christmas because the announcer on the radio said, "And now for a Christmas classic!"

Blue suddenly said, "What's this?" she picked up what looked like a small tube made of colored bamboo, yellow and purple. "Oh, miss, that's the Chinese Finger Trap. Try it if you will."

Grimmjow smirked and walked over and stuck his middle finger in the tube and them showed them and said, "Blue, look it's stuck—oops!" he said mockingly hiding his middle finger.

Ulquiorra scowled, not appreciating the joke and rubbed his left hand in his hair, which had static from his hat. Ulquiorra stuck his finger in the tube and Grimmjow yelped as Ulquiorra shocked him.

"Very funny, now focus." Ulquiorra said and he tugged his finger and gasped. It wouldn't come out!

Grimmjow's right hand tugged and he scowled and said in great surprise, "WHATTHA_FUCK_?" He exclaimed, tugging and pulling. Blue began to giggle, unable to hide her laughter as both men began tugging and pulling at their fingers desperately.

"Oh dear. Anyway to help them?" Blue asked, smiling over at the man and his helper, a female.

"It'll come off. But since it's mine, perhaps they could lend their assistance here since I want it back?" he said jokingly.

"No way." Ulquiorra said, pulling himself backwards until he rocked back on his heels. Grimmjow did the same. "Fall on your ass, maybe that'll get it out?" Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra's eyebrows knit together.

"You fall on yours first." Ulquiorra said and his heel slipped on a patch of ice and Grimmjow caught him, his hand at the small of Ulquiorra's back, holding him in a tango dip.

Blue laughed and said, "Let me help you," and she began to walk towards them.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stared at each other in annoyance, still in the tango dip. "Ulqui, I really like you, but not this much. Now get your finger outta there." Grimmjow said in Ulquiorra's ear.

"Same." Ulquiorra said, wrenching hard on the tube with his free hand.

Blue walked over and gripped both their hands and began pulling. She became frustrated and said, "Alright, maybe this wont work out. Let's get a tree and go home, we can work out his tube thing later."

Minutes later they had picked out a handsome tree and were carrying it away, the tree resting on Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's shoulders, both their arms underneath it, fingers still locked together, supporting the tree.

Blue led them, carrying the tree on her back, panting lightly.

"Shit, when I get home I am gonna have a drink and then—!"

"We're going to this thing off of our fingers." Ulquiorra said coldly, grunting a bit under the weight of the tree.

Blue looked over her shoulder and said, "I wonder how Kyoshiro and Weed are doing with the decorating? I hope they catch us up soon."

* * *

"'Carnage ornaments'," Kyoshiro read incredulously, his thin silver eyebrows rising as he saw examples of the ornaments. "'Contains fake insides, do not sue us.' That shit is disgusting! I want it!" Kyoshiro snatched the box from the shelf.

"Why?" Weed asked, tilting his silver/blue head of hair, big blue eyes wide with wonder. Kyoshiro grinned and said, "No reason, just to shock people. C'mon, we need to get a kick out of this event!" the silver haired teen exclaimed, eyes wide, browsing the shelves.

Weed turned around to examine the shelves behind him. They were currently in Bed, Bath and Beyond browsing for ornaments and decorations. Weed didn't know why they had chosen this particular store but he didn't mind. He liked it. Kind of.

The dog in him was rather afraid of being trampled even though he was in his human form.

Weed then noticed a box of pretty sparkly ornaments and picked them up and stared at the contents. "There are 39 in this pack! How about it? Do you like them?" he asked, letting Kyoshiro be the judge. The older teen walked over and stared. "Yeah. They're fine." He said and Weed took the Carnage Ornaments and the sparkle ones into the shopping bag.

"Blue said to possibly get a set of candy canes too, and Ulquiorra wants a nice set of lights. It was cute how he seemed to take interest in the lights outside the shops." Weed said, smiling at the memory. Kyoshiro snorted and continued to walk.

They found candy canes and they found lights. They needed to find a garland for the front door. "Don't you find those outside?" Kyoshiro asked, sniffing around the boxes before saying, "Huh. Some dog peed here—hey!" and he excitedly pointed into the lobby and they both saw shopping carts. The people there were putting dogs in the shopping carts!

Kyoshiro grinned widely and Weed said, "That's cool. But shouldn't we—?"

"Want a ride?" Kyoshiro asked, pushing him behind a pillar. Weed shrugged and took his dog form. "Sure!"

Kyoshiro carried the Akita puppy towards the cart and set him in it.

"Let's rock!" Kyoshiro said happily and he tore off towards a staff member. Weed yelped and fell against the seat, a little taken aback by the speed.

The staff member jumped as Kyoshiro stopped in front of him and said, "Where can we find a fake garland?" he asked and the staff member said, "Uh, third floor." He said, clearly a little nervous.

"Excellent!" and Kyoshiro tore off. The staff member sighed and said, "Don't break anything…"

Kyoshiro ran up to an elevator and rang for the third floor as he pushed the cart inside. The instant they got out Kyoshiro tore away up the aisle, pushing the cart ahead of him. Weed grinned and let out a playful bark when he saw a Scottish Terrier in a car next to him. They sniffed each other's noses briefly as they passed by.

Kyoshiro swerved around a corner and said, "Okay, we're lookin for…Christmas Décor!" he said, pointing at a sign above a large aisle and he ran toward it. "That's kind of stupid that they have two Christmas aisles on different floors though." But he hastily entered the aisle.

Weed watched Kyoshiro walk away from the cart to search for a garland or anything of interest.

Weed then gasped as someone walked right by their cart, reached in, and took the bag of candy canes right from their cart!

Weed gave a loud bark and growled but couldn't get out of the cart. "Kyoshiro!" he barked angrily. "That lady just took our—!"

"Wow, only one last garland huh? Good thing I'm here!" Kyoshiro said, not hearing Weed. "Kyoshiro!" Weed said, trying to climb out of the cart.

But Kyoshiro spotted a garland and hurried towards it only to almost trip as a squat lady with huge hair ran by and seized it! "Hey!" Kyoshiro said angrily.

The lady ignored him and then Kyoshiro saw the lady clutching a bag of candy canes. Kyoshiro pieced together what Weed had tried to say to him and rage filled him!

He ran over in front of her and said, "HEY! You old hag! You stole my—!" but the lady walked right around him and continued walking.

"_HUH_—?" Kyoshiro yelled his face almost comical as he looked over and saw her walking away.

Kyoshiro's face contorted and he looked ready to pounce on her. "Kyoshiro! You can just hurt an old lady!" Weed said, shocked and Kyoshiro flinched. "She can't just walk away with our stuff!"

"Just ask to get them back." Weed advised calmly. "Fine." Kyoshiro said, clearly not keen on the idea.

Kyoshiro walked to the old lady and said, "Um, m'am that candy cane bag is—" a purse smacked him in the face! The lady didn't even turn around or stop walking!

Weed's jaw dropped.

Kyoshiro stood there, his face twitching with rage. His fists clenched and his eyebrows twitched. "Bitch…" he hissed, shaking with rage. Kyoshiro turned back to the cart and saw the ornaments were still there. "If she had taken them—!"

"Even if she had, you can't hurt old women."

Kyoshiro snarled and began pushing the cart away at top speed and saw the woman pushing her own cart. "Blue wanted a garland she'll get a damned—!" and the old woman swerved her cart and smashed it into Kyoshiro and Weed's! Weed flew off and hit the ground.

"YOU BITCH!" Kyoshiro yelled but she was walking away. Kyoshiro picked up Weed and slammed him into the cart and began walking after her, literally throwing himself after her.

He got to the check out and said, "Good, I beat the little—!"

But the old lady came shoving out from behind him and almost knocked them both over and parked herself in line, looking good as can be!

"What the—!" Weed exclaimed, mouth hanging open. Kyoshiro looked ready to explode!

The old lady purchased—their!—things and began to leave. Kyoshiro fumed and stomped towards the checkout line and threw the ornaments and lights onto the counter. "50 dollars and thirty cents please." said the happy cashier.

Kyoshiro gaped and muttered, "Wow…"

"If it's too much we can return the sparkle ones? Or maybe the Carnage one?" Weed suggested, not feeling too unenthusiastic about giving the last ones away.

Kyoshiro fumbled in his wallet and groaned. He had 20 dollars! How could that be? He had left with at least sixty! "There's a hole in the wallet." Weed pointed out and Kyoshiro gasped, almost choking. "No!" he wailed.

"Um, sir, it's okay. I'll let you off," said the cashier kindly. "You seem very distressed."

Kyoshiro looked up and said, "R-really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you!" and Kyoshiro ran off after giving her the twenty and the two cents in his wallet.

"Shit, I never want that to happen again!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, red in the face. "It could have been worse." Weed consoled and then without warning the bags in their hands were ripped out as the old lady tore by, pushing a black cart.

Kyoshiro screamed in horror and ran forward only to slip on the wet floor and crash through the revolving doors, spin around and fly into the window of a parked car!

Weed ran outside and said furiously, "Lady, are you crazy!" but the lady was gone. The instant Kyoshiro stepped out of the car, broken glass sticking in his hair and his butt, he was bowled over by the old lady as she tore away laughing manically.

Weed only watched, jaw hanging open almost to the floor as Kyoshiro staggered over.

Kyoshiro shook his head. Weed put a small white paw on his leg and said, "Let's go home."

And halfway across the street Weed stopped.

"We forgot to get a star." Weed said.

Kyoshiro fainted dead away.

* * *

Blue watched Grimmjow and Ulquiorra steady the tree in the stand. They were trying to get the tree—which was still in its bindings—to stay upright and not tip to the sides.

They had placed it by the window in the living room.

"To the left, no you're left Grimmjow."

Grimmjow scowled and said under his breath, "If _you_ care so much _you_ do the slave labor!"

Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow, it's falling backwards."

Grimmjow pulled the tree forward and Blue said, her chin in hand, "A little to the right Ulquiorra—yes, right there! Perfect!"

She hurried forward to secure the tree just as Kyoshiro and Weed walked in. Grimmjow sat down on the couch and pulled Ulquiorra against him before he could walk away.

"Yo, look whose home."

Kyoshiro grumbled and said, "Here." And he handed Ulquiorra the ornaments. "These are…interesting." He said, taking out a glittery fake heart from the box.

"What about the garland and the lights?" Blue asked and Weed handed her the lights. "We uh…ran into some trouble with an old dear at the store. We got the lights and star though." Weed said honestly.

Grimmjow snorted. "What? You couldn't get a garland because of some stupid old hag?"

"Hey, you got robbed by one once!" Kyoshiro retorted, red in the face. "Weed and I did manage to get a star though at the next place we stopped at. We didn't have enough money for a garland though, sorry Blue." said Kyoshiro, looking deeply ashamed.

"Oh, it's fine. The star and the lights are more important."

"Interesting tree though," said Grimmjow, frowning at the still tied up tree.

"I was under the impression these were bigger." He added and Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and walked over and cut the rope with one of his nails.

The tree literally exploded from its restrictions and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra fell over from the force.

Just before decorating, Grimmjow decided to break out the eggnog. The results were spontaneous, the sugar and alcohol in the drink giving them some kind of stupid high.

"No." Ulquiorra said, refusing the glass handed to him. Grimmjow scowled and said, "C'mon, loosen up, Ulqui!"

They all drank some, excluding Weed and Ulquiorra, and began to decorate the tree while suffering the effects of the alcoholic beverage.

Ulquiorra sighed and reluctantly took the glass offered to him and sipped. His eyes widened and he chugged it down, licking his lips.

Ulquiorra was on his second glass of eggnog now and he was even starting to show some signs of loosening up. Grimmjow persuaded him to have another and they both drank themselves hyper. People would call this 'getting tight' except for Ulquiorra it was 'getting un-tight'.

Kyoshiro and Blue danced goofily in a corner of the room while

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra raced around the tree with the lights. Kyoshiro stuffed lights into his mouth and lit them up. Grimmjow broke out laughing as Kyoshiro's mouth glowed and flashed.

Weed was the only one not allowed to have any but he joined in on their fun and helped decorate the tree.

Blue raced from the refrigerator, holding a can of whipped cream and she sprayed it on the window and said, "Look, snow flakes!" and ran off in her wolf form to drag a box into the room.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow opened the container of carnage ornaments and Blue smashed into Ulquiorra and he fell, the contents of the package falling onto his hair.

Ulquiorra sat up, smiling widely, the contents hanging from his hair, causing his hair to fall into his eyes and making him look like a goofy dog of sorts while Weed recorded the whole thing.

Kyoshiro snapped off some branches and grabbed some ornaments and stuck them all on him, sticking the branches in his hair. "Look, I'm a Christmas tree!" he said, laughing stupidly.

Grimmjow meanwhile seized the whipped cream bottle and sprayed it into his mouth, his cheeks inflating. Ulquiorra started laughing and accidentally poured eggnog all over himself and Blue laughed harder.

Blue took the branches from Kyoshiro and stuck them in her mouth, going cross eyed. "I'm a mouse—no sorry saber tooth!" she said, cracking up along with Grimmjow who choked on the whipped cream and ended up spraying it all over Weed and his little camera.

Ulquiorra sat in Grimmjow's lap; he leaned back and examined the heart ornament. He stared at it in interest and then tossed it into his mouth and crunched on it. "He ate my heart!" Grimmjow exclaimed, glaring at Ulquiorra the latter of whom starting humming 'Monster' by Lady Gaga, moving his finger like an orchestra conductor.

Kyoshiro lifted the ornaments into his paws and threw them into the air. The ornaments caught on Weed's ears and muzzle and he laughed along with Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro stood on his hind legs, kicking ornaments and then he stepped on one and fell over.

Blue sat on Grimmjow's shoulders and attempted to place the star on the tree. Grimmjow and Blue both fell however and landed on their backs.

The star fell right on Grimmjow's hair and Grimmjow grinned up at it. "Guess I'm yer star then, Ulqui." Grimmjow said, grinning over at Ulquiorra who took another sip of eggnog, accidentally spilling it all over his face and up his nose because he was lying on his back. Grimmjow laughed when Ulquiorra spluttered and pulled the man against his chest, ruffling his hair.

Weed skipped to the can of whipped cream and sprayed it all over his face, now looking like he had a messy Santa beard. "Ho, ho ,ho!"

"Yeah, hoe, hoe, hoe!" Grimmjow said, seizing the eggnog container and emptying the whole thing into his mouth. He and his five friends lay spread eagle on their backs and their heads resting on each others arms, grinning up at the ceiling, lying amongst the ornaments, their laughter filling the room.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve morning, dawn to be precise, and Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were in the living room, the lights were out and the Christmas tree was lit up and decorated and surprisingly still in tact.

The dogs liked to lie underneath the tree on the little mat that hid the Christmas tree stand, and were doing so right now while Grimmjow lay on the couch, Ulquiorra resting comfortably in his lap, watching the lights from the tree illuminate the room.

"Kyoshiro was right. It does sort of have a magical feel about it." Grimmjow said, staring at the tree. Ulquiorra nodded sleepily.

"Quite." Ulquiorra murmured, staring up at the man.

Grimmjow looked down at him and said, "Yesterday night was fucking awesome!"

"I'd prefer not to remember it, thank you." Ulquiorra said, shuddering as he stared at Weed's video camera on the table. "I am never accepting alcoholic beverages from you ever again, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." Ulquiorra said moodily.

"I didn't know it was alcoholic!" Grimmjow exclaimed. Ulquiorra frowned. "You're lying. Idiot. Why else would you have bought it?"

"I didn't know, I swear!" Grimmjow said, raising both hands. Ulquiorra glared at him. Grimmjow grinned. "Aw, why so serious? Your fucking adorable when your drunk, Ulqui. Really."

Ulquiorra pouted. "Silence."

"That's fucking cute." Grimmjow said, tapping him on the nose. Ulquiorra sighed. "Stop calling me cute."

"But you are! You're adorable!"

Ulquiorra turned very red. Grimmjow let out a bark of laughter and kissed him tenderly, a smile in his eyes as he gazed down into Ulquiorra's pretty green orbs. Ulquiorra sighed contentedly and kissed him back, fingers delving into soft teal hair.

Ulquiorra clung to him, gradually wrapping his arms around Grimmjow's neck, wanting him closer. He could smell Grimmjow's comforting scent, feel his warm arms, feel his slightly rough fingers over his skin, everything about Grimmjow was more than welcoming right now.

"Cuddly, ain't we?" Grimmjow asked chuckling warmly. Ulquiorra ignored him and kissed him again. "Ulqui?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra looked up at him.

"I'm just gonna cut to the point, what do you want for Christmas. I heard people give each other gifts on Christmas and crap but why? Uh, anyway…?" Grimmjow seemed a little embarrassed, breaking his stare with Ulquiorra.

"I have no need for gifts. Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed might like some however. Dogs are fairly simple creatures though, give them a bone or a treat and they are your friends for life."

Grimmjow said, "Dogs are stupid. Give 'em a bomb and they'll still love you."

"No, dogs know when objects are danger—"

Ulquiorra was cut off when Grimmjow kissed him to shut him up properly. "So, apart from me, you don't want anything?"

"No. What about you?"

Grimmjow tapped him on the nose. "I think we all know what I want." He purred, kissing gently at Ulquiorra's neck, his hand sliding through Ulquiorra's hair, his other hand gently stroking his face.

Ulquiorra waited for Grimmjow to speak, for he knew he would.

"Actually, do you know what a gun is? Wait of course you do—!"

Ulquiorra chuckled, putting his arms around Grimmjow's shoulders. "So predictable." Ulquiorra murmured, a wry smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Grimmjow grinned when he saw the small smile. "Fuck I love that." He growled, kissing him again.

Kyoshiro yawned quietly and sat up, feeling thirsty, he padded past Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and into the kitchen for some water.

When he emerged, his chin wet, he stopped next to the kitchen table and watched them with interest, lying down and putting his chin in his paw, a wide smirk on his face.

Both of their actions slowed and they froze, looked up, and slowly looked over at him, Grimmjow practically on top of Ulquiorra.

"Mornin'." Kyoshiro said slyly, licking his lips free of water.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat nervously and Grimmjow scowled.

* * *

As the day went on, a question emerged from Grimmjow around 5:43.

"Okay, who the fuck is Santa Claus?"

Blue looked up from where she sat in the snow in her wolf form. She had been rolling around in the snow.

They were in central park again, playing in the snow by the hill they'd gone sledding in. "Santa Claus is…" Blue fumbled for the right word, clearly giving it thought. "He's—"

"Fat, he has too much facial hair, he has reindeer and elves for slaves, he has a wife whom he never cares to mention, and he breaks into peoples houses, sees them when they are sleeping and then leaves after giving presents he probably stole." Kyoshiro said, grinning.

"No he doesn't!" Weed said, laughing. "Well…actually he does, I mean he has a beard and all, but he doesn't steal or treat his helpers like slaves. But he isn't illegal or anything. He makes kids happy." Weed said. "He leaves the presents they ask for if they send him a Christmas list. He lives in the north pole." Weed explained.

Ulquiorra looked over in interest from where he lay in the snow next to Blue and Kyoshiro. "How does he give them presents? Does he make trips around the world each day or—?"

"Nope," Weed said, "He has reindeers that can fly, and they fly him around the world."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Hell no!" Grimmjow said.

"Santa Claus doesn't exist!" Kyoshiro said, closing his eyes and waving a paw as if to brush off the very idea.

"He does too!" Weed said defensively.

"Like I said about the reindeers; slave labor!" Kyoshiro said, chuckling.

"Who is the crack head that made up Santa Claus?" Grimmjow asked.

"He isn't made up!" Weed argued defensively. "See, he's right over there!" Weed said, pointing across the street. Outside a hotel lobby was a fat man dressed in red and white with a beard!

"What the balls?" Grimmjow said, eyes popping.

Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. _Really_?

"He has helpers, I think." Weed said, and it seemed he was serious. Grimmjow and Kyoshiro started to laugh.

Weed walked across the street, determined to show his friends. "Weedy-kins, wait!" Kyoshiro called, running after him and Grimmjow and the other three reluctantly got up and walked after the two dogs.

"Interesting." Ulquiorra murmured and Grimmjow chuckled. "What, you believe that crap?"

Ulquiorra remained silent.

They hastily crossed the street and reached the hotel lobby, Kyoshiro crossed too late however and almost got run over.

He hurried across the street, in shock.

Blue frowned and said to Grimmjow, "That guy isn't Santa. That's either a homeless man or some guy trying to get money for charity. I don't see the charity bin so I am guessing—"

"Great. Weed's gonna go talk to a crackpot." Grimmjow growled, hurrying over to watch.

'Santa' was ringing a bell loudly and the sound was making Grimmjow want to take the bell and shove it down the man's throat.

Ulquiorra winced at the noise. "Can't he ring it quieter?" he grumbled.

Weed hurried to the man and said, "Hi, Santa!"

The man jumped and he turned bloodshot eyes on Weed and said, "Oh, hello little boy! Care to give me some money?"

"Sure, Santa." Weed said and Grimmjow immediately ran forward and said, "No, we're leav—!"

"Here," Weed said cheerfully, dropping a penny into the tin at the man's booted feet.

The man looked down. His face fell dramatically. He reached into the can and picked it up and stared at, his face began twitching. Ulquiorra stepped back.

"This…is it?" he said shakily, his hand holding the penny shaking. "It's all I have, use it well." Weed said, smiling. The man's eyes twitched and he started shaking. "I sit out here for two days…two days! And I get…this?" he whispered.

And before Weed could respond the man let out a blood curdling scream and ripped his fake beard off and seized Weed by the coat and screamed, "GIVE ME IT! GIVE ME YOUR MONEY! NOOOOOW!" He screamed and Blue ran forward and kicked him in between the legs and grabbed Weed and ran off.

"RUN!" she screamed and Santa began running after them, waving his bell and screaming like a lunatic.

Grimmjow grinned and leapt over the wall to central park and tumbled in the snow, grinning at his friends. "C'mon, run!" he yelled, clearly enjoying himself. Blue leapt over the wall behind him with Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra and they slid down to meet Grimmjow in the snow.

Santa leapt over the wall and ran towards them. Grimmjow raced away with Ulquiorra and the others running beside him. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and raced on ahead and stepped on a broken piece of log and slid across the wet and frozen floor.

Ulquiorra wouldn't have considered this much of a problem if he wasn't heading towards a horse drawn carriage. "Crap." He muttered, looking bored.

Grimmjow plowed into him and they tumbled over into the snow. Ulquiorra sat up as their three friends ran by them, Santa running towards them. "This is fucking fun!" Grimmjow yelled, sitting up and kicking snow at Santa as the man drew close enough.

Kyoshiro suddenly yelled, "Guys! I've found an escape route!" he called.

Grimmjow ran forward and saw the log, the top broken clean off, Kyoshiro was pointing at and said. "We can't all fit!"

"If we take our dog forms we can." Kyoshiro said, grinning and he changed into a Kishu Inu and Blue and Weed took their dog forms and jumped into the sled-like log.

Grimmjow sat in the front and said, "All right! Hey!" Ulquiorra sat in his lap. "Let me steer!"

"No."

"Let me—!"

"No." Ulquiorra said and then he gasped and said, "Santa is coming. Blue give us a push."

Blue hurried off and pushed the log and began to run after them, jumping in when Ulquiorra slowed the log a bit.

Santa appeared on the hill and snarled. "Shit." He looked around and saw two pieces of wood and hastily put his feet in them and leapt off the hill and zoomed after them!

Grimmjow and the others looked over their shoulders, excluding Ulquiorra who was steering and quite scared for his life as they drove past rocks and trees. "This needs—crap!" Ulquiorra steered the log right and the log spun in a circle down hill as Santa drew closer an evil grin on his face.

Kyoshiro stuck out his tongue and said, "Can't catch us—AAAAAAAAAAH!" The log went over a hill and flew into the air. "At least we're away from—SANTA!" Grimmjow yelled as Santa flew up right beside them; he pulled out a knife, grinning and his eyes huge.

Grimmjow yelled, "Land this thing, Ulqui!"

"How?" Ulquiorra asked, bored. The next thing they knew Santa crashed into a randomly placed huge pine and didn't move.

"Ho, ho, ho, bitch!" Grimmjow yelled, waving his fist.

He turned back to the road and screamed in horror! They were flying right towards a horse and buggy! Ulquiorra pushed the log out from underneath them and they all crashed into the carriage.

The driver screeched and turned around and saw them all head over heels in the carriage. "Uh…so…where to?" the driver asked, looking like he wanted to run away screaming.

* * *

Weed's belief in Santa Claus was never going to be the same again. He was now scared of Santa Claus and refused to go to sleep.

"Oh my God, Weedy, shut up!" Grimmjow snapped, punching the couch. Weed was lying under the tree, shaking uncontrollably and occasionally drinking from the Christmas tree stand to calm his nerves.

Weed jumped and said, "Santa is illegal. He breaks into peoples houses! He…robs them for all I know! Hundreds upon hundreds of houses tonight will either be robbed or have bombs delivered to their houses! What can I do?"

"Nothing. We don't even have a fucking chimney! We're safe from the stupid—!" Grimmjow began, making to lie down but Weed pounced on him, his paws gripping Grimmjow's shirt.

"No! We're not safe! We're all going to—!" Grimmjow slapped him.

Weed blinked. "Huh?" he said, daring to look cute and confused.

"Calm the fuck down!" Grimmjow yelled, pushing Weed off of him.

Weed just sat there, looking bemused. "Let's just go to sleep," Blue suggested. "Things will be better tomorrow! It's Christmas tomorrow! We can go ice skating and—!" Blue began excitedly.

"But what if Santa—?" Weed began and then he gasped and saw the plate of cookies on the table. "He even eats people's cookies! What is wrong with him?"

Ulquiorra sighed and decided to play some music to calm Weed's nerves.

"He sees you when you're sleeping!" the man's happy voice sang from the speakers, "He knows when you're awake! He knows when you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake!"

Weed screamed and hid under the table.

Ulquiorra switched off the song and said, "Santa Claus is a mythological figure, Weed, he doesn't exist."

Weed looked around and said, "R-really?"

Ulquiorra nodded, kneeling down to look at the Akita Inu properly. "Yes, he isn't real. Now, can we go to bed?" Ulquiorra asked.

Grimmjow chuckled at the dog's expression of relief and said, "Alright, now that that is settled I'm going to sleep." Grimmjow said, stomping over to Ulquiorra, picking him up, and carrying him up the stairs. Ulquiorra glared at him. "I hate it when you do that." Ulquiorra muttered, resting his face in the crook of Grimmjow's neck. Grimmjow ruffled his hair, grinning at him in the way that somewhat made Ulquiorra less angry with him.

"Night! Don't let the horned creature Santa brings with him beat you and kidnap you!" Grimmjow called, slamming the door to his room.

Blue looked at Weed, Weed looked at Blue, Kyoshiro looked at his feet.

"Well…let's go to bed as well." Kyoshiro said, curling up underneath the tree. They all fell asleep, not knowing the not-so-silent night they were all about to have at precisely 11:00.

* * *

Weed woke up around 11:00 and he yawned widely. He didn't know what the heck had woken him but he decided to have a drink of water. He padded into the kitchen and then he froze. He saw movement by the door and he gasped as a silhouette appeared in the hallway. "S…S…S…!" he gasped, eyes popping out of his head as fear over ran his senses.

"SANTA CLAUS!" He screamed, running up the stairs just as the man by the door turned around in shock.

Blue and Kyoshiro raced to the door and the man threw it open and ran outside, Blue bit into his pants, snarling, and the man yelled out in shock and tried to get away. His face turned in her direction as he began shoving at the black wolf dog.

_It's not Santa Claus! It's just a burglar! _Blue thought, her eyes narrowing into slits. Kyoshiro pounced onto the man's chest and began trying to pull something out of the man's hand. It was a wallet.

Just then Grimmjow raced outside, dressed in nothing except a pair of pajamas, holding a baseball bat. The man gave a shriek and kicked Blue in the chest, causing the wolf dog to hack violently. Kyoshiro continued to hold on stubbornly to the wallet, snarling viciously until the man swung the wallet around and sent Kyoshiro flying across the street into a garbage can.

Grimmjow's feet were freezing as he chased the man but the man was getting away. "Shit balls." Grimmjow snarled, kicking the snow as his feet began to go numb. "HEY! That's my wallet you numbnuts!" Grimmjow yelled after him, continuing to chase him.

Grimmjow picked up Weed and threw him after the man but Weed instead smashed into a mailbox.

"Fuck!" Grimmjow spat.

Ulquiorra raced by him and chased the man down an alley, disappearing from sight. Blue staggered over, coughing in her wolf form. "Can you breathe?" Grimmjow asked and Blue nodded, her hackles raised.

Ulquiorra came staggering back in his Espada form, shivering slightly. "No good. He's long gone."

Grimmjow moaned and kicked a mailbox. "Fuck." He muttered. "Gone? Not if I can help it!" Kyoshiro said, sniffing rapidly and beginning to walk towards the alley.

The snow had been shoveled up on their street, leaving no snow which meant no footprints to follow.

Grimmjow hurried to them, now in his Espada form.

"How the fuck are we supposed to—?"

"No snow means no footprints but that also means he left a scent." Kyoshiro said, grinning as he started to walk through the street, sniffing the ground.

"We'll find him in no time." Weed guaranteed. Snow was falling hard now and they hurried through the streets until they reached a place called Rockefeller center. There was a huge skating rink below and a massive Christmas tree. There were also carolers singing together in front of the tree. Grimmjow got out of his gigai and Ulquiorra heaved it over his shoulder.

Weed looked around rapidly and said, "There!" and he pointed to a man sitting on a bench, going through the wallet's contents. "Fucker!" Grimmjow yelled, running forward.

The man stood up and was about to leave when Grimmjow punched him in the face. The man looked horrified and looked around for his attacker but was unable to see him.

Grimmjow kicked him high into the air and the man flew right into the massive Christmas tree. "Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said, no longer in his Espada form, "He still has your wallet." He said, pointing to the top of the tree.

"Gragh!" Grimmjow exclaimed, his fists clenching and his eyes glaring up at the tree. "Fucking….!" Grimmjow raced forward and began climbing the tree.

Blue gasped and said, "Fool! You'll kill yourself!" the wolf dog barked and people screamed and one man said, "A wolf!" and he ran away and tripped and fell and started crying.

Ulquiorra scowled and said, "He'll be fine as long as he—" and the man in the tree screamed and slid down the tree and fell on the floor.

Grimmjow sprung down and fired a cero at him and missed and instead hit the tree.

"—As long as he doesn't do that. Run." Ulquiorra said and he raced off, Grimmjow's gigai swung over his shoulder. Kyoshiro screamed and ran as the tree began to fall towards the ground.

Ulquiorra glared at Grimmjow. Grimmjow grinned sheepishly. "Oops." He said as the tree fell towards the ground.

Grimmjow looked up and screamed in terror as the tree nearly fell on him. Weed shot forward and bit into his jacket and pulled him away from the tree. People were running for their lives and Grimmjow and Weed raced through the crowd still chasing that determined thief.

Kyoshiro slipped on a patch of ice ahead of them and slid to their right and flew high into the air and fell onto the skating rink below them.

Kyoshiro began trying to run on the ice, his paws scrabbling madly. He was plowed into by a skater and he flew into the air and smashed into the frozen fountain, water pouring all over him. Kyoshiro shrieked and raced across the ice and saw two skaters heading directly for him!

"Kyoshiro!" Blue called and Kyoshiro looked up and saw the wolf dog holding onto a banner with her teeth, swinging towards him. "Grab my tail!" Blue called, her voice muffled. Kyoshiro lunged and bit her tail and Blue cried out in pain and they both swung directly into the wall with a crash!

Grimmjow flew by and grabbed them both by the tails and flew after the thief Ulquiorra and Weed chased after. "All this for a little money?" Ulquiorra murmured, dodging a taxi cab. Grimmjow flew by above him, Kyoshiro and Blue running behind them.

"I know right?" Kyoshiro called.

The thief raced across the street and Ulquiorra realized something.

"He's headed for Times Square." Ulquiorra said, eyes widening slightly.

Grimmjow landed ahead of them and then he grabbed a hot dog cart and yelled, "On! Now!"

"Are you—?" Kyoshiro began and Grimmjow said, "Nuts? Hell yeah!" and Kyoshiro sprung onto the cart with Blue and Weed. Weed yelled, "Ulquiorra, c'mon!" and Ulquiorra hurried forward as Grimmjow took off with sudden speed up the street.

Ulquiorra hurried after them, shuddering violently and leapt onto the cart, almost tipping it over. "Yeah!" Grimmjow yelled.

The hot dog man simply stared and said, shaking his head, "Yeah, sure, fine! Merry fucking Christmas, assholes!"

"Sorry!" Weed called apologetically, "Really!"

"Sure!"

Ulquiorra pointed left and said, "Go left, he just got in a cab."

"What?" Blue exclaimed, "There are hundreds of cabs! How are we supposed to—?"

Weed sprung off and landed on the cab the thief had raced into and Grimmjow pushed his friends after Weed's cab. They swerved violently and Kyoshiro gasped and said, "That's it, I'm going to be sick!"

Grimmjow flew them over a speed bump and all of them yelled in shock and almost fell off the cart. "Grimmjow, you're going to get us—shit." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow looked up and saw a truck turning a corner ahead of them.

Grimmjow dug his heels in but the cart just jerked him forward.

"Get us in the air!" Blue yelled, covering her eyes. "I'm trying!" Grimmjow exclaimed angrily.

And then he grinned and said, "Hold on!" and Kyoshiro felt the cart tipping over and they all scrambled onto the side of the cart as Grimmjow dove right underneath the truck, narrowly missing it's huge wheels and then instantly heaved the cart back up right and his friends desperately scrambled back on top.

Weed watched wide eyed. "Whoa. Glad I'm not on there." And the taxi swerved violently and Weed flew off.

"Weedy!" Kyoshiro screamed, his eyes bulging out of his head with horror as Weed flew through the air. "Blue? You wanted me to fly right? Well, let's fly!" Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro gasped and said, "Are you fucking—? NO!" He yelled, covering his eyes.

Blue latched onto Ulquiorra and he latched onto the cart.

And Grimmjow lifted the cart into the air, flying high into the sky and catching Weed on the cart. Weed landed in Ulquiorra's lap and he gasped and clung onto his legs, shaking. Blue slowly opened her eyes and called, "Look! It's beautiful!" Ulquiorra's eyes opened and he looked down hesitantly. The city was illuminated below them, lit up so that all the lights in the city were gold against black.

They flew right across the moon.

It was surprisingly beautiful up in the sky. The moon light silhouetted them and they all began to relax, even Kyoshiro.

"E.T. moment much?" Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow grinned as they flew right across the moon. "I'M KING OF THE WORLD!" Kyoshiro screamed happily, throwing up his paws. Grimmjow suddenly disappeared and Ulquiorra gasped and said, "Grimmjow?" and he saw the man flying beneath them, holding the cart above his head as he flew across the sky.

Weed smiled at Ulquiorra. "It really is great." He murmured, closing his eyes and letting the wind blow through him. Ulquiorra still clutched the cart below him but he continued to look below. Marveling at the city's sudden brightness and beauty that he had never quite seemed to notice before when he was in it.

Above the city it was a world of light, color, and adventure, wonder, beauty.

Ulquiorra smiled to himself. "Thanks for the view Grimmjow."

"No problem!" Grimmjow called, shuddering violently with cold. "But I'm freezing!" and he flew them down lower, flying right by the Empire State building.

Grimmjow's landing skills were horrible. The cart slammed onto the concrete and slid across the floor, sparks flying out behind them. "There's his cab!" Weed called, somewhat amazed at how they'd been able to keep track of it.

Grimmjow sat down on the cart behind them and swerved right violently almost causing everyone to slide right off the cart. "He's getting out of the cab—give me my Gigai!" Grimmjow called. Ulquiorra handed Grimmjow his gigai and Grimmjow fell into it and swerved the cart towards the sidewalk.

"Grimmjow, there's the curb! Jump it! Jump it!" Kyoshiro said, clearly panicking and just before Grimmjow could lift the cart, the cart smashed into the curb and flew through the air, sending the five friends sprawling onto the ground.

Wed had gotten thrown in with the hotdogs and was currently covered in them—which wasn't that bad to a dog. In fact, Weed felt like he had gotten a very delicious Christmas present.

Grimmjow had fallen right on Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra was crushed under the cart and Blue was dangling from a lamppost, her fur ruffled beyond belief and her paws twitching horribly and looking like she was in shock.

Grimmjow looked down at Kyoshiro and Kyoshiro and Grimmjow yelled in disgust and climbed off each other. Grimmjow shuddered, wishing his pajamas were woolen. "There he is!" Grimmjow said, pointing to the guy walking towards his front door.

The man turned around and gave a horrified exclamation, ringing his doorbell frantically. Grimmjow stomped towards him and grabbed him by the front of his coat and threw him to the floor.

"Alright, dick face! Give me my damn wallet! Now!" Grimmjow yelled and the man gasped and hastily pulled out Grimmjow's wallet.

Grimmjow snatched it from him.

Blue hurried forward and said, "Grimmjow, give him a moment to explain!"

"Hell no! You don't rob from me and get away with it! Especially when I'm in my—!" Grimmjow sneezed loudly, "In my fucking pajamas! Freezing my fucking nuts off!" Grimmjow exclaimed, hugging himself and shuddering uncontrollably.

Ulquiorra shuddered as well behind him and Kyoshiro stomped forward and said, "Give us a good reason not to give you hell for this! And do it fast! We're all cold and tired here!" but the man only heard snarling and barking.

Weed hurried over, tripping on some hot dogs and he sneezed violently, sprawling in the snow. "Grimmjow, Kyoshiro! Wait, don't hurt him! He has—!"

Kyoshiro grabbed Grimmjow's fist with his opposable paw and said, "Kids." And Grimmjow turned around to glare fiercely at the little girl and boy that emerged from the house with a woman behind them.

"Nick! Are you alright? Get away from my husband what has he done to you?" the woman asked, glaring at Grimmjow. Grimmjow drew back a fist and said, "He fucking robbed me, you stupid woman!"

"Nonsense! Nick would never—!"

Blue stepped in front of Grimmjow, snarling lightly to tell her to step back, more concerned for the woman's safety. She knew Grimmjow wasn't one to hold back his anger regardless of whether or not the target was a man or woman.

The children gasped and hid behind their father. Blue's gaze softened however and she wagged her tail, panting a little which meant she was smiling.

Kyoshiro smiled watching her. Blue's kindness towards children was a trait he liked from her and could relate with.

"Woman, your husband robbed from us." Ulquiorra said, too tired to get into a fight. "That is Grimmjow's wallet on the floor. We've chased him halfway across New York for it. Kindly tell him to give it back."

The woman turned to her husband and said, "Nick did you really—?"

The man sighed heavily and whispered, "Yes, Margaret. I did it. I robbed them. But I…I only did it for you; I wanted to be able to give us a good Christmas. I wanted to make our children happy; I wanted to make you happy."

The man looked very sad, realizing that not only had he made things worse for his family, he might be sent to jail for it.

And for a moment Grimmjow forgot his anger and instead remembered his past mistakes. He had done similar things, on Ulquiorra's birthday he had attempted to make him happy and instead it resulted in not only a mess for Ulquiorra but a mess for all his friends. He had made Ulquiorra and his friends sad on various occasions.

Grimmjow shook his head blocking out the memories and instead glared at the father and said, "You think we're gonna let you off for this? It's your own damn fault! Now give me my—!"

"Grimmjow, you already have your money," Ulquiorra said, pointing to the wallet Grimmjow clenched in his fist. Grimmjow glared at him and said, "I—I knew that!"

Weed frowned and said, "Grimmjow, you absolutely have to have—?" and Grimmjow nodded violently in his direction.

Weed looked around the street. The houses were shabby looking; more homeless people were in this section of the city than he had seen. Weed felt his heart ache.

"Sir, I really am so sorry, please take your money but please don't turn me in. Please." The man begged and Kyoshiro frowned when Grimmjow's expression didn't change. "Don't turn you in? Don't turn you in! You little—!" Grimmjow yelled and then he froze—not literally.

Music was heard, some sort of beautiful haunting music.

Ulquiorra turned his head. Music was coming from a Church just down the street, the lights were on and the lights glowed as they came in contact with the snowy streets.

Grimmjow growled. "Great." But then he heard a small voice and looked down the street. A few people stood in front of a fireplace in the street. They were dressed badly and obviously hungry and freezing. But they were singing along with the haunting chorus.

Grimmjow scowled. "Wish they'd shut up!" but a part of him knew that wasn't true. A part of him…liked it. And as he looked around, he heard more homeless singing along with it.

"Why?" Ulquiorra murmured. Grimmjow looked at him.

"They have nothing, they are cold, they are hungry, and yet—they are singing along. Where is the sense in that?" he whispered, looking around the street.

Kyoshiro sniffed. "Unbelievable…" he whispered, a small smile on his face.

Grimmjow glared down at the wallet. Even now, this small glint of hope was in the family's eyes are they listened, the children were smiling gently and the father sighed and said, sounding calm, "Merry Christmas, sir. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your troubles." And he truly meant it.

And Grimmjow looked down at the wallet in his hand. They had nothing, nothing at all and yet…they were going to let him keep this thing?

_Humans really are crazy creatures… _Grimmjow thought and yet something inside him felt…moved.

Grimmjow scowled and then sighed.

"Hey." And Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow as the man held out his hand, the wallet held out to the family. They turned.

"Take it." Grimmjow said and the father looked incredulous.

"What…?"

Kyoshiro gaped in amazement and Weed gasped and looked up at Grimmjow. "No way!" Weed whispered. Grimmjow looked to his left, at the floor.

"Grimmjow…" Ulquiorra murmured, surprised beyond belief.

The family walked forward and the man took the wallet from Grimmjow and looked up at him, tears shining in his eyes. "God bless you, sir. Thank you so much. Thank you!" he looked ready to cry. His wife smiled the brightest smile.

Blue looked up at Grimmjow, shaking her head, a doggy smile on her face. "You…" she whispered. Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow in amazement, but a smile lingered on his face. The father took the wallet from Grimmjow's hand and hurried to his children, smiling. "We can get a tree, John, Mary, this will be the best year ever for you, I promise."

The children smiled widely and ran forward, hugging Grimmjow's legs. Grimmjow's eyes flew open and he made to jump away but instead looked down as the children nuzzled his legs, smiling and laughing. Grimmjow made a face and then sighed and said, "No problem, really…it's only 100-200 bucks."

Blue smiled when the two children hugged her and she licked their faces, her tail wagging. Kyoshiro happily whimpered as the little boy hugged him tightly. Weed's tail wagged as he received a tight hug from the smiling girl. Weed smiled at Grimmjow and whispered, "You're a hero, Grimmjow!"

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and said, "Who are you and what have you done with Grimmjow?" but he was smiling. Grimmjow grinned, putting an arm around his waist. "He'll be back tomorrow to give you hell, don't worry, Ulqui." Grimmjow whispered, holding him tightly, a gentle smile on his face as Ulquiorra nuzzled his chest.

The music filled the air and all of them felt it in their hearts. A feeling of serenity and contentment and warmth. "It sounds right. It feels right." Ulquiorra whispered and Grimmjow nodded, nuzzling his hair.

"Thank you!" the family called. "And Merry Christmas! God bless you!"

The family hurried away up the street to start buying their things and as they disappeared the clock chimed 12:00. Kyoshiro looked at Grimmjow and said, "I cannot believe you, Grimm! You gave it away! And willingly! You softy!" and Kyoshiro bumped Grimmjow against the leg.

Grimmjow glared at Kyoshiro but Weed took his human form and hugged Grimmjow. Blue hugged him as well, smiling into his shoulder. Kyoshiro sighed and took his human form, throwing his arms around his friends.

And Grimmjow smiled to himself, holding Ulquiorra tighter against him. "That was the _nicest_ thing you have ever done!" Blue exclaimed, hugging him so tight it hurt. Grimmjow grinned and tackled his friends, ending with all of them on their backs in the snow, laughing and smiling up at the heavens, snow drifting gently onto them.

Grimmjow looked at them, at their smiling, happy faces and he smiled widely, kissing Ulquiorra on the forehead. Okay, so maybe being nice was worth it. Just a little.

Ulquiorra sat up, snow in his hair and shivering. "Where's the way home?" he asked suddenly.

Grimmjow and the others frowned. "I have no idea where we are…" Weed murmured. "We must have gone halfway across New York!"

"Well I can only think of two words right now." Grimmjow said, frowning.

"We're screwed?" Kyoshiro said, kicking some snow with his paw.

Ulquiorra shrugged. "I'm cold?"

Weed shook his head, "No idea, Grimmjow. Can you tell us?"

"…No idea." Blue said. And Grimmjow looked at them and grinned widely before saying, "Merry Christmas." and pointing to a Church clock. It was 12:59. Weed's eyes widened and he smiled widely before saying, "It really is! Its Christmas morning! It's Christmas!" he said excitedly. Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow. "Really? No cursing, no major downing?"

Grimmjow grinned and said, "Well, I assumed that was the right thing to say right around this time so—!" and before he could finished Ulquiorra put his arms around Grimmjow's shoulder's, burying his face in Grimmjow's neck. "Merry Christmas, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra whispered.

Grimmjow smiled wider and held him even tighter. "Merry Christmas, you." he said, ruffling is hair.

Kyoshiro smiled his widest and nuzzled Blue and whispered, "Merry Christmas, Blue!" and Blue laughed, licking his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Kyoshiro." And Weed hugged both of them and said happily, "Merry Christmas, Blue, Kyoshiro!" and then he pointed to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and all three dogs tackled the men, knocking them into the snow.

"Merry Christmas, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra!" they all said. Grimmjow grinned, hugging his four friends. "Yeah, you too." He said, knocking Kyoshiro and Weed's heads together, grinning affectionately at them.

Grimmjow laughed out of the blue and said, "Damn! I feel strangely happy for someone who's lost and cold. Am I nuts?" he asked and Ulquiorra chuckled and said, "You proved yourself to be completely insane a while ago. I think your okay."

Grimmjow glared at him. "Hey!"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and took Grimmjow's face in his hands, his thumb stroking his cheek. Ulquiorra kissed him, a smile still on his face. Grimmjow melted in his arms and kissed him affectionately. "Ooh la la…" Grimmjow breathed, slumping down in the snow grinning stupidly, steam coming out of his ears. Ulquiorra chuckled. "Idiot." He murmured, a small smile playing at his lips, his eyes gentle as he looked down at the smiling Grimmjow.

Kyoshiro smirked, he pointed above Blue's head. Mistletoe hung from the gate above the two dog's heads. Blue jumped back and said, "Oh no you don't mister." she said playfully, pawing the white dog affectionately in the chest, knocking the smiling dog over into the snow.

Weed smiled and turned his gaze to the stars, watching the dawn light slowly peak out from between the clouds. Weed heard someone calling him. Grimmjow had hailed a cab and was beckoning for Weed to come over.

They all piled in the cab; Weed was the last to get in, watching Grimmjow and Ulquiorra arguing lightly over the seat by the window. Kyoshiro and Blue were staring out the backseat window at the stars, talking together.

Weed looked up at the stars and whispered, "Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone!" And he hopped into the cab, closing the door behind him.

And in the sky above them, the clouds parted to reveal the brightest star in the sky, shining down for all the world to see as the dawn light illuminated the sky.

And then the star was gone as sunlight broke out from the clouds.

* * *

I apologize for the long wait I was very busy with a play!

Anyway, I apologize for any mistakes that may have escape my amazing flawless eyesight that is somewhat blurred from sitting in front of the computer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope you enjoyed the overall insanity and fluff this chapter contained. NEXT CHAPTER IS GONNA BE AWESOME! I promise.

BTW! Awesome news! Kubo announced that Grimmjow will be coming back! Isn't that an awesome Christmas present! Hell yeah he's comin' back! Who seriously thought that that tough guy could be taken down by Nnoitra and Kurosaki? WAHOO! I seriously banged on the table and stomped on the floor and screamed when I heard about it! YAAAAAAAAAAY!

And speaking of Grimmjow I have an awesome GrimmUlqui fanfic idea that I'll be writing down as a late GrimmUlqui Christmas present to them. x3

I hope to start writing it as soon as my eyes improve. Meaning sometime either tomorrow or the day after Crhistmas! Most likely the latter. My mom wont want me on the computer during Christmas.

I hope to see my favorite blue haired Espada/hottie sometimes in 2011! And I was sad about this year ending. Ha, little did I know...

I hope Ulquiorra comes back soon as well, I'm a little doubtful but hey, he brought Grimmjow back! We'll just see. x3

Have a great Christmas or day, assuming you don't celebrate Christmas like we do here in the USA. :)

And a happy new year!


	15. Adventure 15

**Adventure #15**

**Family**

_East Harlem, New York, 2011, January 7__th__._

Snow fell heavily from the sky, almost masking the five figures that moved through the snow, silent as shadows.

Grimmjow flung out an arm as his friends made to walk past him and he stared intently at the woman walking ahead of them. She was pushing a baby carriage up the street.

"Target insight, over." Grimmjow said into his watch, his eyes glancing up the street. Grimmjow elbowed Ulquiorra and the man sighed before lifting up his wrist to reveal his watch. "Commence operation, over. Blue, move out, over." Ulquiorra said and Blue looked up, a steely glint in her eyes as her heart pounded excitedly.

"Moving out, over." Blue said and she darted around the corner and dove into a telephone booth and pretended to use the phone in case the woman turned around.

Kyoshiro grinned, lifting his wrist and said into the watch, "Target has not sighted you, keep moving, over."

Blue whispered into her watch, "I'll contact you once I've pinned her, over." And she casually walked out form the phone booth and followed the woman up the street, hands in pockets, occasionally glancing at her target.

Grimmjow had been planning this for weeks. The woman ahead of them was a terrorist and a single mother of a small infant boy. Unfortunately however Grimmjow had no evidence to support this theory since this woman had a completely clean record and always avoided being caught during the scene of the crime and always had men working for her. Grimmjow's opinion on this? _Too_ clean a record.

Grimmjow knew this because Ulquiorra had had a run in with one of her men after the museum he worked at had almost been bombed. The man had slipped up and been caught. He'd strangled himself immediately after arrest but not before mentioning the name of his boss. Amanda Griffon.

The police looked her up and immediately passed this off as the sign of a mad man because Amanda Griffon was a nurse, a mother and helped frequently with homeless and did whatever she could to help the community.

Grimmjow, who was enraged by the fact that the woman responsible for almost killing Ulquiorra got away Scott-free, immediately began hatching a plan to catch her. He finally got one.

He needed extreme evidence that she was a terrorist. There was none.

Until now.

He had had Kyoshiro tail her from the hospital and Kyoshiro had seen her go into her house, take a pure white dove, and fly it out her window. The response came a day later and arrived inside her house. Now the fact that she was sending a pigeon instead of postal service proved something. But was it enough to convince the police? No. But it got them suspicious alright.

They arrested her but immediately let her go finding absolutely nothing suspicious and instead found Kyoshiro suspicious for 'stalking her' and 'trying to frame her'.

Weed, with his over all adorableness and persuading, was able to get the police to investigate further into this. Grimmjow had had a day to come up with a plan and he had, and a very clever one at that.

That plan was being set into motion right now.

They all had to be extremely careful however. One mistake and they would have to let her go. They had one chance to prove themselves and stop bothering the police.

Blue smiled a little. She had to admire the lengths Grimmjow went to in order to insure that a possibly innocent woman got thrown into jail. He didn't have a lot of evidence and the police didn't believe them and were merely humoring them, but Grimmjow still tried. All for Ulquiorra's sake.

She wondered if her boyfriend Hige would do that for her.

Blue followed their target into the grocery store and watched her do her shopping. Blue sighed shakily and checked the bag she was holding. Their item was secure. Now all she had to do was not mess up.

Blue raced forward when Griffon walked away from the carriage to get some milk, wanting to keep her baby away from the cold. Blue hastily reached into the carriage and removed the sleeping baby with extreme care and shoved the item out of the bag and into the stroller and raced away behind an aisle and found Weed, in his human form, waiting for her.

"Here, take him." she whispered and Weed took the baby gently as Blue raced away back to the woman. She crashed into the woman and she said, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Fine, thank you." Griffon said, smiling. Blue hurried away.

During that bump she had attached a small radio onto the under arm of the coat. The police would be able to listen to the woman's conversation now.

Blue hurried outside the store, purchasing some watermelon before she left just to seem less suspicious. She spoke into the watch, "I did it our target has the recorder secured to her coat. Weed has the baby and our item is in place."

She heard Kyoshiro's voice, "Damn you're amazing. You catch that, Grimm?"

"Hell yeah. Awesome job, Blue."

Blue smiled hastily before she said, "Hook me up to the police."

"No need, Ulquiorra's informing them from his watch." came Kyoshiro's reassuring voice. "Damn this is awesome. Oh, Weed's back. The baby is cold now."

"Ulquiorra, what do the police have to say?" Blue asked and she heard Ulquiorra's calm voice. "They say we have achieved their expectations but they still need evidence or not only do we lose her, the police lose her and she could possibly go to another department. Has she come out yet?"

"No," Blue said, glancing behind her. She waited. "Wait, she's here. Kyoshiro, Weed, get into position."

Blue saw two dogs race out from behind a mailbox and hastily began to follow their target up the street. Blue saw Grimmjow beckon and she hurried over. Grimmjow grinned and said, "Good job, Blue. Ulquiorra, come on." Grimmjow said and he handed the baby to Blue and he and Ulquiorra raced off.

Blue watched them and pressed a button on her watch and said, "Police, do you read me? This is Blue. She's on the way to her house. I can assure you we'll find something good there." And she hurried after Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and jumped into a cab. She had to take the baby home so he wouldn't freeze.

Kyoshiro and Weed raced through the heavy snow, the wind ruffling their fur. Weed squinted ahead and said, "Left. Go left." Kyoshiro and Weed ran left and saw her go into the subway. "Shit! Will that ruin our connection?" Kyoshiro asked panicked. Weed thought about it for a second as they hurried into the subway. "No. Shizatte reassured us the cameras would be fine."

Weed and Kyoshiro took their human forms as they entered the subway and they swiped their metro cards before passing through the turnstile.

Weed whispered, "What train is she taking?"

"She'll have to take the C." Kyoshiro said, thinking. "The express is faster. We'll still beat her if we take the express—and speak of the devil, there it is. C'mon." and he and Weed hurried into the train and watched it move away from the station.

"It would have been a hell of a lot faster if Grimmjow flew us to her house. But no, everything has to be difficult. If I were a lesser dog I'd complain," Kyoshiro said, his face breaking into a small grin, "But this is just awesome and I can't bring myself to complain."

"Stay focused." Weed said, looking up and saying, "Ah, our stop." And he jumped off the train and he and Kyoshiro raced away. "The C will be here in five minutes. We got time!" Kyoshiro said, racing away through the snow.

Her house was in range and Kyoshiro took his dog form and lay down on her doorstep. "Cameras." He growled. "Well, we weren't gonna break down her door anyway."

He looked up at the vines and said, "Let's rock!" and he sprung up, latching onto the vines with his teeth. Weed gasped and said, "Kyoshiro, wait!"

Weed pressed a button on his watch and a grapple hook shot out and latched onto the roof, pulling Weed with it. Kyoshiro groaned and adjusted his watch. He flew into the air as his grapple hook shot onto the roof.

He landed in a heap next to Weed the latter of whom jumped as Grimmjow's angry voiced yelled form the watch, "What the fuck is taking you so damn long to respond?"

Weed said calmly, "Grimmjow, it's alright. We're on her roof, everything is fine. We're moving in. Kyoshiro, let's go!" and he reached into his bag and pulled out a small torch. He cut a circular hole in the roof and then pulled out some rope from his bag and attached it around his waist and said, "Let's go." And Kyoshiro lured him into the house.

Weed was lowered into the room, above the room actually. He looked around and saw it. There was a camera focusing on the left side of the living room. "I probably don't want to know whose looking for us." Weed murmured.

The camera was a small circle on the wall, Weed had been taught to look for these. Weed looked around and then immediately saw what he was looking for. It was a maintenance box. Weed whispered, "Swing me to the right." into his watch.

Weed was swung to the right and after a few tries he reached the wall, latching and pulling himself onto the shelf. He hoped Ulquiorra was doing his part of the job right now in informing the police of the guys watching the cameras.

Weed used the torch on the metal covering and removed it. He stared at the power grid and frowned. He then saw a button and pushed it. All the electricity in the house went out. Weed gasped and hastily pressed another button. The lights went on and Weed glanced over his shoulder. The red light on the small camera went out.

"Cameras are down." Weed whispered to his watch.

He heard Kyoshiro whistle and say, "Awesome. I'll tell Grimmjow. Don't start searching yet. I'll pull you up." Weed was lured back up and Kyoshiro pushed the piece of ceiling back into place and said, "Grimmjow, we've killed the cameras. She should be here any minute now."

Right on cue they saw Griffon pushing her stroller through the cold and wind towards her house.

"Yikes. She's here, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra! I hope your ready," then he turned to Weed and said, "Get the eyepiece ready." And Weed rummaged in an outer pocket of the bag.

He pulled out what looked like a monocle and secured it over his eye.

Below them, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra watched the woman enter the house. Grimmjow lifted his watch and said, "The eye patch secure?"

"Yeah," came Kyoshiro's reply, "I'm waiting for Weed to tell me what he sees."

Grimmjow scowled as he lowered his watch and then he grinned. This was all going so well it was scaring him.

Weed's eyes narrowed and he said, "Okay…just a second…"

Meanwhile inside the carriage, a baby doll sat in the carriage, completely still. Its pupil slowly widened however as it took in the surroundings, getting its vision into focus.

Weed could see through the ceiling, through the walls, even through furniture. This was all because of a camera inside the fake baby's eye, allowing Weed to see the inside of the house.

"She's pushing the carriage…she's walking away…uh…hang on a second it's blurry…and…"

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra listened impatiently and anxiously.

"My microphone is silent, Grimmjow, she isn't saying anything." Ulquiorra murmured, his emerald eye glancing at Grimmjow.

"Grimmjow, Ulquiorra?"

"Weed?" Ulquiorra said intently.

"She keeps all of her letters on her desk in her room, her desk isn't locked. Her bedroom is up the stairs to the left and the door is open."

Grimmjow grinned, snapping his fingers. "Fuck yeah. Time to rock and roll, Ulqui." And he hurried away up the street towards the building, Ulquiorra right on his heels.

"Potion?" Grimmjow said, stopping near the door way. Ulquiorra thrust a small bottle of blue liquid at him.

"If you were going to use a shrinking potion why have Kyoshiro and Weed cut the cameras?"

"Cause I gotta get in there and drag that huge letter out of there. You're needed in case I screw up and when you bust in there to save my ass you won't trigger any alarm and get men surrounding the building."

Grimmjow grinned at him and said, "Not that I'm gonna screw up anyway." He snatched the liquid from Ulquiorra and said, "What are you frowning for? This'll be great!" and he ruffled Ulquiorra's hair and said, "Bottoms up." and downed the liquid.

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow shrink before his eyes and Ulquiorra hastily said into his watch, "Laser, Weed."

A laser fell to the ground in front of Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra said into the watch, "Is she gone?"

"She's gone into the kitchen which is on the second floor." And Ulquiorra created a small hole through the wall with the laser. He picked Grimmjow up in his palm. Grimmjow shed his gigai and grinned, heaving his body onto his shoulder. "Ready."

"Careful." Ulquiorra murmured a gentle look in his eyes as he lifted Grimmjow to the hole. Grimmjow shot through it and landed on the floor on the other side. Grimmjow raced towards the stairs and flew up the stairs, reaching the landing and settling his feet on the carpet.

Grimmjow followed Weed's directions to the bedroom and hurried around the door and into the room.

Outside however Ulquiorra contacted the police. "Did you infiltrate the hospital and find the underground room that man mentioned?" he was referring to the man that had failed in the bombing of the museum.

"No, not yet."

Ulquiorra frowned. "What?"

"We searched the whole hospital. We tried to find a room beneath the hospital. We even checked the subways. Nothing."

Ulquiorra felt panic flare inside him and he said, "Thanks." He switched over to Blue and said, "Blue, we have a problem. Apparently that bomber was talking about a different hospital. If they have guys watching the cameras in this building they may have already noticed Weed cut the power. In other words—"

And a gun cocked loudly next to his ear. Ulquiorra's hand shot out and seized the gun and slammed it into a man's face.

"Ulquiorra?" Blue's voice exclaimed.

Ulquiorra turned around. About fifty men were here. Ulquiorra scowled and shot forward, and within seconds all of them were knocked out.

"Never mind." Ulquiorra said.

Elsewhere! Grimmjow crouched behind the desk and looked up. He began to swing from knob to knob on the drawers, gradually getting closer to the top of the desk.

Grimmjow climbed up on the desk and looked around the sea of papers. He began to creep through them, looking for a small scroll of paper. "No…no…no…no…no!"

Grimmjow then turned his head and lunged at a slip of paper lying near the end of the desk. He fell right off and landed on the floor. He quickly recovered and hastily read through the letter, changing back into his gigai while he read. The slip of paper revealed plans to meet at a hospital with less than innocent intentions.

It read, "Ms. Griffon, I am glad you asked for my advice. It is best to avoid any more mistakes like that. Find a way to get your men to Saint Vincent's Hospital. The place is empty, so act like your taking them there for a meeting. Sometimes it really is best to work alone. Good luck, - Friedrich."

"Gotcha…" Grimmjow breathed, grinning so widely his cheeks hurt.

He wanted to whoop and dance but he knew he couldn't so he said into his watch, "Ulquiorra, we got her. She's planning to bomb a hospital."

"Did the note say so?"

"Not in so many words…but the fact that that hospital is closed and she wants to bomb it anyway must mean something. Let's hope Mr. Tight ass will be satisfied."

Grimmjow lifted his watch from his wrist and held it up to the letter, clicking a button and saying softly, "Okay, chief, let's see what ya make of this!"

Grimmjow listened, waiting.

"Can we charge her with this much information?" Grimmjow asked, mentally sweating.

"If we had the first letter she wrote to the guy that would be even better." said the police chief.

"Hang on!" came Blue's voice from the watch and Grimmjow jolted violently.

"She's on the phone with someone—this is it! She is saying that she wants them dead. She must be talking to the guy she asked for advice."

Ulquiorra frowned as he listened. "It sounds like she doesn't want any more chances taken. She can't afford to have any more mess ups."

Grimmjow grinned. They got her.

"We'll be down at her place in a matter of minutes."

Grimmjow punched the air and up on the roof Weed and Kyoshiro slapped their paws together and whooped.

Blue grinned triumphantly, hugging the baby way too tight.

"Good work, Jaegerjaques." said the police chief's voice.

Ulquiorra gave a quick smile and said, "Weed what is her position?"

"Oh, Griffon is—Grimmjow get out of there!" Weed's voice yelled and Ulquiorra shot towards the door.

Grimmjow looked up as Griffon entered the bedroom just as the time for the shrink potion wore out.

Grimmjow shot up like a tree in front of her and Griffon screamed and while she was screaming Grimmjow plowed into her and they both fell into the hall. She kicked Grimmjow in the stomach and sent him flying down the stairs.

Grimmjow did a cart wheel and landed on his hands and knees. "The game is up, bitch face." He said a wild grin of his face.

The woman looked scared but then her face changed dramatically to one of rage and she flipped down the stairs. Grimmjow lunged and was taken aback the instant she spun rapidly in a circle, kicking him all over before punching him in the face and sending him flying into the wall.

Several pots and pans fell around Grimmjow and he groaned. "Fucking hell…"

And Grimmjow sprung with a pot, she caught his hand and made to kick him in the chin. Grimmjow placed his foot over hers, blocking the kick and managed a punch to her face. She flew backwards, spinning as she hit the wall before racing towards him.

Grimmjow jumped up and seized the chandelier hanging from the ceiling and kicked her in the face before pulling her head into his. Before he could throw her backwards however she wrenched a switch blade knife from her pocket.

Then the ceiling blew up and Ulquiorra flew between them, debris clinging lightly to his hair and clothes. Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow back, catching the knife in his hand. He kicked her in the face and sent her flying backwards into the kitchen.

Ulquiorra dodged the rapid knife swipes from her, not even getting cut, and then blocked the punch and kick she sent at him before he head butted her in the face.

"Nice, Ulqui!" Grimmjow yelled and he leapt into the fray and he and Ulquiorra raced towards her.

The window exploded and Kyoshiro plowed into her ribs, laughing like a mental person. She flew into the wall and quickly recovered and ran towards him. Kyoshiro changed into a dog and bit her leg, dragging her across the floor.

Weed ran forward with some rope and he and Kyoshiro ran around her, binding her tightly with the rope.

And then a rumbling started.

Weed looked up and said, "Uh oh."

"Grimmjow I think it would be fair to tell you that I didn't kill those men outside the door. Get ready."

"Tch. You're soft. I would have—!"

"I considered it important that we don't kill anyone. Therefore we avoid trouble with the police. This was after all a no-kill—" Ulquiorra began but Kyoshiro barked, "Here they come!"

And the door was broken down and fifty men raced into the room.

Kyoshiro let out a battle cry and sprung, grabbing a man's neck. Weed raced forward with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra behind him.

Ulquiorra found two men heading in his direction and he leapt over their heads and appeared behind them, slamming kicks into their backs. An arm wrapped around Ulquiorra's neck and he felt a blade being pressed into his throat.

Ulquiorra slammed his head into the man's face. Grimmjow knocked Ulquiorra aside as two daggers were thrown at him. Grimmjow caught one in his teeth and used it to stab a man in the back, ripping his back open.

Weed leapt above the men and appeared between two of them. They ran at him with knives in their hands and Weed jumped over them and both men stabbed each other.

Kyoshiro let out a warning yell as a man approached Grimmjow from behind with a knife. Kyoshiro darted forward, and smacked the man's knife hand into the air and slammed a harsh kick into the man's stomach.

Ulquiorra caught the man and flipped him over his shoulder, throwing him out the window and the man did not reemerge.

Weed suddenly was struck from behind and he cried out as he tumbled across the floor. He looked around. A man had run to Griffon's side and sliced her ropes. Weed's yell of shock turned to anger and he kicked a man in the leg, knocking him over.

"Grimmjow!" Weed yelled, running after Griffon. He was kicked in the ribs and he tumbled over. Weed seized the leg of his attacker and twisted it violently before slamming his head into the man's gut, throwing him across the room.

"Grimmjow, Griffon is getting away! _Grimmjow_!" Weed yelled desperately, taking his dog form to jump on the backs of the men as they ran by him.

Grimmjow yelled, "WHAT?" and he raced out the door.

Griffon was far ahead with her accomplice at her side. Grimmjow tore after her, shedding his gigai behind him and flying after her in his Espada form. "GRIFFON!" Grimmjow bellowed. He could _not_ lose her!

"No!" Grimmjow yelled when he saw how close she was to the subway. He could not let her get away! Not after all his planning! Not after all they'd gone through! Not after getting the police to believe him!

And then Griffon was thrown face down in the snow as something landed right on top of her! It was Blue!

She was standing quite calmly, one foot on Griffon's head and one foot in the small of her back, her arms crossed over her chest. "Need some help?" she asked with a smile.

Grimmjow grinned. "Fuck you're a damn life saver!"

"Grimmjow!" it was Ulquiorra. He was running to them and he stopped beside him. Kyoshiro grinned when he saw Blue and Weed sighed with relief.

"They are coming after us. All of them." Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow stared at Ulquiorra and said, "Right. Don't worry your pretty little head, pretty little Ulqui. Weed!" he barked and Weed looked up. "Put up the shield. Form a circle with it around me and Ulquiorra, but leave room for those bastards chasing us."

Weed ran around them, dropping little devices on the floor. "I've got the control; tell me when you're ready."

Grimmjow grinned at Ulquiorra and said, cocking a finger, "C'mere."

Ulquiorra stared curiously but hurried over. Grimmjow lowered his head to whisper in Ulquiorra's ear. His emerald eyes lit up and he said, "Hm. I like it."

Grimmjow grinned. "Knew ya would."

The men came closer and Grimmjow beckoned at Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed to hide. They hurried around a building, peering out.

The men surrounded them, forming a large circle.

"Wait a minute? How can they be seen?" Blue asked and Weed pointed to little red badges on Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's chests.

"Shizatte made those for them." Weed explained.

The men closed in and one man said, "You guys are pretty weird lookin' where'd ya spring from? A freak circus?"

Grimmjow mocked laughed.

"You're not very good at insults, as expected from trash." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow slowly stepped behind Ulquiorra, moving a little to the right.

The man glowered at Ulquiorra.

"Weed. Barrier." Grimmjow said and Weed hastily pressed a button. A golden dome appeared around Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and the men.

All of the men gasped in shock.

"What the hell is this? What are you two?"

Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra and said, "Let's rock."

Ulquiorra removed his hands from his pockets, pointing them left and right. Grimmjow grinned and pointed his open palm ahead of Ulquiorra and then positioned his other hand to point behind them both.

The men all stared.

Green light erupted from Ulquiorra's index fingers.

Red light appeared in Grimmjow's palms.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra glanced at each other.

"Oh shi—!" one of the men exclaimed—too late.

The ceros went off in all directions; the mixture of red and green filled the entire space and in the heart of it all stood Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, their hair and clothes blowing rapidly in the breeze.

The top of the dome exploded, the green and red light filled the air. Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro gaped, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"Sweet." Kyoshiro said, grinning.

The light died and Weed lowered the barrier hesitantly.

And then, in slow motion, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked out of the dust, their hair blowing in the wind and the dust and snow blowing all around them.

Blue's eyes widened and Weed grinned.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra continued to walk towards them epically and then they reached them.

"S-s-s-s-smokin'!" Grimmjow said, his hair crackling slightly.

"I believe the word 'epic' would suffice." Ulquiorra said, glancing fondly at the other man. Grimmjow nodded. "Oh yeah." He breathed.

They heard a groan and saw Griffon lying on her face. Grimmjow turned and smirked.

Their job here was done. The police cars were starting to pull up. Grimmjow looked around at his friends and said, "My gang, this way." Grimmjow said and he fired a cero at the floor, causing a wave of snow to cover them from sight as Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed raced away into the storm, grinning and feeling highly accomplished.

* * *

The "food" was pitch black.

Blue frowned, picking up a piece of the food and banging it on the table. "Uh…this is…?"

"It's a biscuit." Kyoshiro said, scraping butter onto the blackened biscuit. Weed sniffed one of the biscuits on the plate and recoiled.

"C'mon, it's damn good food! Eat it." Kyoshiro said, scowling over at them. Weed reached over and gingerly picked up a strip of something. "What's this?"

"Bacon. Can't you tell?"

Weed sniffed it and coughed. "Yeah…yeah, I can tell." Weed gagged.

Blue and Weed looked at each other from across the table. They would have to eat this?

While they both pondered over how to be polite about their disgust, Ulquiorra entered the living room, his eyes sweeping towards the table.

Ulquiorra's reaction to Kyoshiro's cooking was almost the same as theirs. "This is…interesting. I am assuming Kyoshiro made these since he said he was going to start cooking?" Ulquiorra said.

Kyoshiro nodded proudly. "Yeah. They are a little dark but they'll taste good."

Ulquiorra grabbed a knife and sawed his biscuit open and found that the inside was thoroughly black! "A little is a great understatement." Ulquiorra said.

Weed crunched on one and said hastily, "It's good! It's really good!" he began gagging. Kyoshiro frowned heavily. "It's…bad…isn't it? I fucked up."

Before they could respond however a voice said, "Whoa! Who shit on the table and didn't tell me?"

Kyoshiro glared at him and said, "Don't be obnoxious! It's biscuits!"

Grimmjow picked up the biscuit and examined it. "Looks like shit to me." He stated. "It's better than _your_ first attempt!" Kyoshiro said defensively and Grimmjow examined the eggs which looked like little flakes of ash. "_Shit_, Kyoshiro! You can't cook to save your god damn life!"

"It was his first try; you didn't do well at first either." Blue said defensively and Kyoshiro looked at her appreciatively.

"Let's not play the blame game. How about we eat out?" Weed suggested, hoping to avoid a fight. Ulquiorra made to respond but suddenly the ring of a telephone filled the room and Ulquiorra was about to get it but Grimmjow beat him to it.

"Yo. Uh huh. Yeah. No. Yeah. No. Sure," he turned to Ulquiorra, "It's your boss at the museum." He said and Ulquiorra took the phone and said, "Mr. Johnson, good morning. I'm fine, yourself? Oh, I see. Well the terrorist incident was a bit of a dilemma. It's understandable—" But Ulquiorra suddenly held the line away at arms length as his boss screamed, "A BIT? _A BIT?_ MY MUSEUM ALMOST GOT BOMBED AND YOU CALL IT 'A _BIT_ OF A DILEMMA'?"

Kyoshiro flinched. "Ouch. Touchy."

Ulquiorra continued to look bored but Grimmjow could see him flinching. "YOU'RE A FUCKING _WATCHMAN_! AND YOU _LET HIM IN_?"

"Hey, that isn't fair! How was Ulquiorra supposed to know?" Weed said angrily to Kyoshiro.

"Sir—"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING 'SIR' ME, SHIFFER! WHAT ARE YOU THERE FOR? TO HOLD THE DOORS FOR SERIAL BOMBERS? MORE THAN 700 DOLLARS HAVE GONE INTO THIS MUSEUM! IF I LOSE THAT—! ARGH! YOU'RE USELESS! _USELESS_! DON'T BOTHER COMING IN TODAY! YOU'RE FIRED! _FIRED_! F.I.R.E.D—!"

"Oh, you know how to spell 'fired?' That is truly remarkable. I'm amazed. Let me tell you something else, Mr. Johnson, you are a trash. T.R.A.S.H. Trash. Do you know what that means? It means you are an insignificant disposable. Not even worth my time. Are you happy?"

Ulquiorra's voice got more and more dangerous with each word and Grimmjow smirked. Kyoshiro and Blue however exchanged worried looks.

"Or if learning that you are trash isn't enough how about I spill your little secret about how your money means more than your own workers, the public, and your own GOD DAMN MUSEUM?" And Ulquiorra slammed down the phone so hard the floor shook but not before they heard a shriek of horror from the other side of the line.

Everyone in the room gaped at Ulquiorra, whose face they couldn't see. Grimmjow's jaw was hanging open and Kyoshiro had a piece of bacon sticking out of his nose, Weed's jaw was lying on the floor and Blue had her hand over her chest, her eyes wide, and her ash-like eggs slipping off her fork.

"Hot damn." Grimmjow said his voice almost a whisper.

They saw Ulquiorra's shoulders slump. "Grimmjow?"

"Yeah?" Grimmjow said a little shakily.

"I don't want to dirty my hands so I want you to go outside and punch every person you see. Is that too much to ask?"

Grimmjow grinned. "Hell no, Ulquiorra." And he raced to the door and disappeared from sight.

Ulquiorra walked to the couch and sank onto it, his face in his hands. He immediately straightened up however and went to the kitchen to start making some real food. "Oh, Ulquiorra, I'm so sorry. That wasn't your fault at all. That was highly unreasonable of that man to—" Blue began and Ulquiorra said, "No that is just typical human being behavior."

"Heh, if he's gonna talk to you like that I say screw him and you can do a hell of a lot better, Ulquiorra, now can we please go outside?" Kyoshiro said, eating a burnt biscuit and then gagging. "Reminds me the time I ate my own—"

* * *

As the week went on, Ulquiorra became obsessed with getting a new job. Grimmjow's band was currently on hiatus because of all the hard work they'd been doing and none of the band was willing to come out of that hiatus and Grimmjow suffered extreme writer's block, unable to write any songs.

Ulquiorra found out he was a song writer when he walked in on Grimmjow attempting to play one of the songs he had written and the man had a complete freak out and ripped up the lyrics when Ulquiorra tried to see what he was writing.

Blue's advice for jobs was to go for something Ulquiorra liked. The problem was, Ulquiorra truly didn't know what his passion was. He did have a deep love for the piano but he wasn't sure he'd make the necessary amount of money playing. Finally, Kyoshiro grew tired of his 'complaining' and suggested becoming a stripper at a dance club, to which he received a hard—yet rather indifferent—smack from Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow meanwhile obviously disliked the huge amount of time Ulquiorra spent out of the house, obviously unwilling to bring Grimmjow to a job interview and then being too tired to at least snuggle with him before sleeping. All the work it seemed also made Ulquiorra grumpy for when he came home he was very cold and tense.

Then one night Ulquiorra came home in a particularly cold mood when he was coldly and sternly turned down by a man at a job interview, the man was apparently scared that other men would "catch Ulquiorra's disease." The 'disease' was the fact that Ulquiorra was gay and he was scared the other men would "catch it".

"That is the biggest pile of shit I have ever heard in my fucking life!" Grimmjow exclaimed when Ulquiorra finished telling them at dinner. Ulquiorra was silent and sat, tightlipped, at the table. "Ulquiorra, maybe you should try making the piano a career?" Blue suggested.

"It is something I enjoy. But not enough. Then again, I assume that it doesn't matter if I enjoy it or not. I need a job. Whether or not I enjoy it shouldn't—"

"Of course you should enjoy it!" Weed acclaimed. "If you aren't enthusiastic about work, you shouldn't have it."

After that, Ulquiorra got a rather tight job at a Library. Or he almost did. It seemed homophobia complicated everything for the instant the woman working there saw Grimmjow coming to pick him up, greeting him rather warmly; she threw a fit and screamed at them to leave immediately.

"Oh c'mon! If that bitch is gonna be that way than who needs her?"

Grimmjow argued heatedly as they both waited for the train in the cold, leaky, subway, listening to the horrible singing of a homeless man who kept repeating the words, "Happy Birthday!" in a horrible voice!

"I did not request for you to be there." Ulquiorra said coldly, taking a seat as he waited for the train. It was an hour late. Grimmjow's jaw fell open, "Wait, so it's _my_ fault she's homophobic? _My fault?_"

"I need work. We have enough money in our bank account to last us a while."

"A _year_, Ulquiorra, a _year_!" Grimmjow said impatiently, sitting down beside him. "I know that. I would still prefer to help us on our way sooner rather than later. So in the future refrain from hugging me or kissing me in public."

Grimmjow's jaw clenched. "What, so I should hide who I am like a coward because some people don't like it? Are you ashamed of having me around, is that why you are so opposed to having me go places with you? I don't care what you say; I ain't hiding who I am. They don't like it; they can get the fuck over it. I'm glad I ain't of the human race sometimes…" Grimmjow said angrily, clearly angered by Ulquiorra's attitude.

And when Ulquiorra didn't respond Grimmjow said, "If this is how you're gonna get, let me get a job for you or something. You can get a part time job, anything just—"

"This isn't your concern." Ulquiorra responded and their train pulled into the station and just as Ulquiorra got up, Grimmjow seized his shoulder and said loudly and angrily, "Your concern is my goddamn concern!"

Ulquiorra didn't respond and instead seated himself inside the train. During the ride home however, Ulquiorra allowed his head to rest against Grimmjow's shoulder, inhaling his comforting scent. At this moment, it seemed Grimmjow was the only thing that made complete sense. Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow go to put an arm around his shoulder but then instead took his hand, which was a subtle gesture, which was what Ulquiorra wanted anyway.

"Whatever you want, Ulquiorra, but I'm going to hold you properly when I get home…since you're so damn embarrassed by me."

Ulquiorra returned the gentle pressure to his hand and felt a slight stab of guilt and regret hit him for what he had said to Grimmjow earlier.

* * *

During the following week, Ulquiorra pondered homophobia a bit more then he should have. It seemed humans were disturbed by things they didn't or couldn't understand, or things that seemed out of the ordinary, which made him consider that maybe the only reason Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed weren't homophobic was because they weren't human. Maybe that was a good thing.

Humans were strange creatures, they started wars because they disliked each other's opinions and they were immature, though they claimed they weren't. They hated others because they didn't all look the same and like members of the opposite sex and believe the same thing…why?"

Humans were strange creatures.

If a man showing affection for a woman wasn't disgusting and disturbing, why was a man showing affection for another man so opposed to? Ulquiorra had to ask himself this.

It was both the same thing. Humans claimed love was the most beautiful emotion, if you hadn't loved you hadn't lived some claimed, ect…so why were two men not allowed to show affection for each other without being rebuked for it. Now Ulquiorra was annoyed that he was actually worrying about what little humans were thinking.

He had never actually had this type of problem before.

Strangely enough it seemed that people were able to tell, just by seeing Grimmjow and Ulquiorra talking to each other, that there was some sort of link between them. It was…strange…

Maybe dogs really were the purest of beings.

* * *

Ulquiorra resumed his old job; work at a local deli for a man named Jonathan Johnson. He worked at the store all day and came home at midnight; however it was a good amount of money so he believed that the time he spent there was worth it. It was an easy job anyway; however it was awkward when a man and his girlfriend walked in to purchase some sexual enhancement pills.

He was not going to lie and say that he didn't consider buying some once he read the effects on the back. He chose not to however and worked the rest of the day at the store until his end shift and he came home, feeling tired and ready to sleep.

He pretended not to notice how overjoyed the dogs were when he came home, somewhat feeling guilty by how long he had been away. It was for they're own good anyway and it would help them all.

Ulquiorra went up to his room and found no one. "Where's Grimmjow?" he called downstairs. "Shower." Kyoshiro responded; tail wagging as he padded towards his room. "You should go talk to him. He's been a pain in the ass all day. I think he misses you. Bad." And the white dog called out from his room, "Oh, yeah! We need more milk! I forgot to tell you! I'll get it though."

Yes, the grocery store did stay open this late.

As Kyoshiro entered his room he thought somewhat perversely, _and I'll take Blue and Weedy with me, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra need to spend some… quality time together…_then he flushed and said, "Uh…why did I just think that? I ain't a pervert." But he continued to question himself as he went downstairs after making the bed.

Ulquiorra collapsed in his room, tired and ready to sleep. The door opened and Grimmjow walked in. Ulquiorra had to fight off the urge to stare at his almost completely naked body, the towel around his waist completely ruining what would have been an even better view.

Grimmjow stared at him in some surprise before he said, "Your home early." This was said sarcastically. "Hm." Ulquiorra couldn't think of anything else to say with Grimmjow looking this good. "Nice reply." Grimmjow grumbled, glaring at the floor.

They both remained silent for a moment, Grimmjow staring at the floor and Ulquiorra averting his gaze from Grimmjow.

Despite Grimmjow's coldness, Ulquiorra admitted it felt ten times better to come home to see him then it would be to come home to an empty house. And he wasn't just thinking that because Grimmjow only had a towel on.

Grimmjow's blue gaze glanced in his direction and Ulquiorra stared from where he lay on the mattress, hands clasped comfortably on his chest. He could tell Grimmjow wanted to say something to him but he wasn't able to, that in itself was odd.

Grimmjow's gaze stayed on him and Ulquiorra shifted uncomfortably, knowing exactly what Grimmjow was thinking. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra knew for a fact, loved it when Ulquiorra wore suits. He always wore them whenever he went to a job.

Ulquiorra could still feel the force of that dazzling stare on him and he looked up to meet Grimmjow's gaze and found Grimmjow walking over to him, grumbling. Grimmjow put one knee on the bed beside Ulquiorra and lifted his chin with his hand before kissing him deeply, both hands taking hold of Ulquiorra's arms and holding him in place.

Ulquiorra felt his eyes close and felt himself hastily and eagerly kissing him back, his arms wrapping Grimmjow's neck, pulling him closer, leaving almost no space between them.

Grimmjow whispered in his ear somewhat gruffly, "Fuck I've missed you today, Ulquiorra…" Ulquiorra shuddered at his rough voice before kissing him again, his hands holding Grimmjow's face, sighing when he felt Grimmjow's warm, wet, arms around his shoulders, the water from his chest and arms going through his shirt, further emphasizing his warmth.

"Ditto." Ulquiorra murmured, his eyes alight and a small smile on his face.

"Grimmjow, Ulquiorra! We're going to the store! Anything you—?" Weed raced into the room and stopped dead at the sight of both men—Grimmjow who was practically naked and pinning Ulquiorra to the wall above the bed, and Ulquiorra who looked like he wanted to die from embarrassment. Grimmjow scowled, looking annoyed. "Tch."

But Weed continued talking!

"Is there anything you want from the store?" it was almost like he didn't care that they were practically making out! Ah, sweet naivety…

Ulquiorra hid his face in Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow responded, his hand sliding down to grope Ulquiorra's ass, "Ice cream."

"Ah, okay…um…" Weed stopped, looking up at the ceiling, blinking those eyes innocently. "Ulquiorra! Anything you want?"

Ulquiorra shook his head slowly and Weed said, "Oh, okay! Thanks. We'll be back in a while." And the Akita Inu left the room.

Ulquiorra scowled at Grimmjow and Grimmjow grinned. "So, they're gone. Wanna—?" Ulquiorra stood up and left the room. Grimmjow gaped after him for a moment. And then he scowled. "Sure…leave me here alone…thanks."

* * *

Weed had said he was going to the store with Kyoshiro and Blue. That was partially true. Kyoshiro dragged the boom box from the house along with a few CDs and when Blue asked him what they were for Kyoshiro responded, "Money." Blue thought he was going to sell them. She was wrong.

Kyoshiro led them to the subway and began setting up the stuff on the platform. "Kyoshiro! You've hid it long enough!" Blue exclaimed impatiently, walking to Kyoshiro (he had taken his human form now and so had Weed) and glaring at him.

Kyoshiro smirked and said, "Alright, Ulquiorra wants money? We're gonna make some damn money!" the music began playing. Weed's eyes widened in shock and he said, "We aren't going to—!"

"Hell yeah!" and Kyoshiro began trusting his pelvis and tapping his foot. Blue began tapping her foot as well and snapping her fingers and then she stopped when she heard how suggestive the song was!

"Kyoshiro! We are not street dancers!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Weed, we can find other ways to make money! This is illegal—Weed? Weed!" Weed was dancing too (and rather badly)!

"Wahoo, yeah!" Kyoshiro yelled, shaking his rear. Girls began squealing and Kyoshiro spun in a circle before he and Weed began to circle slowly, tapping their feet.

People in the subway started dancing too! Blue's jaw dropped. It was…working? Heh.

Kyoshiro began stomping his foot to the music. Weed was strutting his stuff and jumping up and down and shaking his head! Blue found herself tapping her foot in time with the beats. "Whatever. I am not missing an opportunity like this." And she began to dance with them, bobbing her head and tapping her feet.

Everyone in the subway was now dancing! It was insane!

"Put your hands up!" Kyoshiro yelled and he leapt forward and did a cartwheel through the air and landed on his back and began spinning like a top, kicking his feet out and flipping himself over.

Blue was rather surprised by his dance moves! When had he learned that? "Relax," Kyoshiro sang, "Don't do it!" and Weed and Kyoshiro and several subway passengers began doing a conga line, all of them singing the song!

"Man, this is so fun!" Kyoshiro said to Weed as they broke away from the crowd and posed as the song ended. "Too bad it's illegal!" and Weed gasped and said, "What?"

"Hey, it ain't killing anyone!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, shaking his fists as another piece of music started playing on the boombox. It was "Cuban Pete" from The Mask!

The instant the song started playing Weed completely forgot about street dancing being illegal and he began to sing along with the song.

Everyone in the subway seemed to know it and they began to sing and dance too, jumping up and down!

Kyoshiro was singing along as well and he and a teenaged girl began to dance and he hastily spun her once and pushed her away and skipped away up the subway platform, shaking his hips and his hands. "Then we shall try, just you and I! Ay-y-ya!" He sang and everyone in the platform formed a conga line and began kicking their feet madly.

Blue was laughing her head off as she and the others danced and sang along but then she noticed police men running down the stairs and she was momentarily alarmed and yelled, "Kyoshiro! Police!" and Kyoshiro's head whipped around and he grinned evilly before saying, "Time for a song change!" and he dashed to the boom box. Blue almost felt exasperated.

Another song from The Mask started playing called "Hey Pachuco." And everyone in the subway immediately began dancing again! Kyoshiro pulled Blue into a tango, despite her protests, and began to tear up the subway floor with her, moving so fast he was a blur, pulling her into a tango dip. Blue sighed and began to dance beside him.

Kyoshiro spun her once and then Weed leapt forward and Kyoshiro and Blue both caught him and threw him into the air, Weed spun around as he fell and he spun all the way down a pole and posed as he hit the bottom.

One of the police officers began dancing wildly and jumped of the staircase and the people below caught him and spun him around before throwing him to his feet. Kyoshiro and the police officer began tangoing.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed lead the crowd, doing a mad wicked fast Charleston across the floor as the music volume increased. Blue and Kyoshiro linked hands and began spinning rapidly across the floor, Kyoshiro lifted her up and spun her in the air began pulling her into a tango dip as the song ended.

Everyone in the subway started cheering and clapping and Blue smiled up at Kyoshiro who grinned back at her. He made to move in closer but Blue smiled and placed a hand against his face and said, "No funny ideas, Kyo."

And then a gunshot went off and a random homeless man burst through the crowd, apparently he had wrestled a gun form the dancing police officer and he screamed, "I KILL YOU ALL!"

The man prepared to fire the gun only to realize for some random reason the gun was empty. He blinked. "What the—?" Kyoshiro punched him in the face and apparently every other idiot in the subway thought that it would be a good idea to start punching each other!

A huge fight started and in about an hour, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue would find themselves awaiting bail at the local police department.

* * *

Ulquiorra's glare could have blown the Empire State Building clean apart. Kyoshiro twitched under his stare and Blue looked ashamed and Weed had his head bowed in deep shame.

"So…yeah…uh…we…uh…" Kyoshiro squeaked as Ulquiorra's glare hardened and Blue said, her eyes guilt ridden, "Ulquiorra, we only wanted to earn some money! We wanted to help you, I'm sorry…I—"

"I would have expected this kind of behavior from Kyoshiro, but not you, Blue." Ulquiorra said his tone hard. Weed shuffled his feet, looking guilty as can be. "Where's Grimmjow?" Weed asked and Ulquiorra scowled and said, "He's sulking because he wasn't there."

Kyoshiro snorted and Blue stepped on his foot.

"I forbid you, Kyoshiro, from ever coming up with such ridiculous ideas." Ulquiorra said with ice in his voice and Kyoshiro immediately got angry and said, "I was trying to help, dammit! Never mind, I shouldn't have bothered if this was how you were gonna be about it! Asshole." And the Kishu Inu stomped by, not caring that he had just morphed back into his dog form.

Ulquiorra sighed and beckoned to the other two and said, "Let's go." And he led them from the jail cell and out into the city air.

Ulquiorra allowed the dogs into the backseat of his car and drove them to the grocery store, accompanying them inside the store. "Now he doesn't think we're competent enough to shop!" Kyoshiro spat and Weed said, "Kyoshiro, he just figured that since he's with us—." Weed began consolingly and Ulquiorra stepped forward and said quietly, "I really do appreciate the effort. But next time try something legal, just because some people get away with it doesn't mean you can."

Kyoshiro frowned and said, "I feel like a kid being given a lecture."

Blue picked out a large head of broccoli and Weed got a few tomatoes, Kyoshiro picked up a roast chicken and Ulquiorra browsed the giant 'freezer' as Grimmjow called it for frozen food.

Weed caught up to him and found Ulquiorra picking out some pudding. Weed sneezed and Ulquiorra chuckled. "Too cold for you?"

"Nope!" Weed said determinedly, puffing out his chest. Ulquiorra poked him in the chest as he walked by, causing Weed's chest to deflate, his breath misting in the air.

A woman bumped against Ulquiorra and he said, "Excuse me." And she glared at him. She was a woman with surprisingly blue eyes and silver/blue hair that cascaded down her back. She was wearing a leather jacket, tight leather pants, and a red low shirt and a skull belt with skull rings decorating her fingers. _Strange hair, it almost looks like Weed's, _Ulquiorra noted before walking over to said boy and saying, "Go and get some bread. Grimmjow asked me to stock up on hot dogs."

And without warning someone plowed into Ulquiorra and sent him crashing against the shelves of milk and eggs! Ulquiorra came face to face with the same woman he had bumped into except her blue eyes were wide, an expression of shock was on her face and she shook him as she practically yelled at him, "What did you say? Whose name was that?"

Ulquiorra pushed her away from him immediately and Weed came running over to see what had happened.

"What's wrong with you, woman?" Ulquiorra demanded coldly and the desperate woman seized his arm and said, "Who was that you mentioned just now? Tell me!" she demanded violently, cutting off the blood circulation in his arm as she squeezed it so tight it hurt!

Ulquiorra repeated the name he knew so well. "Grimmjow."

And the woman grew hysteric. "Where is he? Tell me!"

"I will do no such thing." Ulquiorra said sternly, pushing her away. Her eyes filled with tears and she sniffed. "You…you…won't?"

"No." Ulquiorra said coldly. And without warning her tears were gone and she had twisted his arm behind his back and slammed him onto the floor and bellowed, "TELL ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"No."

"YES!"

"No."

"DO IT!"

"No."

"IS THAT ALL YOUR GONNA SAY, EMO KID?" She screamed.

"Yes." Ulquiorra responded, immune to the pain and looking bored as his arm was practically being ripped from his socket. Weed raced forward and yelled, "Lady, are you nuts? Get off of him!" and Weed began tugging on her.

And then Ulquiorra grew curious and said, "Why do you want to see him, woman?"

Weed knocked her off of Ulquiorra and into the shelf of eggs and bread. "Are you alright?" he asked and Ulquiorra grunted, flexing his arm to make sure it was not going to fall out and dangle limply.

The woman looked pleading, except Ulquiorra was highly suspicious of her and felt no remorse for her. He wouldn't have felt anything except impatience anyway.

Weed helped Ulquiorra up and just as he stood the woman said, her voice shaking, "Is…is he alright? Is he alive?" Ulquiorra was beginning to feel even more confused and curious. "Why is that your business?"

And what she screamed at him next, made Ulquiorra drop the groceries he had just assembled from the floor.

* * *

Grimmjow was lying in the tub, his hands behind his head, enjoying a nice, relaxing soak. It felt nice to have the house all to himself, the bathroom door was open and he was allowed to hear his favorite music blaring from the house speakers. He grinned to himself.

Though, admittedly, he thought it might be better having someone sitting on the floor beside him, like Ulquiorra sometimes did, he had gotten into the habit of sitting beside the tub while Grimmjow bathed, maybe reading to him from his new favorite story of Sherlock Holmes. Grimmjow chuckled. The little guy really was adorable. These days however he was also infuriating. It felt like he was hardly there at all and sometimes Grimmjow would even wrestle with Weed, who was full of energy, just to fill the gap and the boredom he felt.

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were great but…they weren't Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow swore and splashed himself in the face with water. Tch. Thinking about Ulquiorra wasn't gonna make him realize he wanted him here!

The doorbell rang and Grimmjow scowled and stood up and seized his robe and crossed to the speakers on either side of the TV and switched off his music. He didn't want to deal with Ulquiorra's bitching about how he should turn it off.

He opened the door and said, "Damn, it's almost midnight, where the hell—what the fuck?" Ulquiorra, Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue had a new comer with them. A woman/wannabe rock star. And she was looking at him like he was some kind of God.

A lot of girls did that, some guys too, but they never got tears in their eyes like that nor did they smile that wide at him. Ulquiorra shuffled his feet, looking agitated, and Kyoshiro seemed to be in a state of shock, Blue looked unsure of what to say and Weed had a sort of uncertain look about him, kind of like Blue.

And without warning arms were around him and he was lying flat on his back on the floor, screaming in terror. "OI, WOMAN! Get the hell offa me! Now! Ulquiorra! What the hell is going on?" Grimmjow squawked and his four friends did the same thing. They all opened their mouths, paused, and then shut them again.

The woman was sobbing into his chest and Grimmjow was scared for his life, preparing to strangle her and he yelled, "Who the fuck are you?" as he attempted to pry her from him, annoyed that no one was trying to help him.

And then the woman looked up, her eyes full of tears and the widest smile on her face. And then it was gone and she seemed to realize something and she said, "Don't you…remember me, Grimmjow? Grimmjow? It's me." Her voice was so soft and almost pleading and yet loving all at the same time.

"What the—what are you—?" Grimmjow exclaimed, confused out of his mind and the woman said very softly, "I'm your mother, Grimmjow."

And Grimmjow went completely still.

Silence fell in the house, a deathly silence.

The woman holding him stared at him with those stupid pleading eyes.

Grimmjow turned his glare to Ulquiorra as if to say 'you're the one who brought her here, it's your fault."

Ulquiorra looked at Kyoshiro, who looked at Blue, who looked at Weed, who looked at Ulquiorra, who looked at Grimmjow, who looked at the woman.

And then Grimmjow knew exactly what to say to her.

"Bullshit."

And she left after giving them a note with her address written on it.

* * *

The fourteenth of February arrived and Grimmjow woke, expecting to greet Ulquiorra. He fumbled around, his eyes closed, waiting for his hands to come in contact with warm skin but found empty air. He opened his eyes and groaned. "Fuck…"

Ulquiorra wasn't there.

Cursing, Grimmjow flung himself out of bed and hurried out the door to his bedroom and entered the kitchen. He found Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue sitting at the table. Kyoshiro was talking about something, all the while looking moody and resentful while Weed listened and Blue talked on her cell phone to Hige.

Grimmjow crossed to the bathroom and opened the door. It was empty. Beginning to get worried Grimmjow checked Blue's room. Nothing. He returned downstairs, fighting down his anger.

Ulquiorra had _not_ left for his job. He could _not_ forget today of all days! Ulquiorra wasn't a forgetful person! He would have at _least _stayed to wish him a happy Valentines Day; a kiss on the cheek would have sufficed!

"Oh, good morning, Grimmjow!" Weed called before returning to his conversation with Kyoshiro. "Where's Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow asked moodily, hoping against hope that Weed's answer wasn't what he thought it would be. "He left for his job at the deli." Weed explained and then he immediately looked upset.

Grimmjow knew his expression of pain must have shown because everyone in the room went silent. He wanted to hit something, he wanted to break something, anything—but that wouldn't help, would it? But he did it anyway.

He slammed his fist against the wall with such force the small chandelier trembled. "God_ damn_ him!" Grimmjow yelled, hitting the wall again. He took in a deep breath, resting his forehead against the wall. No one in the room moved and Grimmjow could feel his arms trembling.

He was hurt. Deeply hurt, angry and upset by all of this. It was only now that he realized just how much he had wanted to able to spend the day with Ulquiorra. He had looked forward to it, planned it, longed to just to be able to hold him for a day and Ulquiorra didn't give a damn.

"Grimmjow," Blue began soothingly, "I'm sure he didn't mean—"

And Grimmjow turned around and yelled, "Would you just back off and shut the fuck up? I don't wanna argue about this! Alright, just back off!" and Blue immediately jumped away from him. Kyoshiro said, "Hey, don't talk to her like that, alright? We all know Ulquiorra didn't mean to do this."

Grimmjow didn't want to hear any of this and he said, "Look, would you just shut the fuck up? Is that possible? Just—god, dammit!" he could feel his anger turning to pain and he sank onto the couch with a groan, hiding his face in his hand, his fingertips digging into his hair, breathing heavily.

_I don't know why the fuck I bothered…if it was going to turn out this way why did I bother? Why? First he's embarrassed by me and then he distances himself from me...why the hell am I the one to suffer from his mistakes? It shouldn't be like this! _

His anger vanished and Grimmjow was left with nothing but hurt.

"I miss you…I miss you, you idiot…" Grimmjow heard himself whisper, in a voice unlike his own. Shaking, hurt and broken.

_I shouldn't be the one sitting here missing him._

There was a hard lump in the back of his throat, reminding him of his weakness. He hated weakness. And he hated Ulquiorra for causing it.

And then he knew what he wanted to do. He crossed to the door and called. "Blue, where's the note?"

"I put it on the refrigerator!" Blue called and Grimmjow stomped to the refrigerator and pulled a piece of paper from the magnet connecting it to the fridge.

And then he was out the door in seconds, pulling a leather jacket over his shoulders on the way out.

_Screw it. Just screw all of it._

_

* * *

_

The day was cold, snow had obviously fallen the night before and occasionally it would blow down from the rooftops. Grimmjow hardly noticed how cold he was as he took a C train to the direction given in the note. During the ride he half hoped some idiot would annoy him, just to give him an excuse to vent out his frustration.

The hurt still had not left him and he was annoyed about that. Ulquiorra's absence shouldn't have hurt this much, but it did. It just felt like he no longer cared about Grimmjow and this feeling was only more enforced by how Ulquiorra was ashamed to be in his presence.

Grimmjow angrily rubbed at his eyes, snarling to himself. Well, fine, if Ulquiorra didn't want to be with him, that was just fine by him!

He suddenly felt a stab of fear and he frowned. _No, I'm not breaking up with him. I just…I'll confront him about this later, _Grimmjow thought,with a spike of resolution. _There, problem solved. I'll smack him fifty times and that'll be that. After I scream at him. _Grimmjow thought, his jaw clenching tightly and a low growl escaping him.

Everyone in the subway was now moving further away from him and Grimmjow was completely oblivious. _And then I'll ignore him! Two can play at this game! Little bastard! God, you fucking piss me OFF!_

And he stomped off the train, not noticing how everybody had immediately cleared a pathway for him. Grimmjow stopped walking however and felt his enthusiasm drain out of him. _But what if he doesn't listen? What if he's…no longer interested in me? Maybe he's sick of me? Maybe—? You know what, never mind! Just keep walking…_

And he left the subway and headed outside into the cold air.

He browsed the rows of houses, looking for the right one.

_56…57…58…there, 59. _He had reached house number 59 with its small iron gate. He scowled and jumped the gate and slammed his fist against the door. _Why the hell am I doing this shit?_

The door opened and a woman with blue/silver hair and blue eyes stepped out. She was wearing a red dress and blue jean jacket thrown over her shoulders. Her eyes widened and Alexia exclaimed, "Grimmjow! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed happily and Grimmjow responded, annoyed, "I'd like to know that myself."

She seized him and dragged him inside without a seconds warning. "Oi, let me go, dammit!" Grimmjow pushed her away from him and the woman said happily, "Oh, Grimmjow, I am so glad you've come here! The rest of the family is out, what have you come here for? Do you believe that I'm your mother, yet?" she asked the last question rather angrily.

Grimmjow pushed his arm away from hers and said, "Let me go, dammit. Let me breath." Grimmjow took a moment to look around the house. There was no kitchen table in the house only a bar counter in front of the kitchen complete with four bar stools, the sink was filled with dirty dishes and the counter was rather dirty and an old pizza box sat atop the table.

The couch in front of the large television was formed into a half circle and was made of brown leather. There was a tall staircase leading up to the bedrooms and next to the staircase was a door, probably leading down to the basement. All in all it was a strange but obviously very expensive apartment.

Grimmjow knew what he wanted to say but he couldn't stop thinking, _Why the fuck am I here? _He said, after a sigh, "I want proof." And Alexia looked over in surprise. "What?"

"I want proof that you're my biological mother. I won't believe anything unless you've got _stone hard_ proof. Otherwise it just wont fly with me. Got it, woman? Give me proof."

Alexia sighed and said, "Oh, alright, if that's what you want." And she eagerly crossed to the staircase, climbed up the stairs and disappeared from sight. Grimmjow heard a door open and his ears picked up the shuffling of feet.

His patience was wearing thin and he sighed.

"Oi, get the hell down here, woman. I haven't got all day."

_Well, actually I do…since Ulquiorra doesn't give a shit about me._

Before he could sulk about Ulquiorra anymore than he already had, Alexia appeared out of nowhere, seized his jacket collar and threw him onto the couch before Grimmjow even had time to scream in terror and shock.

"What—?" Grimmjow began and Alexia inserted a VSH tape into the video player. "Just watch this tape!" she snapped and Grimmjow made to say something but went quiet as the tape began to play, static filled the screen and Grimmjow thought for a moment that she was showing him the video tape from The Ring.

A woman appeared on the screen, a woman with long, slightly messy, silver/blue hair. She was beaming joyfully at the camera. It was undoubtedly Alexia. She was obviously in a different household, but not much of the room could be seen. Her voice was low, almost a whisper as she spoke to the camera.

She was also holding something in her arms. Grimmjow's gaze was met with the face of a sleeping child, a boy, not much older than six years old by the looks of it. And Grimmjow felt a jolt run through his stomach when he realized that the most noticeable thing about this sleeping little boy was the shock of teal hair on his head.

Grimmjow was transfixed as those eyes opened very slowly. Pure sky blue eyes stared back at him. Grimmjow didn't know what to think as the child slowly rubbed his eyes and looked up at his…his mother. Grimmjow looked to the woman next to him. She was wearing a gentle smile on her face.

On the screen Alexia embraced her son, tickling him and causing him to laugh, showing the brightest, widest, and happiest grin Grimmjow had ever seen.

They both played for a bit and then she decided to turn the camera off so he could sleep properly and as the light from the TV screen faded, Grimmjow continued to stare at the screen, in shock.

_Was that…me? That couldn't have been me…it just couldn't have been…how is it that I can't remember this? It's…_

Alexia nudged him and he looked over. She was holding a picture and Grimmjow took it from her. It was…it had to be Grimmjow this time. His hair was spiked up, almost like now, he was grinning widely and happily with Alexia at his side and a man on the right side.

"…No way…" Grimmjow heard himself whisper. This felt so unreal. He had absolutely no memories of the day this picture was taken. It felt like he was looking through another person's memories, but not his own. He felt shocked, unsure, amazed at the same time. And above all he felt the strangest curiosity about what had happened to him. And then there was the realization.

Before he was an Espada, he had been human. He had been this happy child sitting between what must have been his happy, smiling parents. He had known that he must have been human at some point, but that fact had never been so apparent than now. He had died in order to become an Espada. How? And why?

He couldn't speak, all of the realizations felt like too many and for some reason he felt oddly disturbed. And yet, there was something else he was feeling that he couldn't place his finger on. "Grimmjow?" and he looked over at Alexia, she was looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

_I don't know…_

"I…I don't know what the hell to do. What happened to me, who was I, where did I go…? Is this even real?" Grimmjow asked, glaring down into his lap, unable to look at her. "Grimmjow, we don't know what happened to you. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Well I can't." Grimmjow said, disappointed with the answer. "I mean your supposed to be my mother, don't you know what happened to your own damn kid?" he wanted to be angry, but for the life of him he couldn't be. Alexia turned to look at him and said, impatiently, "Where did you go?" and Grimmjow said angrily, "I don't…I don't know, okay?"

And then she whispered, "I do know who you are. You're my son. My sweet, sweet, boy who I thought left my life five years ago."

_Five years ago…? I must have been about twenty…maybe…_

Grimmjow suddenly realized that her voice was breaking and he scowled and thought, _oh great, here comes the tears. Yippee._

He turned to look at her and found her smiling at him, her eyes shining and Grimmjow suddenly didn't feel the urge to be sarcastic anymore.

"I missed you so much." She said, a sob in her voice and she made to embrace him but Grimmjow found himself moving away from her. He couldn't understand this, he was already feeling so confused. But when he looked down at the picture, he found a younger, smaller, version of himself staring back at him.

He picked up the picture, staring at his happy face and then sighed, his gaze lingering on the woman hugging him tightly. The woman he was smiling up at in the picture.

_Shit…how the hell can I even doubt now?_

Grimmjow looked up at her and found her staring at him, her expression unreadable. "I want you to show me more of this stuff. I want…I need to know more." And so she did. The next few hours were spent in doors, away from the sudden rain, watching old video tapes or going through old pictures.

The last picture that had him in it had been taken around his early twenties. The pictures with him had grown less and less happy. His mother looked over the last picture of him, taken with a few other people all with the same hair color as himself, and said softly, "There was darkness in you. Darkness I couldn't free you from. I don't know what happened, one day I woke up and you just…you weren't there. Even now I still don't know what happened to you to make you like that. But ever since the day you left I—I felt so bad…to watch you vanish into that kind of anger and despair. I just…I'm just so happy to have you back, Grimmjow."

Her arms were around his shoulders very slowly and the instant she held him, Grimmjow felt his confusion melt away and he wanted to smile. He could see the picture of himself, beaming up at his mother, holding onto her arm. He almost felt like that happy, smiling child again.

Very hesitantly, he put an arm around her shoulders. He rested his chin against her shoulder for a moment, unable to think of any other excuses.

Alexia Jaegerjaques was his mother.

The sound of footsteps filled the room and Mr. Jaegerjaques, a handsome middle aged man, came downstairs. He stared at Grimmjow and his wife and a wide smile spread across his face, tears filled his eyes, and he ran to them, holding them both in a tight embrace.

"He's come home, my son has come home!" he said again and again, grinning widely through his happy tears. Grimmjow was unable to keep the wide smile off his face.

_I have a mom and dad._

_

* * *

_

"C'mon, keep up!" Weed yipped as he hurried up the streets, Grimmjow, Blue and Kyoshiro hurrying after him. "Wait up, dammit! Slow down, this isn't a race!" Kyoshiro called, grinning as he hurried after Weed.

It was a day after Grimmjow had accepted Alexia as his mother and the instant he woke up the following day he had told everyone about his mother and father. They had all expressed shock and excitement and demanded to meet them. Ulquiorra had had to head to his only job, at the deli, however so they had to wait until around noon to go.

Right now they were heading down to pick him up.

Grimmjow heard Blue call out to the two racing dogs, "Hey, not too fast boys!" and she heard Kyoshiro call, "Here it is!" and Grimmjow grinned, some sort of excitement pumping in his chest as he rounded the corner and found the place where Ulquiorra worked.

Grimmjow, grinning wider, rapped hard on the glass and he saw the ebony haired man working at the counter turn in his direction. He saw those emerald eyes light up, though his facial expression didn't change, and he saw Ulquiorra head over to the door.

"Yo, Ulqui!" Grimmjow yelled, grinning as Ulquiorra walked briskly to him. Grimmjow met him halfway and pulled him into a tight hug, ruffling his hair. Blue smiled and said, "Have a good day?" and Ulquiorra's response was muffled since his face was pressed against Grimmjow's chest.

"We were busy today. A lot of people came down here—mostly construction workers." Ulquiorra said, pointing a finger across the street at a scaffolding and what looked like the beginnings of a fine building.

Kyoshiro whistled. "Cool. Did they buy half the store?" he asked, grinning as Ulquiorra scratched his ears, being careful to avoid the one with the nick in it. One of Kyoshiro's ears was nicked, he had got it, as well as several other scars, in fights but he said he couldn't remember which one.

"Almost half the store." Ulquiorra responded and he hastily picked up Weed to avoid the younger one making a happy fuss. Grimmjow however was pouting. "What, you'll talk to the damn dogs but not to me?"

Kyoshiro impatiently bumped against Ulquiorra's ankles, knocking him gently against Grimmjow's chest. Before Ulquiorra could move away, Grimmjow gave him a brief kiss, an arm wrapping around the smaller man's hips. "Dammit, you're hardly around enough." Grimmjow grumbled, nuzzling Ulquiorra's neck, savoring his scent.

Ulquiorra felt a stab of guilt and slowly slipped an arm around Grimmjow's waist. He remained silent, unsure of what to say to that. He allowed himself a moment of rest, holding Grimmjow close to him, falling into his warmth, feeling the stiffness in his shoulders beginning to dissolve.

He heard Grimmjow laugh. "Am I going to have to carry you to the train station now?"

And before Ulquiorra could respond, he heard Kyoshiro give a loud stammer, the Kishu Inu's eyes looking towards the shop door. And the door behind Ulquiorra banged open and a voice shrieked, "What the_ fuck_ is this?" and Ulquiorra jumped away from Grimmjow and found his boss glaring directly at him, a look of pure disgust in his face. Ulquiorra's heart sank.

Grimmjow gripped Ulquiorra's arm and made to speak but the man in front of them turned his piercing gaze onto Grimmjow and yelled, "Get away from my store, get the _fuck _away from my store, now!"

He then turned to Ulquiorra and a look came into his eyes, a look of utter disgust and fury that Ulquiorra was sure not even he'd seen in the eyes of even the nastiest humans he'd encountered.

"Sir, back off." Blue snarled, stepping forward and before she could take another step the man said to Ulquiorra, "This is absolutely—I'm disgusted, absolutely disgusted. Get out of my sight, get out, now! Now! Go, and if you ever, _ever_, show your face I'll have you arrested!"

Ulquiorra couldn't speak, he only remained silent. He didn't even move when Grimmjow punched the guy in the face, knocking him backwards into the wall or when Kyoshiro yelled out, "_You're _repulsive! Fuckin' bigot."

Weed gasped when Ulquiorra walked right by him and said, "Ulquiorra, wait; don't let this get to you! He isn't worth any of it!" and Grimmjow turned around and saw Ulquiorra walking away up the street. "Oi, Ulquiorra, wait!" Grimmjow called and he tore after him, grabbing his arm.

"Ulquiorra, don't let that get your upset, he's—!"

"I asked you to stop coming to my jobs. I told you to stop it."

His words were all fake. He couldn't care less if he had kept that job or not. But what bothered him the most about all of this was that it hurt; those words uttered from someone he barely knew or liked hurt him. They angered him, but to actually admit that would be too much for him to take. So he hid behind and used the fact that he had just been fired.

_This is bothersome._

Grimmjow stopped when he heard those words and he felt anger bubbling to the surface. "Don't you dare blame his idiocy on me; do you understand me, Ulquiorra?"

"Look at me." Ulquiorra didn't budge and Grimmjow had enough. He slammed Ulquiorra against a car and took his chin in his hand, forcing Ulquiorra's face on his.

"Look at me, dammit! You don't need that stupid job with that stupid ignorant prat! I want you to meet my family now let's go and forget about this, alright?" And a strange look crossed Ulquiorra's face.

"It's always about you, isn't it?" and Grimmjow felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "E-excuse me?" Ulquiorra didn't meet his gaze when he replied, his voice calm but a slight tremor in his arms. "Maybe you could muster up enough sense to maybe consider that I don't want to meet your family. And maybe next time you should listen when I tell you to stay away from me."

Ulquiorra knew he could have phrased this better, but right now all he wanted was to get away just for a while, to be alone and think. If Grimmjow was hurt he showed it by getting angry. "Maybe, just _fuckin'_ maybe, _you_ could consider that you're acting like a total prick? Do you think you could do that, Ulquiorra, huh? Do you? Or are you too busy worrying about your next fucking job? Are you going to bury yourself in that too? Just so you can, fucking, _avoid looking at me_?"

Ulquiorra could hear the hurt in his voice and he was beginning to understand what his absence was having on Grimmjow, it was hurting him. And now Grimmjow thought Ulquiorra was ashamed of him, embarrassed by him, and that it was wrong to be in his presence.

Ulquiorra couldn't look at him, ashamed of the sudden painful emotions constricting his chest. "Grimmjow, that's not what I—"

"Yeah. Yeah it is, Ulquiorra. You're ashamed of me. And you're ashamed of yourself, you're ashamed of being who you are, you're ashamed of what they say about you and now your little clean reputation is going down the drain because of me. Well you aren't the only one ashamed of yourself, Ulquiorra. Cause the feeling's fucking mutual." Those words stung but Ulquiorra could detect a tremor in Grimmjow's voice.

Ulquiorra let out a shaky sigh, unable to speak because of the sudden lump in the back of his throat. Grimmjow had seen right through him, he had seen what was really hurting him, confusing him, and troubling him.

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed walk away up the street. Weed stopped half way around the corner and looked at him, those pure blue eyes full of concern and sadness. Ulquiorra raised a hand before he turned and walked away up the street.

Grimmjow's words and shaking voice wouldn't leave his head and he was glad he hadn't seen his face, for he thought that if he had seen a single shard of hurt on that face he would have felt twice as much an asshole as he did right now. He had to have hit an all time low to make Grimmjow sound that hurt and angry.

_I'm sorry; Grimmjow…but I just don't know what to do anymore. How do you know if who you are is right or wrong when almost everyone around you is telling you that who you are is wrong? _

_How do you know?_

_

* * *

_

During the entire train ride Grimmjow was moody and resentful, glaring daggers at anyone who sat down or walked next to him. Weed was looking out the window, in his human form of course, Kyoshiro was resisting the urge to run around the nearly deserted train and swing around the poles and Blue was very relaxed on the outside inside however she was worried about Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow's family lived in Brooklyn and the train ride was rather long. Grimmjow was grumbling about this next to her, she looked at him and found that, while he was angry, his eyes told a different story. There was concern, confusion and hurt in them, all for Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow was even listening to a song on his Ipod that Ulquiorra liked called Take On Me by Aha. A little child and his mother boarded the train and sat in between Kyoshiro and Grimmjow. The child however almost fell as he got in the seat and Kyoshiro hastily caught him, almost as if he had predicted the incident, and hastened to help him into the seat. Blue smiled at this rather kind gesture. Grimmjow however growled in annoyance and moved away from the seat, the kid had fallen against his leg which apparently annoyed him.

The little boy began to point to the poster above Kyoshiro's head for an animated movie, saying excited that his father would take him to see it. Kyoshiro grinned and said, "Is that right?" and the little boy continued talking and Kyoshiro nodded every now and then, occasionally chuckling at what the cute little boy said.

The train reached their station and Grimmjow stood, bonking Kyoshiro on the head as he passed him and said gruffly, "Off. Now." And Kyoshiro raised a hand in farewell to the boy before tucking both hands into the pockets of his faded jeans.

Grimmjow walked ahead silently, a scowl on his face his friends could hear the angry music blaring from his headphones. "It's just past this stupid shitty whatever thing here." Grimmjow growled, leading them up the stairs, out of the subway and around a corner towards a row of neat little houses.

Grimmjow rang the doorbell twice and waited. He heard footsteps. Weed's eyes widened with anticipation and Blue and Kyoshiro smiled excitedly at each other. Grimmjow only scowled. The door opened and Grimmjow said, "Yo, mom. I got—!" and a fist flew right into his face!

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed prepared for an attack of sorts but without warning a blur sped by them, seized Grimmjow by the shirt and shook him around, screaming at him, "GRIMMJOW, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the woman shrieked and Grimmjow punched her in the face, yelling, "WHO THE FUCK ARE—?"

"I'm your sister, you DUMBASS BITCHFACE!" and Grimmjow went quiet. She had the same eyes as him, some freckles on her nose and cheeks, and a wild mane of blue hair. She wore a red shirt and blue jeans with a leather jacket.

Kyoshiro whistled. "Wow, what a personality."

"As expected." Weed mumbled and the girl turned a fierce glare in their direction. "Huh, who the fuck are you lot?" she scowled and Blue said, smiling, "We're Grimmjow's friends. What's your name?"

She sneered. "What's it to ya? Fine. My name is Ayame." Grimmjow scowled and pulled her into a headlock, grinning wildly and yelling, "She's my sister! Can you seriously believe it?"

"Yeah, I can already see the family resemblance." Kyoshiro said, grinning. Ayame twisted Grimmjow's arm and raced into the house with Grimmjow tearing after her, grinning. And Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue entered the living room they found Alexia, Takahiro and Ayame and a boy waiting for them.

Grimmjow stopped and looked around in shock at his full family, all gathered in the room, greeting him. They were all smiling and shaking hands with his friends and Grimmjow felt a strange twinge in his heart. This was so important to him. These people were important to him. And he wished Ulquiorra was here to see this, to see a part of his life that not even Grimmjow himself could remember.

The dogs, in their human forms, greeted his family warmly, shaking hands or dodging punches from Ayame. Weed walked over to the brother, who had his nose buried in a book. His face was almost blocked from sight. "Hello there. I'm Weed, it's really nice to meet—huh?" Weed gave a shocked exclamation for when the man removed his face from the book he saw an exact replica of Grimmjow staring back at him! Only the guy wore glasses and Grimmjow didn't!

Weed, confused, looked from Grimmjow to this man and Grimmjow gave a loud yell of shock when he saw what looked like a clone of himself. "Grimmjow, it's you!" Weed called and Grimmjow raced over and the man in front of them slammed his book shut and stood, straightening a tie and adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, it is I. But, please, do not compare me with my younger brother." Said the Grimmjow clone and Weed noticed the difference in speech pattern. Grimmjow went slack jaw. "I…I ain't your younger brother! I'm your—!"

"Older brother?" said the Grimmjow Clone and he smiled knowingly and said, "Oh. I see. I must have forgotten. Well…" and he shook Grimmjow's hand and said, smilingly pleasantly at the slack jawed Grimmjow. "I have missed you, my brother. My twin. My kin. My blood brother. Welcome home!" and he walked by, thumping the shocked Grimmjow on the back.

Weed looked up at Grimmjow. "He's your twin and he's the exact opposite of you. Wow. This is way too cool!" and Grimmjow scowled. "I just hope no one mistakes me for him." and he saw Blue greeting Yuki with a shocked expression and he could see Kyoshiro greeting and talking animatedly to Takahiro.

"No way, who could mistake him for you?" Weed said, following Grimmjow to his mother. "You both are unique in your own way—Oh, hello Mrs. Jaegerjaques!" he exclaimed happily and Alexia shook his hand and turned shining eyes on her son and said, "Do you like your family?" and Grimmjow whistled in response. "Oh, yeah."

_But, God, I wish you could see this, Ulquiorra._

_

* * *

_

Grimmjow chuckled, sitting down on the rooftop, gazing out over the city, watching the sun slowly disappear into the water. He had just feasted with his family for the first time. He had talked with all of them, listened to their life stories and picked fights with his sister and taunted his brother and wrestled with his dad and talked to his mother.

"I've got a family." He heard himself say, a smile coming to his lips.

"Hey, Grimmjow?" and he turned and saw Kyoshiro coming through the roof door behind him. "Oh there you are! Hey, I found him!" he called and Blue and Weed hurried to him.

They all seated themselves beside him and watched the sunset. "It's beautiful here." Blue whispered, smiling. Then she elbowed Grimmjow gently. "You have got such an amazing family, Grimmjow." She said, laughing slightly.

Grimmjow grinned. "Hell yeah…" his grin faded. Weed frowned and said, "You wish Ulquiorra was here, don't you?" and Grimmjow looked at him in surprise. "No! I don't want that asshole here. He'd ruin things for me!" Grimmjow said quickly and angrily. Weed gave him a searching look before he turned back to the sunset and "oh'd" slightly when he saw the now red orb disappearing behind the water.

"That's really beautiful…" Weed whispered. Kyoshiro sat down behind them, falling back against the floor, his hands behind his head. "Yeah. I guess it is." Kyoshiro said with a grin. "It is…beautiful." He murmured, glancing at Blue and noticing how the sunlight complemented her skin and eyes.

They were all silent, going over the day's events in their heads, the delicious food they'd eaten that Alexia had prepared, Yuki and his love for books and Ayame and her insanity and Takahiro and his lovable crazy self. "Your really lucky, Grimmjow." Blue whispered, smiling as she gazed out into the distance.

"Ulquiorra has to see this." Grimmjow heard himself say and he put his chin in his hand and gazed out over the beautiful sky, turned orange. Grimmjow had never felt this kind of serenity before and he wondered if Ulquiorra could see this good a sunset from his bedroom window.

And for a moment, the urge to have him here was almost overwhelming. Grimmjow frowned. But despite his longing, there was a feeling of peace, a feeling of belonging. He fit in here.

And he whispered a smile on his lips, "This is where I belong." Blue looked up in shock and Weed frowned and Kyoshiro scowled a little, gray eyes furrowing in suspicion, but Grimmjow didn't notice as he gazed out over that river, a smile on his face.

And then Grimmjow got an idea.

"And I'm staying the night."

* * *

When Ulquiorra was told that Grimmjow was sleeping over at his parents house the first thing he felt was surprise. Then when he considered his behavior towards the man earlier he began to understand that Grimmjow didn't want to speak with him or be near him in anyway possible.

Then he felt guilt and worried about whether or not Grimmjow would want to come back to him. And then, as he entered his bed room and looked around at the empty bed, moonlight streaming through the windows, he felt a strange sense of loss.

Sighing, the pale man crossed to his bed, lay down, and stared at the ceiling. He really did not want to sleep right now…

The door was pawed on and Ulquiorra sighed and stood up, walked to the door and opened it. Weed was staring up at him with Blue and Kyoshiro behind him, the female of the two was in her wolf form as she usually was when she was in the house.

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

Kyoshiro grinned and nudged Weed who said, "Grimmjow isn't here so…we all thought we'd keep you company. May we?" Weed asked, tail wagging despite the yes-no question. Ulquiorra looked down at the three dogs, Weed and Blue's tails wagged hopefully.

"Yes, you may." Ulquiorra said, stepping aside to allow the three dogs into his room. They tore in and jumped on the bed. Weed lay down next to Grimmjow's pillow, Blue lay next to Weed and Kyoshiro lay at the foot of the bed with a soft groan.

"Awesome!" Kyoshiro barked, tail wagging, and rolling around on the bed once before pouncing on Weed. The two dogs raced around on the bed, bouncing on it and playing before Blue said, "Boys." As if telling them politely to calm down, but she was smiling a doggy smile as Kyoshiro and Weed wrestled, Kyoshiro nipped Weed's ear and the younger dog yelped. "Ow, Kyoshiro, my ear!" Weed barked, smiling a little, pawing his ear once before batting Kyoshiro in the face with his paw, making Kyoshiro laugh. "Sorry, sorry, Weedy."

Seconds later the lights went off and Ulquiorra found himself lying in bed beside his three friends, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't feel as alone as he should have been. But half of him expected to hear Grimmjow on his way up the stairs.

He frowned, reminded again of how used he was to Grimmjow's presence. _It really is all my fault that he isn't here…but…I'm…I'm confused, confused about myself, confused about him…I just…_

Ulquiorra rolled onto his right side, facing the wall. _I am rather annoyed but how easily the words of some stupid humans can affect me…and how they can shake my beliefs…up until now I felt this was right but now…how do I know what is right or wrong anymore?_

Ulquiorra turned onto his left side, facing Weed's little sleeping face. He felt a smile forming and reached out to gently pet Weed's ears.

He felt Blue's stare and looked towards her, she was curled into a ball and her beautiful eyes were open, her tail resting against her paws. "Is something wrong Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra wanted to speak but was unsure of how to put this into words. "No…I'm fine…" and he turned away from her and felt her get up and rest against the small of his back. He closed his eyes.

He wanted to feel arms around him suddenly, holding him tightly, washing away all of the thoughts nagging at him. He could almost feel the gentle pair of lips brushing lightly against his neck, and he could almost hear Grimmjow's voice in his ears speaking to him.

"_Tch, go to sleep already, Ulquiorra. You worry way too much…"_

Ulquiorra almost smiled and then he frowned when he remembered Grimmjow's voice telling him that he was ashamed. He sighed and turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling.

_I don't want you to be ashamed of me. _

He bit his lip, eyebrows knitting together slightly.

_But you are. _

Scowling, Ulquiorra turned his head to the side and saw Grimmjow's pillow lying next to Weed. Ulquiorra reached over and took it, putting his own pillow where Grimmjow's had been only seconds ago. Grimmjow preferred feathers rather than stuffing and tonight Ulquiorra found he couldn't care less and found himself nuzzling the pillow, burying himself in Grimmjow's scent, that scent that brought him so much comfort.

_This is wrong, isn't it? But _why_? Why is it wrong to feel so contented? Give me a logical answer; give me _proof _that it is wrong to need him like this. Tell me _why_ it is wrong to miss him this much, why is it so wrong to want him by my side?_

_I want answers…_

_

* * *

_

If Ulquiorra thought Grimmjow would be back the next day, he was wrong. Grimmjow stayed over at his parent's house again, calling Blue and informing her that he was staying the night. It was becoming painfully obvious that Grimmjow really did not want to come home.

In order to get Ulquiorra out of the sudden state of depression he'd seemingly fallen into, Blue suggested that he make a living out of writing songs, which he refused.

Grimmjow did not come home for two days and to get things over with, Ulquiorra found another store to work at and became increasingly busy again, being busy was better than sitting around and possibly moping over Grimmjow.

And then, a week later, while he was working, Ulquiorra received a call from Kyoshiro in the middle of work. He sighed and answered the phone, "Kyoshiro, I really am very busy." And he heard Kyoshiro say happily and loudly, "Oh that's too bad because Grimmjow's back! He's brought his family, and guess what? He has two dogs! Get over here!"

Ulquiorra hung up and heaved a soft sigh. He couldn't just leave now—but the thought of seeing Grimmjow again made his heart soar. He remained stationary however, Grimmjow probably wouldn't be very happy to see him.

Ulquiorra frowned. He looked around the store, thinking. Grimmjow's reason for staying so long at his parent's house was probably a way of getting back at Ulquiorra for his absences the previous weeks. Therefore, he probably wasn't very happy with Ulquiorra. _I know I'm not there enough, okay? I know I'm busy, but I have to work. If I don't work I risk being unable to pay the lease, if I don't pay the lease, we get kicked out. If a criminal would turn up then maybe we could capture him and get paid for it but no. Things have to be difficult._

A man entered the store and Ulquiorra recognized him as a fellow worker. He immediately knew what he had to do in order to get home. "Sir, do you mind taking over for me?" he asked and the man looked surprised but said, "Uh, not at all, sure." And Ulquiorra thanked him briefly before he left the store and began the very fast walk home.

The man walked behind the cash register and then looked around the store. No one. And then, grinning maniacally, he opened the cash register, took all the money, stuffed it into his bag and tore away from the store, laughing like an idiot.

* * *

Grimmjow's dogs were…strange. It turned out the family had dogs, the dogs had been over at a daycare when Grimmjow came by and found they weren't there the night of his first sleep over.

The next day they came home and Grimmjow was amazed, shocked and bowled-over…literally by the dogs.

They were both English bulldogs! One was an adult and the other was a puppy and they were both very sweet and adorable. Kyoshiro however wasn't very happy about having two new dogs in his house.

The family had come over for a visit, bringing Grimmjow with them.

Right now they were gathered in the living room, admiring the building. "This is such a nice apartment," Yuki said, smiling at Blue, "And it is only fitting that you should live in it." He said and Blue smiled and said, "Oh please."

Kyoshiro was glaring daggers at Yuki from where he sat next to Weed. "Tch, suck up." Kyoshiro mumbled, glaring at Yuki from where he sat on the sofa beside Blue. "I mean, c'mon. I'm nice to her but she doesn't even look at me like that!" Weed only nodded, unsure of what to say.

Ayame agreed with Kyoshiro loudly, "Tch! That guy's been a suck up since he was a baby! Little brat!" he fumed loudly and Weed moved away from her, clearly unnerved. "No need to get so scary, Ayame…" Weed mumbled, smiling nervously.

The English bulldog puppy raced over and bumped against Kyoshiro's leg and the teen looked down and saw him and said, "Oi, careful. You don't want to go knocking into more things do ya?" and he picked him up and squeezed him.

Blue looked around as Grimmjow came downstairs, obviously just done taking a shower. "Where's Ulquiorra?" he grumbled and Weed explained, "He…he went to his new job. He's working at a store again." Weed saw Grimmjow scowl and mutter, "Little prick."

Alexia called from the kitchen table, "You have such a lovely apartment Grimmjow, such lovely friends as well." She mused and Takahiro only scowled and continued to snack on his food. "Yeah, it's great but it's a little bland!"

Grimmjow ignored him as he and Kyoshiro started arguing and Grimmjow sunk onto the sofa beside Blue and Yuki.

Blue looked at him and saw the moody look on his face. Blue knew him well enough to know that behind that mask he was upset. Blue put a hand on his shoulder and, seeing that he didn't knock her arm away, she said gently, "Grimmjow, Ulquiorra will be home soon. I know he'll get to see your family."

Grimmjow only grumbled and said, "Yeah, yeah…oh and I wasn't worried about that crap. I wouldn't care if he got in a car crash and died." Weed frowned and said, "Grimmjow, he'll come here. I know he will! Ulquiorra knows how important this is to you, I'm sure he does. He'll come." The boy smiled. "Just have faith."

Grimmjow looked out the windows and sighed.

_Faith, huh?_

He felt his heart beat just a little faster.

_You better get here, Ulquiorra._

_

* * *

_

But Ulquiorra didn't get there. He was gone until 10:00 PM. Grimmjow's family was long gone, leaving behind their two dogs to stay with Grimmjow, much to Kyoshiro's chagrin. They would be back tomorrow they said.

And all Grimmjow could do, all he had done the whole time he was with his family, was watch the door, waiting, trying not to believe too strongly that Ulquiorra would come. And as another hour went by, that believe deteriorated into burning disappointment and anger.

And he was not the only one angered and upset. Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were shocked and disappointed as well, none of them tried to comfort him. They knew it wouldn't help and they all waited silently in the living room, watching the door.

And as Grimmjow stared at the door, only one thing crossed his mind.

Ulquiorra didn't care. He didn't care about meeting Grimmjow's family; and he didn't care about seeing Grimmjow. Other wise he would be here, wouldn't he?

_No, he…he cares. Maybe something happened that delayed him? _

_Where is he then? _

_I…I don't know, okay? I don't know…_

Grimmjow's jaw clenched tightly as he fought back the negative thoughts nagging at his brain. Ulquiorra wasn't so heartless that he wouldn't care about meeting Grimmjow's family. Was he?

Grimmjow's fist clenched in his pocket and he sighed.

_That guy can only see work right now. Nothing else. It's all he's worried about and all he's thinking about. It's possible that he said he'd turn up but decided against it. But he—he wouldn't do that! Ulquiorra isn't…no, he is. He's the type of person who would do just that. He doesn't care. He couldn't care less about what I want or what I want to share with him. All he wants is to be left alone. He's ashamed of me, remember? He doesn't care. Get over it._

And the lock clicked and they all heard Ulquiorra walk in. He entered the apartment and looked around and they immediately saw a frown come to his lips. His gaze fell upon his four friends and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed all saw the expression that told them all he understood everything. He even had the grace to look guilty as he said softly, "They left?" and Grimmjow felt anger surge in his veins when he heard the question in Ulquiorra's voice.

_Yes, of course they, fucking, left. Why do you think it's so quiet? _

Kyoshiro nodded. "They left four hours ago." Kyoshiro answered.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened just so slightly and he looked at the floor. "I see." And then he caught sight of Grimmjow, staring at the floor from where he sat on the couch. Ulquiorra opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, he stared back at the floor, seemingly unsure what to say.

"Where were you?" and Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow and found that blue gaze directed at the opposite wall. Ulquiorra was silent and Blue and the others didn't speak for fear of breaking that silence.

"At the—" Ulquiorra began and Grimmjow said loudly, "Your so full of shit, you know that? I've been away for, what—a week? And you can't even bring yourself to come and meet my family? You said you'd be here today, you said you were leaving, where the _hell _were you?"

Grimmjow's tone was loud and there was an audible tremor when he spoke and Ulquiorra felt lower than low. There was so much more behind Grimmjow's words than he was willing to say. He was sick of this. He was sick of being ignored and he was sick of Ulquiorra disappointing him. Ulquiorra didn't know what to say or do, so he just stood there, unable to speak.

"You know what, Ulquiorra? I don't care. I don't want to know where you were, because I couldn't care less! Get out, go. You don't want to be here so just go, alright? Leave!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra said, "Let me explain—" and Grimmjow said angrily, "I don't want a fucking explanation, Ulquiorra! I'm sick of them!"

"Maybe if you'd let me explain you'd understand more about why I couldn't—!" Ulquiorra began, his tone louder than it should have been and Grimmjow interrupted again. "I don't want an explanation, Ulquiorra! What part of that don't you understand? It won't change a damn thing! I don't care!"

"Maybe you would if you'd just listen to me!" Ulquiorra said, almost imploringly except that there was definitely some anger in his voice.

"Go back to your job, Ulquiorra. You're needed there more than you ever will be here." Grimmjow spat. Ulquiorra went silent, inwardly stung, and Grimmjow stomped past him, slamming his shoulder into Ulquiorra's as he crossed to the door. Ulquiorra turned around and said, "Fine, leave! Run away, Grimmjow! Running away is all you're ever good at anyway."

Grimmjow didn't even turn around as he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

And then, slowly, the anger left Ulquiorra and he could only stare at the door Grimmjow had just walked out of because of him, feeling a strange ache in his heart.

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra whispered and he could only hope his voice betrayed just how sorry he really was.

"Don't go."

* * *

Only a week after that, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue were eating silently at Malibu Diner. Kyoshiro had failed to make a proper lunch and finally caved into the suggestions to eat out. The guy really was trying…but…

Weed suddenly straightened up a little and said, "Huh? Hey! Hey, looks whose here!" and he pointed to the doors. Ulquiorra turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Alexia Jaegerjaques walking through the diner! Blue gave a start and sat up and called softly, "Alexia! Over here!" and waved.

She saw surprise filter across that face before Alexia waved back and hurried to them. And then Ulquiorra caught sight of the man behind her and his heart jumped. It was Grimmjow!

Grimmjow's gaze met his and he saw his blue eyes widen. They both stared at each other for a moment and Kyoshiro beckoned at him and Weed gave a happy exclamation upon seeing him.

Ulquiorra had not seen Grimmjow for weeks, not counting the day they argued. Grimmjow stared at him once and then with a scowl he turned and opened the doors to the restaurant, calling to his mother, "I'm going to the fuckin' Library." And the door slammed shut behind him.

Kyoshiro scowled and said, "Idiot." Ulquiorra felt a pang of disappointment and something akin to hurt and he glared down at his meal. Alexia sat down in front of him, squeezing in next to Weed and Blue. "Ulquiorra?" she said and Ulquiorra looked up and said, "Yes. But, wait, how—?"

"Grimmjow talks about you all the time." She said, smiling. "He always gets this strange look in his eyes when he does…so are you a boy?" and Ulquiorra's grip almost broke the fork. "Guess." He said icily.

Kyoshiro however was snorting with laughter. "I'm kidding!" Alexia exclaimed, laughing loudly. The laugh was almost like Grimmjow's.

Ulquiorra blinked, confused and said, "Oh." a little sheepishly.

"But, my God, I'd never have thought Grimmjow would talk that way about another man." She said, still laughing a little and Ulquiorra frowned. "Does that bother you?" he asked quietly.

"What? No! I was a little surprised but hey, I'm glad he can be so open about who he is!" Ulquiorra coughed a little. "Wait, you're not bothered that your son is gay?"

Alexia shook her head. "No, not at all. His father is a little shocked, but men sometimes have a different view on homosexuality…or at least he does, but he's not angry about it. He just wanted grandchildren."

"Well," Kyoshiro said, swallowing his remaining sandwich, "Unless Yuki turns out gay or Ayame turns out to be a lesbian, I think you'll still get grandchildren. Hey, and then we can visit and see them!" he said, grinning at the thought of little Grimmjow-look-a-likes.

Weed frowned, "How is Grimmjow? We haven't seen him in weeks."

"Oh he's doing great! He's a little moody though." And then her glare turned icy. "Did you do anything to upset him?" and they all recoiled. Everyone except Ulquiorra who said softly, "I might have. I've been very busy the past few weeks and...I've neglected him."

Alexia glared at him in a way that reminded him of Blue. "I see." She growled and then she said, all air of anger gone, "Then you'll just have to come over and see us! Our dogs will be happy to see you again and you can meet the rest of the family." Ulquiorra looked up, eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, you're all welcome at our house. Friends of my son are friends of mine."

"Though, lately," Weed murmured, staring at his remaining roast chicken, "I haven't been feeling like his friend at all…he's been gone so much…" Blue sighed and said, "Yeah, that's true. I wish he would come back. And I wish you two would stop arguing all the time!" she snapped at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra avoided her gaze and said, "Do you think I don't wish that as well, Blue?" and there was something in his tone that made his friends glance at him. Kyoshiro frowned and said, "Hey, you alright?" he asked nervously and Ulquiorra suddenly found himself unable to look at his friends and he looked away from them and at the floor.

"I miss him." Ulquiorra whispered, the words escaping from him before he could stop them. His voice was shaking and he could feel the weight of those words pressing against his chest. But he did miss Grimmjow. He missed him more than he could say. He missed waking up to him, he missed his voice, the time they spent together…everything.

"I miss him."

Ulquiorra's voice was almost choked as he whispered this and he sighed shakily. "I really do, I miss him." Blue's eyes were gentle and she reached across the table and slowly put a hand on his shoulder. "I hurt him," Ulquiorra whispered and he closed his eyes, "I hurt him…I neglected him for weeks. It's not that I wanted to, I really didn't but—I didn't know it would do this to him! He can't even look at me now and I—"

Ulquiorra could feel wetness in his eyes and there was a horrible burning in them he had only experience once before, for Grimmjow. Only for him.

He stood up and said, "I'm sorry." A hand gripped his arm and he heard Alexia's voice. "Being sorry is a start. But we're not the ones who need to hear this. Grimmjow does. And if you want forgiveness, the first thing you have to do is forgive yourself. It is a hard thing to do, to forgive yourself for what you have done to someone you love."

_How can she say that so easily? Why isn't she disgusted by the idea of two men being in a relationship like this? Her own son…? I'm so confused._

"Why are you trying to help me? Aren't you supposed to be disgusted, repulsed and angry?" Ulquiorra murmured.

"And why the hell should I be?" and Ulquiorra glanced at her.

"The people you see who are disgusted by this have different opinions, you can't change them. But just because some people believe it is wrong doesn't mean that everyone else does. A woman who is unable to accept her son or daughter for loving another human being cannot be called a mother. Not even I can begin to comprehend what they're thinking except that it is all irrational hatred. But love is love, no matter if it is between two men or two women. I'm just confused about how other people can't see that. Loving another person is never wrong, Ulquiorra. And if it feels right, then how can it be wrong?"

Ulquiorra was silent, going over the things she had just said.

_She's…she's right, isn't she? But then how come so many people are opposed to it? And…more importantly…why on Earth do I care? _

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as those thoughts went through his head. _It's all foolish hatred, bubbling down to the question "why can't we all be the same?" Humans don't like things out of what they claim to "normal", but to hold so much hatred towards something like that is so…utterly inhuman. And I'm willing to bet gays aren't the only people who have been treated like this._

_I feel so safe with Grimmjow, needed and loved, happy…I've given so much to him and he's done the same. I've told him so many things about myself; he's the only person I have ever felt this attached to. He's made me…feel and act differently. He brought out the best in me. Everything just feels so right with him. And if being with him is wrong then…I would never want to right._

_I've hurt him over this—over the words of ignorant, idiotic, humans. So then…who is the stupid one here?_

"I'm such an idiot." Ulquiorra whispered and Weed said, "Are you feeling better?" and Ulquiorra glanced at his friends and said, "I think so." And Blue smiled widely. "That's good, oh; can you give me the names of the people who said this to you? I have something I'd like to say to them." She growled. "No one messes with a friend of mine and gets away with it!" she said enthusiastically. "You should have told us this sooner; we'd have supported you no matter what!"

"Ulquiorra, don't let any of that get to you," Kyoshiro said, "Next time they say it, walk right up to 'em and say as loud as you can, "I'm not gay. I'm Ulquiorra Shiffer and I'm in love with Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!" oh and then punch them in the face!" Kyoshiro said, grinning widely at him.

Ulquiorra stared at his friends and sighed. "Thank you, all of you."

"No problem," Weed said, smiling. "But I wish you'd told us earlier that this was what was bothering you! We would have been able to support you!" Weed said, apparently feeling annoyed with himself.

Ulquiorra smiled slightly. "Thank you, all of you. I mean it." And he hurried out of the restaurant. "I need to talk to Grimmjow. I'll see you all at home." And the door swung shut behind him.

* * *

Only a day later, Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra were invited over to the Jaegerjaques' family house for lunch. Ulquiorra, this time, was certain not to miss this opportunity and allowed Grimmjow to lead him eagerly into the house.

Ulquiorra jumped away from a punch sent at him by Ayame as she shrieked, "Visitors, WELCOME!" and Ulquiorra made to kick her back but Grimmjow put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Lemme handle it." And he shot forward and pulled Ayame into a headlock, forcing her on her face. "Heh, see! That is real power—OW!" Ayame grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra looked at each other. "That," Kyoshiro said, nervously, "Is Ayame. She's the most Grimmjow-ish of the bunch." Ulquiorra just nodded and then a man stepped out in front of him and said, "Greetings." And he looked up and his eyes widened when his gaze was met with Grimmjow! But…Grimmjow was on the floor over there…so…why…?

Then Grimmjow appeared beside the second Grimmjow and said, "Yuki, Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra, Yuki." And Ulquiorra just nodded. "A twin?" Ulquiorra asked as Grimmjow pulled him away. "Yeah." And then Ulquiorra frowned. He had not been able to confront Grimmjow about his opinion on homophobia yet. Grimmjow had been away all day yesterday and as such, had been unavailable to speak too.

And then Ulquiorra, Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro had taken the train down to meet him at the station and Ulquiorra had been unable to talk to him due to the fact that Grimmjow refused to listen to him. Somehow he had to get Grimmjow to listen.

And then Ulquiorra was jolted out of his thoughts when he was met with the wide smilingly face of Mr. Jaegerjaques. "Yo, welcome! I'm Takahiro, Grimmjow's father!" he said, pulling Ulquiorra's hand into a vice-like grip and shaking it. Ulquiorra shook back and somehow it turned into a who-can-squeeze-each-others-arms-the-hardest-contest. "So," Takahiro said, holding Ulquiorra's hand tighter. "I here you're the one my son talks about way too much, huh?"

"Correct." Ulquiorra said, squeezing his hand tighter.

"So, in other words, you're my son's—?"

"Boyfriend? Yes." Ulquiorra answered and he saw Takahiro's face twitch. "Oh, okay, I see. So, you won't adopt a child or anything? Grimmjow is not going to have any grandkids?"

"He cannot stand children so I am guessing not." Ulquiorra answered and Takahiro released Ulquiorra's arm and Ulquiorra saw that his fist was white form the hold.

"Oh…I see…" Takahiro said, his lips trembling. And he walked off. Alexia rolled her eyes. "Old coot." She mumbled. And then she turned to Ulquiorra and said, "Have you met the family?" and Ulquiorra nodded and said, "Takahiro, Ayame, Yuki, and yourself." And she smiled and said, "Oh, the dogs are happy to see you!"

The English building hurried over to him and Ulquiorra pat the dog's head. The puppy merely crashed into Ulquiorra's leg and Ulquiorra chuckled and picked him up. The puppy began trying to lick his face. "The older dog is named Lola and the puppy is Daisuke." Alexia informed him and Ulquiorra nodded.

Kyoshiro, in his human form, hurried over and took the puppy from Ulquiorra and began playing with him. Kyoshiro and the puppy had bonded while they were at the house…more like the puppy kept on bothering Kyoshiro until the older dog caved under the puppy's commands and played with him. In other words, Kyoshiro had been the babysitter.

"Hey, how ya doin' Daisuke! How ya doin'?" Kyoshiro exclaimed and the puppy began biting his hands. Blue hurried over to greet the puppy as well and so did Weed. Grimmjow grinned and thumped Lola on the back saying, "Man, I have awesome dogs."

And Kyoshiro scowled and said,

"Hey, are we not awesome enough now?" and Weed said,

"He still likes us, but he is just happy to meet new dogs, Kyoshiro." And Kyoshiro whispered to Weed,

"If you can call 'em dogs. They look like pigs whose faces got rammed into brick walls eighty times!"

"Now, now." Weed said, smiling sheepishly as Lola glared at them.

And then Grimmjow looked around at Ulquiorra. The man was seated on the couch and, just as Grimmjow had predicted, he was talking to Yuki rather animatedly. Grimmjow smiled. He knew Ulquiorra and Yuki would like each other. But then he noticed Yuki's way-too-friendly smile and got pissed off and sat down between them and said, "Oi, what are you getting all friendly for, Yuki?" he growled.

He did not want his brother charming Ulquiorra.

"We have similar taste in books, and movies! I'm very happy to meet your boyfriend Grimmjow!" he said happily and Grimmjow raised a fist to bonk him on the stupid, smiling, head, but then a voice said, "Grimmjow, I want to ask you something." It was Alexia and Takahiro, both of them looked excited.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra stood and Alexia said, "I'd like to speak to him alone please." And Ulquiorra frowned and seated himself, watching as Grimmjow hurried upstairs with his parents, away from the chatter.

Grimmjow entered the room, frowning at his parents. They had led him into his parent's room. Alexia patted the bed and Grimmjow went and sat beside her. "What the hell's this all about, Mom?" Grimmjow asked, feeling strangely suspicious.

Takahiro sighed and said, "Well, this apartment is not really ours. It's a rental. We've been in New York since the beginning of this year. We've enjoyed our time here and all so…we were thinking of returning to Japan, Tokyo, which is where we live. And well, your mother and I, were wondering…not to force this on you or anything but…uh…"

Alexia sighed and said, "We want you to come back to Japan with us." And Grimmjow felt his heart give a violent jolt. He was silent, not knowing what to say until finally he managed, unable to keep a grin off his face, "R-really? Seriously?"

"Hell yes we're serious, idiot!" Takahiro exclaimed.

Grimmjow could not believe what he was hearing! His whole family would go back to Japan, and he could go with them? He would be able to live with his family? He would go back to the place of his birth! He would be able to see the house he grew up in! Who knew what he would possibly discover there!

The idea was thrilling, exciting and was making his heart beat faster and faster. He would be able to live with his family, and he would discover more about them. And he—

And then Grimmjow felt his excitement deflate. What would his friends think of this? Grimmjow was not about to ask them to leave their home for him. And by leaving with his family, he was leaving his friends behind. The dogs would have to be shoved into the baggage compartment at the bottom of the plane. Grimmjow shudder at the thought. They could take their human forms but…would they really even want to go?

And Grimmjow realized that he would be away from them for possibly months. Possibly years and—and he was torn in two.

"Son? Son? Are you alright?" Alexia asked and Grimmjow was jolted out of his thoughts. He couldn't find a reply.

_What do I do? I don't want to leave my family, I just met them! But my friends will…I don't want to leave them. And Ulquiorra, he—Ulquiorra…would he even care if I left? If I stayed, what would happen? Would he continue to ignore me? Tch. He probably will. The next few months he'll probably be busy trying and failing to get a job. Anyway, it's not like I've been around very often. Probably would even make a difference if I left…but I still…_

And then he remembered Ulquiorra's indifference towards him the past few months. And it was obvious Ulquiorra couldn't give two shits about whether or not he stayed or went.

"Grimmjow?" Alexia asked, looking sad, "Grimmy, I know this probably wasn't the best time to ask. You have lovely friends and I—I know you wouldn't want to leave them so…I'm sorry."

"No." and Alexia and Takahiro looked at him.

Count me in." Grimmjow said and his mother and father smiled happily. His friends would be able to cope without him. Ulquiorra…well, Grimmjow couldn't care less.

His mind was completely made up—or so he hoped. Saying goodbye would be difficult, but it wasn't like Grimmjow hadn't said goodbye to them before. And his father said, "Excellent! Go home and pack. Meet us back here at 4:00!"

And just as Grimmjow left the room, he turned and his gaze was met with piercing emerald eyes. And that look almost melted his resolve to leave. There was something in that gaze that Grimmjow had rarely ever seen before. Pure sorrow. And with a sad smile, the emerald gaze left his and Ulquiorra descended the staircase, disappearing from sight.

That gaze had almost broken his heart clean in two and within seconds, he was torn between the urge to go and the desire to stay all because of Ulquiorra.

And he hated it.

* * *

All through the train ride home, Grimmjow was silent. He told his friends nothing of his decision to leave. But it was obvious everyone knew something weird was going on with Grimmjow. They didn't speak to him at all and once or twice, Blue and the others would glance at him but they wouldn't say a thing.

When they finally did get home, Grimmjow walked up to his room and began to pack his clothes. There was a feeling weighing on his chest, the feeling that people usually get when they are doing something wrong. But this wasn't wrong, dammit! He was packing up to leave for Japan with his family! How was that wrong?

Grimmjow sighed and then looked at his bed. He and Ulquiorra had not even been in the same room, let alone the same bed, for weeks. Grimmjow frowned and returned his gaze to his suitcase, suddenly forgetting what he wanted to pack.

He went to the bathroom, got his toothbrush and entered the bedroom only to find a small figure on his bed. It was Weed. Grimmjow stopped in his tracks and Weed turned a wise gaze on him and said, "Going somewhere?" and Grimmjow was silent.

"Where are you going?" Weed asked and Grimmjow said, "Does it matter?" and Weed immediately got angry and said, "Of course it matters! You've been silent ever since you left your parents house! Grimmjow, what's wrong? Just tell me—tell us. Don't just abandon us without giving us a reason."

Grimmjow scowled and pushed Weed off the bed and grabbed his suitcase and began to head downstairs. Weed raced out in front of him and blocked his path. "Grimmjow, talk to me! Where are you going?" and Grimmjow jumped over him and began to walk away. "Just shut up, alright? It doesn't matter, okay, just give it a rest! Oi!" Weed bit his pant leg and held onto it.

"Get the fuck off of me!" and Kyoshiro raced into the room and yelled, "What's going on here?" and Grimmjow froze and Weed glanced at Kyoshiro and said through Grimmjow's jeans, "He's leaving!" and Kyoshiro's eyes widened and he immediately spotted the suitcase.

"Your—where—why—?" and Grimmjow grew impatient and said, "Look, just give me a damn minute, alright?" and Weed immediately let go and jumped away from him as Blue merged from the bedroom upstairs and Ulquiorra poked his head out of the bathroom, his hair damp.

They both hurried downstairs and Blue said, "Grimmjow, what is going—?" and Grimmjow said, "Everyone, SHUT UP!" and everyone in the room went silent and Grimmjow allowed his impatience to subside and he sighed, staring around at his friends, all of whom were confused.

And Grimmjow didn't know what to say. A new weight was pressing against his throat and he sank onto the couch was a sigh.

Grimmjow was silent, unable to speak for a moment. And then he lifted his head and stared at his friends, all of them looked concerned.

"I'm…I'm going back to Japan with my family."

None of them said anything, but he saw shock cross their faces.

"When?" Blue asked and Grimmjow said, "I'm meeting them in an hour." And Kyoshiro's eyes widened. Weed's face fell and he muttered, "Oh…"

Ulquiorra said nothing, Grimmjow could tell that Ulquiorra was somewhere behind him. He couldn't bring himself to look at the other man and turned his gaze to the floor.

_Why…am I feeling guilty? I shouldn't be! I want to go—I just—I…_

"I'm so torn." And Blue frowned when she heard Grimmjow say this. Grimmjow was staring at the floor and there was something akin to anguish on his face. "I want to go, but I—you guys are— I'm not even sure I want to leave you guys and yet—I can't leave my family, guys! I just can't! I just found them and—! I don't know what to do…" Grimmjow whispered the last words and he hung his head, his teeth clenching in anger.

And Kyoshiro spoke, his voice hard, "Your actually struggling over whether or not to stay with people you have know for three years or whether or not you should go with people you've known for two months?" and Grimmjow looked up and saw that the white dog was indeed very angry, his muzzle slightly wrinkled in anger.

"Kyoshiro—!" Weed began and Kyoshiro said, "Shut up for a second! Grimmjow, you cannot be serious! You've known us for years! The obvious thing to do is stay with us! Aren't we your family too? Or are you going to tell its some stupid bullshit I've been swallowing for the last three years?" Kyoshiro was yelling now and Grimmjow could feel his anger surfacing as well and he yelled, "You can't tell me what is right, Kyoshiro! You don't know what it's like to have a family do you? No you don't, because you never did have a family! And whatever family you did have, I'm sure they were as _fucked up_ as you make them out to be if you honestly believed for a second they we were _any_ sort of family from the start! Friends are not family, it's different! You don't understand a thing so just shut the fuck up!"

Kyoshiro went very still and Grimmjow knew that he had touched a nerve. That stillness was gone in a second as he tore across the floor towards Grimmjow, enraged. Weed sprung on him, pinning him and yelling, "Kyoshiro, calm down, please! Grimmjow's leaving for who knows how long! We aren't going to see him for a long time, okay? So please don't be like this!" Weed almost begged.

"Well, fine, if that is how you feel about all of us, then I'm glad you're leaving! You've hardly been here, anyway! Your leaving shouldn't be much of a difference anyway, you prick—!" and a black wolf dog hurried over to the white dog and pressed her nose against his fur, completely silencing him. Kyoshiro's anger meter went down to zero. "Kyoshiro, I know it is difficult, but please, please, calm down. Please?" and Kyoshiro only gave a stiff nod.

Weed released him and Kyoshiro stood up and glanced at Grimmjow, the man was glaring at him. Kyoshiro simply shook his head and walked away up the stairs, calling out, bitterly, "Have fun in Japan, Grimmjow."

And Weed called out to him once before Grimmjow snapped, "Just let him go. If he doesn't care, he doesn't care! I don't give a damn." And he stood up and walked to the door, his three friends followed and Grimmjow stopped, letting out a sigh.

Saying goodbye would be difficult.

He turned to face them and felt his words die in his throat as Blue put her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Grimmjow hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders, feeling a strange lump in the back of his throat.

He held her tighter, resting his face against her soft hair. Weed took his human from in order to hug him properly, his face nuzzling Grimmjow's ribs. Grimmjow removed an arm from Blue in order to hug him and he felt Weed sigh. Grimmjow held them tighter for a moment, closing his eyes. "See ya." He murmured and he hastily removed himself from them, starting to feel just a little awkward.

And then he saw Ulquiorra and he felt his chest clench painfully.

Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra stare at him and then back at the floor, unable to look at him properly.

And Ulquiorra began to understand something, this was his fault. Grimmjow was leaving because Ulquiorra had not been there for him in the way his family had been. When Grimmjow had been lonely, his family had been the ones who helped him, never Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra's felt his heart clench in his chest.

_He's leaving because of me. I hurt him, I wasn't there for him. And that's why he's leaving._

And Grimmjow was in front of him. Ulquiorra didn't look up at him, he couldn't. Grimmjow gave a shaky sigh and within seconds his arms were around Ulquiorra in a tight, almost desperate embrace, his face buried in Ulquiorra's shoulder.

And Ulquiorra felt his heart break.

Suddenly he was afraid to hold him, he was afraid to hold Grimmjow for the first time in his life. For he knew if he did, he would be unable to let him go.

Forcing his arms to remain stationary at his side was probably the hardest thing he had ever done, but he did it anyway, his face buried in Grimmjow's shoulder, closing his eyes tightly. He heard Grimmjow sigh shakily against his shoulder, holding him tighter.

Grimmjow moved his face away from Ulquiorra's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Goodbye, Ulquiorra." And Ulquiorra could hear the pain in his voice.

And without looking back, Grimmjow was gone from the house, closing the door very softly behind him. His eye remained on Ulquiorra just seconds before the door closed.

Blue saw Ulquiorra turned away from the door and begin to walk away and Blue could only ask one question, "Why did you let him go?" and Ulquiorra stopped walking, none of them could see his face, but when he spoke, they both could hear a slight tremor in his voice.

"That's what you do if you care about someone. You let them go."

And before Blue could say anything consoling, Ulquiorra had left the room. Weed sniffed softly and said, "I don't think I could do that." And Blue gave a slight nod, her voice shaking slightly, "Me neither." And then she heard shuffling on the roof and sighed. "I'm gonna go talk to Kyoshiro. I'll be back soon." And she hurried to the stairs.

Past the bedrooms and the single bathroom, at the end of the hall, was a ladder leading up to the roof. Blue climbed it hastily and lifted the small door and peered out.

The sun was setting; the streets were painted orange and gold. Kyoshiro was sitting near the edge of the roof, his shadow stretching across the floor, staring down into the streets below.

"Hey." And the Kishu looked around, his ears twitching slightly. "Are you alright?" Blue asked, unsure whether or not to approach him. The Kishu Inu gave a shrug. "Grimmjow left." and Blue nodded. "You probably saw him leave." And Kyoshiro dipped his head in response.

Blue padded over to him and sat down beside him, feeling a chilly breeze blow through her fur. She could immediately tell that something was bothering him. "I don't think Grimmjow will remember you that way."

"It's not…well…" Kyoshiro cleared his throat and scowled at the floor. Blue waited and finally Kyoshiro mumbled. "It feels like I lost my family again. That's why I got so pissed at him when he said that we weren't his family because…because I never had a proper family."

Blue felt something akin to pity in her heart, but she was almost afraid to ask him what had happened for fear of upsetting him.

They both stared across the street at the churchyard, watching the shadows stretch further and further as the sun slowly disappeared. And then they heard a man's voice below, "C'mon, move it! Get up and move!" Blue scowled and peered down into the streets.

A man was yelling at a small pit bull puppy. The dog looked genuinely scared and the owner himself looked like he had seen better days. The puppy would move a step and then cower in fear at his owner's angry voice. Finally the puppy received a harsh kick and the dog began to move very fast up the street with his owner grumbling about something or other, occasionally laughing at the dog's scared expression or aiming kicks at it and laughing when it jumped away in fear.

Blue scowled. "Bastard. Let's go and give him the what for, how about it? Kyoshiro?" and she looked to the right and felt her words die in her throat. Kyoshiro didn't seem to be watching the scared puppy anymore; his eyes were gazing off into the distance.

Blue felt her gaze soften. "Kyoshiro."

Another loud pained bark resounded through the streets and Kyoshiro's jaw clenched. "Oh, get up!" the owner yelled below and the dog struggled to it's feet and raced as far as it's leash would go only to be jerked back.

"_Get up! Is it that so hard, huh? Get up! Do it, get up!" and blinding, searing, pain surge through his neck as razor teeth dug into his skin, breaking it. _

_Young Kyoshiro didn't think he could have screamed even if he wanted to as he was lifted from the ground and then thrown to the floor. He could hear vicious laughter and through the tears in his eyes, he saw his mother and his four brothers, unable to watch, staring at the floor._

"_Mother, help! Please…help me…Mother!" Kyoshiro begged, his voice breaking and his mother turned away, sobbing, unable to watch and unable to help him. His father latched onto his mother's neck, slamming her to the floor, yelling at her to stop crying as his fangs ripped into her neck. The puppies raced from her side terrified. And then one was seized by the neck and slammed into a boulder with a horrible cry of pain._

_His broken body crumpled to the floor, his mother was sobbing and Kyoshiro could only watch in horror, unable to even cry through the shock as he stared at his brother's broken form._

_And one day a Mastiff stopped into the territory, offering to exchange the puppies for a dead boar. The father agreed and Kyoshiro looked back at his mother's face as his brothers were lead away._

_They would never see her again._

_They returned a year later and found nothing but their mother's corpse._

_And, enraged, his brothers tracked their father to a lonely Cliffside. They ran out and confronted him and Kyoshiro could only hide, watching in terror as his brothers charged their father to the edge. _

_They knocked into him, and one by one, they fell from the cliff, dragging their father with them. _

_And Kyoshiro's scream of horror was lost amongst pained yelps as their bodies hit the rocks. Kyoshiro could only watch, frozen with horror as they took the fall, 50 feet down sharp jagged rocks, their yelps resounding in the air._

Though Kyoshiro wasn't speaking, Blue could see the raw pain in his eyes and she began to understand and her heart ached for him. "I don't want to lose my family again…" Kyoshiro whispered and Blue felt her heart break for him. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

She moved close to him and rested her face against his neck, nuzzling his fur. Kyoshiro's eyes widened and he felt his chest constrict.

Without him having to say a word, she understood his pain.

He gently nuzzled her fur, inhaling her comforting scent as he felt tears forming in his eyes for the first time in years.

And they stood together like that, in silence as Kyoshiro gave a very gentle smile, closing his eyes tightly as he felt a single tear slid down his cheek.

And ahead of them, the sun disappeared from sight

* * *

Grimmjow met his family back at their house and they walked down to the piers where they waited for…a boat? Grimmjow frowned. "We're taking a boat to Japan?"

"Yeah." Alexia explained. "I hate planes. The trip will take a while but we'll get there within a few days! Aren't you excited?" she asked happily and Grimmjow scowled and immediately mustered a small grin. "Fuck yeah." Ayame smacked him on the head and yelled, "Oh c'mon! Work some more enthusiasm into that reply ya dumbass!"

Grimmjow aimed a swipe at her and said, "Fuck off!"

_I am excited…just…not as much as I should be…why?_

They boarded the boat when it arrived and Grimmjow stood upon the deck, staring out at Manhattan. He felt a pang of surprise when he realized that he really was leaving everything behind. He was living his home behind, his friends behind and all the great adventures they'd had behind.

He scowled. "Get over it…" and the boat began to move. Grimmjow casually flipped the bird at Manhattan and grinned to himself. "See you, you fuckers." He mumbled almost fondly.

And he stood there; arms draped over the railing, leaning against the railing, watching New York City slowly grow farther and farther away.

The wind blew by, ruffling his hair and he looked over his shoulder.

An endless ocean ahead of him, two cities on either side of him, New Jersey and New York. Was Japan really somewhere out ahead of him?

And suddenly he was visited by a memory.

"_I want to go to New York City." Grimmjow looked to his left and found Ulquiorra sitting beside him. Grimmjow blinked. "Go…where?" he asked._

"_New York city. In America." Ulquiorra said, looking at him and Grimmjow frowned. There was no joke in his eyes. And Ulquiorra wasn't the type to play jokes anyway._

"_America? Wait a minute, that's ages away!" Grimmjow explained._

"_Exactly." Ulquiorra said. "I want to go there. I don't know why. It's an urge."_

_Grimmjow frowned and Ulquiorra said quickly, "Never mind. I shouldn't have—" and before he could finish, Grimmjow grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the couch, pulling him into Grimmjow's lap. "Have you discussed this with Blue and the other two?"_

"_No. Not yet. I don't think they'd want to go."_

_And then, curiously, Ulquiorra asked, "Do you want to go?" and Grimmjow thought about it for a moment. "Uh…what the hell do you want me to say? This is so freaking sudden!"_

"_Oh." Ulquiorra frowned a little and Grimmjow sighed. If Ulquiorra went alone then, he hated to admit it, Grimmjow would rather miss him. But then…going to another country sounded almost freaky! Then he looked down at Ulquiorra and felt himself grin at the sight of him nestled against his chest._

Shit, how could I say no to that?

_Grimmjow sighed and said, "I'll go. Anyway, you'll probably get lost or something and—!" Ulquiorra gave a small smile and Grimmjow's words died in his throat._

"_Thank you."_

Grimmjow grinned at the memory and then he frowned when he realized what he was leaving behind. And then he remembered Kyoshiro's words about family and he scowled.

_Why'd I think of that crap? It's not like they're my family…or…no, they definitely aren't. But…they don't feel like friends. Do friends live together? Eat at the same table? Confide in each other? No…probably not…so what are they?_

_Family…what is a family?_

Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and saw his father and mother talking together, hands entwined, and Yuki and Ayame arguing lightly.

_Do they support you no matter what? Forgive you no matter what mistakes you make? Make you laugh? Make you smile and then make you feel lower than low when you hurt them?_

Images raced through his head, images of his time with Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra. He had hurt them sometimes, he had made stupid mistakes and ended up hurting them and yet…they still hung out with him. Even when he was an asshole to them, they forgave him and didn't try to change him. But they did change him! They actually made him feel sorry about his mistakes and they made him feel good about fixing them.

Those guys had made him a better person.

And he had grown attached to them. He had grown to find Weed absolutely adorable and a loyal companion. He had grown to almost think of Blue as a sibling. He had grown to care about Kyoshiro and even find out that they were rather alike. He had grown to care very deeply for Ulquiorra, finding the beautiful person inside of him that he kept hidden and coming to care for him through seeing that new side of him.

Every one of them had had an impact on him in ways he could never imagine. And he had come to realize that maybe; just maybe, they were making him see the good in himself.

Not that there was any good in himself, of course—ah, never mind.

_Is that what a family is? Do families do that for you? _

He had had so much fun with them. He had done things he probably wouldn't have done before he met them. He had ice skated, babysat, chased criminals, looked after puppies, had an awesome battle with Germans, chased a thief half way across New York city on Christmas Eve, went to Texas, tracked a dognapper, and had the time of his life with them.

And he was leaving them…for _what_? To live in a dull house, leaving behind fistfuls of memories and great friends, half way across the world with people he barely knew but loved.

Family or not, his mind was_ made up_.

And Grimmjow leapt right off the boat and into the cold water below. He hit the surface with splash and heard his family scream and run to the edge.

"GRIMMJOW! What the fuck are you doing?" Alexia screamed and Grimmjow up at her and yelled, "I'm going home!" and Alexia gaped at him. "You're _what_?" Yuki said, eyes popping.

Takahiro looked horrified and Ayame said, "Awesome!"

Alexia regained her speech and said, "Your going—?"

"Home! I wanted to go with you guys, but really…I just realized I don't want to go. I'm going home. See ya!" and Takahiro said coldly, "So that's it then? You're leaving your _real_ family to go back to them?"

"Yup!" Grimmjow answered cheerfully.

Grimmjow waved and yelled, "See ya, you bastards!" And he began to swim away. Ayame however shrieked, "I FORGOT SOMETHING!" and she jumped over the edge of the boat and Grimmjow's eyes widened.

Ayame ran all the way down the front of the boat, across the water, and kicked Grimmjow's in the head before tearing back across the water, back up the boat and yelled, "GOODBYE YOU BASTARD!"

Grimmjow yelled at her, "Bitch!" and his family simply gaped after him as Grimmjow began to swim away, unable to keep the grin off his face.

And then he leapt onto the dock and raced away up the piers. People screamed in shock but he tore by them, unable to stop grinning.

He was going home!

* * *

Kyoshiro and Blue were sitting on the roof, watching the sky darken when, without any warning, someone leapt onto the roof right in front of them! Kyoshiro shrieked and Blue jumped backwards in horror only to give an exclamation of shock and amazement.

Grimmjow had just climbed right onto the roof and within seconds he had tackled both of them. "Grimmjow!" Blue yelped, hugging him back very tightly, causing Grimmjow to yelp. "What the hell are you doing here?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, grinning at him and Grimmjow said quickly, "What you seriously thought you could get rid of me? Me? Hell no." And he hurried downstairs to find Weed.

Weed was lying on the sofa and within seconds he was seized and hugged by Grimmjow. "Grimmjow?" Weed exclaimed, more than confused, but overjoyed. Weed immediately began licking his face and Grimmjow ruffled the dog's silver hair before he said, "Where's Ulquiorra, Weedy?"

"He's in his room, he'll be so happy to see you!" Weed exclaimed and Grimmjow set him down on the couch before hurrying up the stairs towards Ulquiorra's room.

Grimmjow could feel his heart beating fast in his chest as he reached Ulquiorra's room. He flung the door open and looked inside.

The room was dark. Ulquiorra was lying in bed, an arm over his eyes. For a moment Grimmjow thought he was asleep. And then Ulquiorra sat up and looked towards the door and Grimmjow saw those beautiful eyes widen, saw a look of shock appear on that face.

And before Ulquiorra could speak, Grimmjow was holding him in a tight embrace, his face buried in Ulquiorra's shoulder.

For a moment, Ulquiorra was too shocked to speak. And then he felt Grimmjow pull him closer and then he registered how wet Grimmjow was and he said, "Grimmjow, what are you doing here?"

"I'm home, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow whispered and Ulquiorra wanted to push him away, unable to register why Grimmjow could have chosen to come back to him.

"Grimmjow, your family—!" Ulquiorra made to speak but Grimmjow's voice stopped him, that voice so full of emotion whispered right to him, stopping his heart.

"My home is here, Ulquiorra. My home is wherever you are, my family is wherever you are and don't you _ever_ let me forget that." Grimmjow whispered, his voice shaking as he held Ulquiorra tighter, his face nuzzling Ulquiorra's neck.

Ulquiorra raised his arms and very hesitantly gripped Grimmjow's clothed shoulders. His arms were around Grimmjow's shoulders in seconds and he was holding him closer than he thought possible, burying his face in his shoulder.

Grimmjow's hand gently rubbed his back, his other hand sliding gently through his hair and Ulquiorra melted into his arms, fighting back the tears forming in his eyes, a smile growing on his lips.

And even an hour later, Grimmjow could still not comprehend how he had ever even considered letting him go.

* * *

It was 6:00 in the morning when Grimmjow woke up, golden beams of sunlight filling the street below him and shining gently through their windows.

His rather groggy body registered two arms around his waist and he looked up and saw Ulquiorra, sleeping peacefully below him, Grimmjow's face buried in the crook of his neck. Grimmjow lifted his head and grinned, chuckling slightly when he saw his sleeping face, a sight he had not been given the pleasure of seeing for many days.

Grimmjow put his chin in his hand, contented to watch this perfect sight for a little bit longer. He could remember so many amazing things from last night. It had been the first time they'd been intimate together in weeks—months—and he could also remember how…strangely gentle he'd been.

Almost all the time he was rough with him, feeling no urge to be gentle or affectionate, any kind of sex between them was almost animalistic, not because they didn't care about each other, but because it wasn't in their primal nature to be gentle with each other with that kind of activity.

Last night however, Grimmjow had found absolutely no need to be any kind of rough with him. Every touch, kiss and thrust had been gentle, none of their actions had been rushed in any way, Grimmjow had savored every second of their time together, never removing his gaze from Ulquiorra's, all thought escaping him except for one name, one name which he whispered with every kiss and touch.

Every emotion he had felt had been nothing but affection for Ulquiorra Shiffer, something he was not entirely use to. But he had liked it. There had been something else in their actions as well; there had been emotion in their eyes, their voices and in every gentle touch and kiss. Grimmjow was sure he had never felt that kind of emotion before, making him smile and making his chest constrict with even more countless emotions as he gazed down into those beautiful eyes.

And he knew Ulquiorra had felt it too, that strange yet beautiful feeling. He had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice as he whispered Grimmjow's name.

Grimmjow was jolted about his thoughts by a small voice. It was Ulquiorra, still asleep…mumbling in his sleep? Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and shifted closer, listening.

And without warning, Ulquiorra jolted awake with a soft exclamation of, "Pancakes!" and Grimmjow was unable to hide his snort of laughter at the adorableness of Ulquiorra's awakening.

Ulquiorra looked confused and glanced over at him.

Grimmjow was grinning widely at him. "Morning, Sunshine." And Ulquiorra frowned and lay back against the blankets, seemingly ignoring Grimmjow's comment. Grimmjow saw his cheeks flush a bright pink and Grimmjow growled and tousled his hair, grinning as Ulquiorra plopped down next to him.

Silence fell for a moment and Grimmjow said, "You okay?" and Ulquiorra gave a stiff nod, frowning. "How did you get home yesterday?" Ulquiorra asked Grimmjow, turning his head to face him. Grimmjow grinned and said, "Jumped off the boat. Why?" and he saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen. "Is that so?"

"Hell yeah." Grimmjow said, shifting closer to him in order to rest his head against Ulquiorra's chest. Ulquiorra glanced down at him and was silent. Grimmjow frowned. It wasn't difficult to see that something was bothering Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow looked up at him and scowled before adjusting himself so that he was lying beside Ulquiorra. "What's bothering you now?" and Ulquiorra looked up at him before he said, "I'm just surprised you could come back to me so willingly and of your own accord." And Grimmjow frowned.

Ulquiorra's whole body was tense, his gaze was threatening to look away from Grimmjow and Grimmjow could see his frown deepening.

Scowling, Grimmjow poked his cheek and said, "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or am I going to have to make you?"

"Are you mad at me?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow looked down, shocked. How could Ulquiorra possibly think he was still angry at him even after he had jumped off a boat and abandoned his family, just to see him again? "Hell no." Grimmjow said, giving Ulquiorra a strange look.

Ulquiorra gave a slight nod. "Oh…" and finally Grimmjow sighed and said, impatiently, "Ulquiorra, what is bothering you? Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have to guess? I hate guessing!"

Ulquiorra said, "Why did you come back here? You have a family. None of them ignored you or acted ashamed of you, and none of them…none of them hurt you like I did—or disappointed you. You had a positive future with them and you chose to come back to me?"

"I have a positive future here too. I _barely_ knew them Ulquiorra. Kyoshiro was right…but don't tell him that, it'll boost his ego. I can't just abandon people I've known for three years to go live with people I have only known for two months!" Grimmjow exclaimed.

"But you abandoned them, for what? To come back to me after I did that to you? Why, what is the point in that?" Ulquiorra asked, his tone almost imploring Grimmjow to answer his questions.

Grimmjow was beginning to realize why Ulquiorra was upset. He was feeling guilty about everything he had done the past few months. He was feeling guilty about ignoring Grimmjow, hurting Grimmjow and almost driving Grimmjow away from him.

Grimmjow frowned. This wasn't how he had imagined starting his day and the worst thing was he didn't know how he was going to comfort Ulquiorra who was harboring so much guilt.

"Ulquiorra—!" Grimmjow began; extending a hand but Ulquiorra gripped his shoulders and whispered, "What did I do to be given such devotion that I clearly don't deserve? I hurt you and yet you abandoned the people who were there for you when I was not to come back after everything that I said to you! After everything I did to you, you still…! Why?"

Ulquiorra's voice was breaking and Grimmjow felt a pain in his chest as he watched Ulquiorra, unable to find any words to say to him.

Ulquiorra had turned his face away from Grimmjow and had curled up in bed, his body turned away from Grimmjow's.

"What have I done to deserve that?" Ulquiorra murmured.

Grimmjow sighed, closing his eyes as he curled up behind Ulquiorra. "Sometimes your like a kid, Ulquiorra…I seriously thought you would have understood by now, dammit…" Grimmjow mumbled and he put his arms around Ulquiorra's shoulders, pulling Ulquiorra against him.

"You want to know why I came back, right? I'll tell you so listen up. Every adventure we've had here in New York I fucking adore. Every memory, every moment here in New York I love. Every one in this house I have come to bond with. And I would not give up the relationships and the adventures I have for anything. Because you know what? My family is here, Ulquiorra. My true family is right here in this house. Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and you, all of you are my family. And that's why I jumped off that stupid boat and abandoned my family. I belong here, with you. And I forgive you, sure you were an ass, but it's not like I haven't been one to you anyway. You forgave my mistakes, I hurt you, and yet you forgave me. I'm forgiving you. I forgave you the instant I realized what I would have to live without once I reached Japan. And if you ask me I think we both hurt each other during the last couple of months. We were both asses to each other. Do you understand what I'm saying? Or do I have to repeat myself?"

Grimmjow scowled and turned Ulquiorra over onto his back so he could look at him properly. Ulquiorra was wearing a small smile on his face, there was emotion in his eyes and Grimmjow felt his heart flutter at the sight. Ulquiorra just shook his head. "Grimmjow, you are, undoubtedly, the craziest, most utterly endearing, surprising person I have ever met." Ulquiorra was smiling now and Grimmjow felt himself grin back at him.

And before Grimmjow could utter a word, Ulquiorra was kissing him and Grimmjow felt the breath leave his lungs. The kiss was so gentle Grimmjow felt light headed. Grimmjow's brain completely shut down and he allowed Ulquiorra to plant gentle kisses on his lips, cheek and neck, his hand sliding through Grimmjow's hair, sending a shiver up Grimmjow's spine.

"I still cannot believe you would do that." Ulquiorra mumbled, moving away from him, frowning slightly. "Huh?" Grimmjow said, his brain still shut down and Ulquiorra sighed and kissed him again, pulling Grimmjow into a gentle embrace.

Grimmjow felt himself slowly respond to the kiss, closing his eyes, savoring every slight feeling drifting through his heart. The instant their lips parted, Grimmjow's elbows gave way and he fell against Ulquiorra's chest. Ulquiorra let out a soft chuckle and looked down at Grimmjow, only to find Grimmjow's face inches from his.

"You feeling better or are you still going to blame yourself?" Grimmjow asked, frowning a little and Ulquiorra sighed. "I'm…I'm not going to be able to forgive myself easily. I'll try." He added quickly as Grimmjow glared at him. "Good, because I ain't mad at you anymore. Now, you got a confession for me?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

Ulquiorra gave an excited nod and said, "I have, actually. I decided I like being who I am. And I don't know why I ever listened to them. How could I question _this_? I feel happy, more content than I ever could be, when I'm with you. I feel safe and needed when I'm with you. And…I'm sorry that I let human prejudice come between us."

Grimmjow grinned and rested his forehead against Ulquiorra's. "Me too." He murmured, staring into those beautiful emerald eyes. Silence fell and Grimmjow placed a soft kiss to Ulquiorra's lips, sighing when he put his arms around Ulquiorra, pulling him closer and burying his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder.

Ulquiorra began to drift asleep in his arms and Grimmjow felt sleep overcoming him as well. Ulquiorra nuzzled his shoulder and murmured, "I'm sorry I hurt you." and Grimmjow scowled and nipped at Ulquiorra's neck. "Just drop it, dammit. I get it." And he felt Ulquiorra nod. "I just wanted to make sure you understood."

"You wanna do something for me?" Grimmjow asked, removing his face from Ulquiorra's shoulder. Ulquiorra nodded. "Kiss me." and Ulquiorra did so immediately and Grimmjow felt his eyes flutter shut just seconds before Ulquiorra's soft lips met his. This had to be one of the sweetest feelings, having Ulquiorra Shiffer kiss him with such affection, it made him light headed. And if Grimmjow thought _that_ was amazing, Ulquiorra placed feather light kisses to his face and neck and whispered with each one, "I missed you, Grimmjow."

"_Good God_, Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow breathed his head spinning. Grimmjow kissed him back just as gently and he felt Ulquiorra's head rest against the pillows, his arms around Grimmjow's neck. And then Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's lips cease to move and looked down.

Ulquiorra had fallen asleep, his face one of complete comfort, his arms still around Grimmjow's shoulders. Grimmjow smiled widely, allowing his hand to twirl the strands of hair that fell across Ulquiorra's little nose, grinning at the sleepy sigh he received.

_There's no denying it._

Grimmjow lay down beside him, draping an arm across Ulquiorra's chest. He gave a jolt when Ulquiorra's smaller hand entwined their fingers. Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra and felt his heart flutter at the sight of Ulquiorra's sleeping face before he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of New York City awakening from its sleep.

_I'm home._

_

* * *

_

FINALLY! Chapter 15! *dies*

This was a pain in the ass to write, mostly due to writers block, but I did it. And this monstrosity is a whopping 85 pages! It's HUUUGE! But that'll make up for the long wait though, rite?

I apologize for the long wait, by the way. I was busy in a play during December and then with (bad) story during January and March and well, that's the best excuse I can give.

I hope you enjoyed this and found some parts good, even if I deem this chapter the biggest piece of crap to ever be written…not really, I like it, but I just don't LOVE it. The next chapter will be less depressing, I promise! And less boring.

Thank you for reading and I'm sorry for the long wait.


	16. Adventure 16

**Adventure #16**

**Smacked to the Future part 1**

It was barely 5:00 AM when Grimmjow woke up with a jolt, a light sheet of cold sweat on his forehead. Grimmjow, shivering slightly, looked to his left and found Ulquiorra sleeping peacefully beside him, his face free of his usual frown. And at the sight of him, Grimmjow felt his heart beat return to normal, the realization that all he had just seen had been a figment of his imagination immediately soothing him.

Still shaken, Grimmjow knelt over, his hands sliding over his face, sighing. "Son of a bitch." Grimmjow groaned, fingertips sliding through his mused hair. He looked to Ulquiorra, still asleep, and felt a sense of calm sweep over him. He moved closer, nuzzling Ulquiorra's neck with the bridge of his nose, taking in that comforting scent.

His arms immediately wrapped around the small man's chest and he pulled Ulquiorra tightly against him. He heard Ulquiorra give a sleepy sigh and say softly, "…Rather cuddly aren't we?" his voice was gentle and yet groggy with sleep. Grimmjow scowled and gently bumped the back of Ulquiorra's head with a fist.

Ulquiorra glanced around to look at him and he raised an eyebrow and said a small smile on his face, "I could get use to this…" and then he registered the tension in his arms and he said, "Did something happen?" and Grimmjow scowled. "I ain't talking about it, it was stupid anyway!" and he proceeded to kiss gently at Ulquiorra's shoulders, earning a soft sigh.

"Then why bring it up?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow scowled and nipped his shoulder. "Shut it. I don't wanna talk about it." And Ulquiorra sighed and said, "A nightmare?" and he felt Grimmjow's lips pause in their exploring of his neck and shoulders. He also felt Grimmjow's arms tense.

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Yeah… it was stupid."

"Then I don't want to hear it." Ulquiorra mumbled. "But it is obviously bothering you. Would you care to tell me?"

Grimmjow considered this. He sometimes liked to avoid telling people about his nightmares because on some extent they actually scared him, something Grimmjow was ashamed to admit. He liked to think he wasn't scared of anything, because most of the time, he wasn't. But to admit to being afraid was weakness in his eyes. You could not defeat an enemy if you were scared.

Ulquiorra turned to face him and Grimmjow felt his resolve quiver when he saw those emerald eyes staring into his. "Go on." Ulquiorra said, waiting. Grimmjow scowled and grumbled, "I…no…forget it, Ulquiorra." And the man in front of him moved closer until they were inches apart. "I'm going back to sleep then." Ulquiorra murmured, curling up beside him, ready to sleep.

Grimmjow bit his lip and his eyebrows knitted together. He wanted to tell Ulquiorra so badly, but then there was his pride…

And, against his better judgment, he said softly, "I was at a parking lot for some shitty, ugly, building. It was a skyscraper. These guys wouldn't tell me something. I got pissed and threw some sort of bomb into the lobby. The explosion wasn't big, but it stretched down the street like fire and it blew off a manhole cover…uh, is this making sense?" Grimmjow mumbled almost sheepishly.

Ulquiorra nodded his intense gaze on Grimmjow's. "I ran from the explosion and managed to make it into an ambulance nearby. They drove me away and for some reason they didn't go back to help the probably dying people in the explosion. They were probably cowards or something. Then I saw police cars driving back to the area, ambulances, fire trucks, etcetera. I began to realize the amount of damage I'd done—I wasn't guilty I just—never mind…and then…"

Grimmjow shifted a little and his gaze averted Ulquiorra's immediately as he said, "Then I found out that you, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue had been in the building. It felt so, fucking, real it was freaky! And when I woke up, I actually expected to wake up the day after the explosion and find that you guys were dead because I couldn't control my temper and…it was a stupid dream. I've had worse but for some reason, this one got me thinking—what will happen if I don't control my anger? If I get pissed at you, will I knife you or something? If I'm angry at Kyoshiro will I crack his head open? Now it's messing with my head!" Grimmjow grumbled, putting his face in the crook of Ulquiorra's neck.

Grimmjow was surprised when Ulquiorra's arms slipped around his waist, his soft hand stroking his back. Ulquiorra's other hand removed itself from Grimmjow's waist to gently hold the back of his head; his finger's gently caressing his hair, sending a shiver down Grimmjow's spin.

Ulquiorra was comforting him.

Grimmjow frowned, nuzzling Ulquiorra's neck.

_I thought I hid my true feelings perfectly. But he saw right through me. He can see that I was shaken by this—no matter how I said it. Tch. I guess I just can't lie anymore around him…_

Grimmjow normally wouldn't have liked being consoled like this, but it was not everyday that Ulquiorra consoled him and so he allowed himself to remain still, practically melting under the attention Ulquiorra was giving him.

And then Grimmjow moved his face closer to Ulquiorra's cheek, sighing softly, nuzzling Ulquiorra's cheek. Ulquiorra immediately tensed up and he squirmed slightly against Grimmjow. Grimmjow looked down, confused. "Huh? What the hell's up with you?"

Ulquiorra looked up at him and said, confused, "I…am not sure."

Intrigued, Grimmjow's face moved up to Ulquiorra's pale cheek and he found that spot that had evoked that strange reaction from his partner. It was his ear, hidden by soft, thick locks of ebony hair. Grimmjow stared and then pressed his nose against Ulquiorra's hair.

Ulquiorra squirmed violently beneath him and said, "Stop that."

Rather amused, Grimmjow nuzzled his ear again and this time Ulquiorra could not stifle a gasp, his shoulders scrunching up in shock.

Grimmjow meanwhile was beginning to understand something so ridiculously adorable it almost made him want to start cooing over it…except that was for fangirls and he didn't do that sort of thing so…yeah…

Grimmjow moved closer, brushing back the soft locks of hair that covered his little ear and started brushing his fingers against Ulquiorra's ear. Ulquiorra gave a jolt, and Grimmjow heard him chuckle just slightly.

Grimmjow grinned widely and pressed his nose against Ulquiorra's ear, earning a soft laugh from the man beneath him. "Ulquiorra, are you seriously _ticklish_ around your ears? Is that it?" Grimmjow asked, grinning so widely it hurt.

"N-no, I'm not! Let go, stop it!" Ulquiorra exclaimed, attempting and failing to hide his laughter. Grimmjow could feel affection overwhelming his senses and he said, "Aw, little Ulqui's ears are ticklish? That is too fucking cute I swear to God." Grimmjow said, laughing.

Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra into a tight hug, ruffling his hair. "I said stop it, stupid—!" Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow immediately tickled his ear again and Ulquiorra failed to stop the soft laughter that escaped his smiling lips. Ulquiorra shoved Grimmjow in the chest and pushed himself away from Grimmjow, embarrassed, but for the life of him unable to get rid of that smile on his face.

He felt Grimmjow's arms encircle his waist and he felt Grimmjow gently kiss his ear through his soft hair, Grimmjow nuzzled his hair for a moment and said, "Your adorable, Ulquiorra." He mumbled and Ulquiorra scowled, his face reddening. "Be quiet."

Silence fell as Grimmjow gently caressed his hair, occasionally tickling his ear and neck unexpectedly, causing Ulquiorra to chuckle lightly.

Grimmjow scowled and forced Ulquiorra to roll over onto his back and said, "C'mon look at me for a minute."

And within seconds he was kissing Ulquiorra. He felt Ulquiorra's body relax beneath him and he smirked when he realized he could feel Ulquiorra's rapidly beating heart. Grimmjow's hand slid upward to Ulquiorra's and he hastily entwined their fingers

And then Grimmjow's lips left Ulquiorra's in order to whisper, "You know what, I just realized something." And Ulquiorra nodded, kissing Grimmjow's neck and shoulder's, one of his arms around Grimmjow's waist. "Any second now, a plane could come crashing into the building and kill us all."

Ulquiorra frowned and mumbled, "That's what you were thinking about while you were kissing me? A plane crashing into our building and killing us?" Grimmjow laughed. "Shut up. Anyway, I want to do something—something I have never done before. I want to live it up, you know? I mean, we normally do live it up, but there are still some things I haven't done yet that I should do, right?"

Ulquiorra nodded, interested. "Go on."

Grimmjow grinned and him and said, "Cause you know, we could die anytime now and we won't have done any of the things we've wanted to do." And then Grimmjow grinned wider and said, "You know what I want to do?"

Ulquiorra tilted his head, curious.

And then Grimmjow said, "I want to get a video game." And Ulquiorra nodded. "Oh, okay." And then Ulquiorra frowned and said, "Wait, what is a video game?" and Grimmjow laughed aloud before kissing Ulquiorra again, mumbling against his lips, "Too, fucking, cute."

* * *

And so, only a few hours later, Grimmjow dragged his friends outside to the nearest Best Buy store to get his precious video game. They all went, curious about what he could possibly want—but all their expectations were the same.

Kyoshiro jumped when Grimmjow thrust something in his face and exclaimed, "Ew, what the hell, Grimmjow?" he said, running around him to get a proper look at the picture of a hand with a missing thumb. "What is it?" the white haired man asked, staring intently at the back cover. "A shooter game? Oh. Wait, that's awesome! You got Left 4 Dead? Dude, let me play it!"

Grimmjow only grinned and held it away from him and stared at the cover of a mutilated hand and said happily, "This game is full of awesomeness! It's just full to the brim with awesomeness!"

Blue peered over his shoulder to get a look and said, "Hm. Do we have an Xbox?" and Grimmjow nodded. "Yes! It's just been sitting around in there for a month! Alright, c'mon, let's go."

"Wait," Weed, who had been watching some teens play a Mario game, walked over as he spoke. "Is this a disgusting game?" and Grimmjow nodded, "Hell yeah!" and Weed sighed. "Oh, okay." Ulquiorra hurried to them and said, "What else would you expect Grimmjow to buy? He's not about to buy a Mario game, is he?"

Grimmjow made a face and proceeded towards the check out line. Then Ulquiorra stopped and said, "What's that?" they could all hear a loud screeching. And then, without warning, a man barreled out from around a corner, screaming, "My cart won't stop!

And the man's cart smashed into Grimmjow and his four friends and sent them flying through a window!

"Oh, hell no!" Kyoshiro screamed and Grimmjow only latched onto a spiraling pipe and slid all the way down, laughing. He still smashed into the dumpster below. And it still hurt. The pipe had ended somewhere towards the ground and Grimmjow had fallen on his ass in the junk and the bags he had landed on had burst.

And somewhere along the line, Grimmjow had let go of his video game! Grimmjow gasped and sat up and, with a crash, Ulquiorra landed next to him, followed by Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed.

Grimmjow groaned and sat up, looking around and he gasped when he realized he couldn't see it! Kyoshiro sat up and jumped when Grimmjow lifted him from the ground and said loudly, "Where the fuck is my damn game?" and Kyoshiro scowled and jumped away from Grimmjow's hand and landed on the floor, looking dizzy.

Ulquiorra removed his face from a garbage bag and gagged. "Ugh, I just inhaled through my nose and my nostrils got smacked…literally…" Ulquiorra hissed and Blue glared at Grimmjow who was still searching for his game.

"Are you not even concerned that one of us could be hurt?" Blue asked and Weed growled. Grimmjow didn't even look at them as he continued to search. "Are you okay? Good, you are! Now help me find my—game!" he exclaimed happily as Blue held it up, looking annoyed.

Grimmjow snatched it from her immediately and jumped out of the dumpster. He grinned, offering a hand to Ulquiorra as the man pulled himself out of the dumpster. Ulquiorra accepted his help, much to Grimmjow's surprise, and they both hurried away towards the end of the smelly alleyway.

Kyoshiro scowled and said to a man watering down the street in front of his deli, "Hey, turn that watering hose over here? Thanks, man." And he was doused in cold water. His other friends had the same done to them and they hurried home.

The instant Grimmjow arrived home he raced to his Xbox 360 and thrust the game into the player. Kyoshiro collapsed on the couch beside him, opening a can ofV8 juice and saying loudly, "I feel like a guy watching sports and drinking beer. Ha!" Grimmjow plopped down beside him and Blue sat beside Grimmjow to watch him play his video game.

Ulquiorra crossed to the refrigerator and poured himself some water. The weather today had been very good, not too cold and not too hot. Just right. And as such, it had put everyone in a good mood! Weed hurried to the kitchen and began to lap some water before hurrying back to the couch and jumping up to sit beside the black wolf dog beside Grimmjow.

"Man, Francis is fucking hot." Grimmjow said, smirking as the intro started. Weed's eyes widened with wonder. "Wow, this looks so cool!" he exclaimed. "I'd go for Louis if they were wolves." Blue said. "Tattoos aren't my thing. Neither is facial hair. And I'm talking about if the wolves had human forms, because wolves do not have tattoos or moustaches." Blue added, her head on her paws and her tail wagging.

"They have wolf moustaches." said the Kishu Inu beside her, shifting a little closer to her and watching her rather than the screen.

Ulquiorra watched the intro and watched as zombies and a giant muscled zombie called a Tank attacked the four survivors. The four raced into an alley and climbed a fire escape. The Tank was killed by the fall from the fire escape and the four escaped to the rooftop.

"Fucking awesome!" Grimmjow yelled and he hastily began to make his character get his weapon. He chose a small machine gun and hastily grabbed a first aid kit before opening the roof door and hurrying down the darkened steps.

Grimmjow was a fast learner. He had already learned to use the controls and he was quick on his character's feet, listening intently for Hunters (pouncing special infected) or anything of the sort.

Weed jumped every time a zombie attacked the characters and exclaimed softly, "This is really intense! How come you aren't scared?" he asked Grimmjow and the man replied after finishing off the last attacking zombie in the horde, "Me? Scared of mindless zombies? Really, Weed, really? This is fucking sweet!"

Kyoshiro was grinning widely. "Too damn cool, Grimmjow. You gotta let me play this game sometime, it's awesome!" Grimmjow reached the streets below and began to head towards the station. A car alarm went off and within seconds a huge horde was on them.

Blue watched with wide eyes and Weed covered his eyes when he thought no one was looking. Blue dodged a wild swipe from Grimmjow's control as he turned the gun in a different direction to fire at other zombies. Grimmjow's bullets hit a Boomer and the thing exploded, getting Boomer bile everywhere and filling the screen with disgusting green substance, making it impossible to see.

"Fucking hell! I hate those damn things!" Grimmjow yelled, getting way too into the game and standing up. Blue rolled her eyes and said, "Grimmjow, don't yell."

The boomer bile went away and Grimmjow and his group of three finished off the other zombies and hurried to the subway.

"Oh man! What I _wouldn't_ give to be a Survivor of a world full of fucking infected!" Grimmjow exclaimed, grinning so widely it hurt his face. Blue laughed and said, "Be careful what you wish for, Grimmjow."

The level ended and all four had survived. "Hell yeah!" Grimmjow exclaimed, punching the air. "Wow, you're so good!" Weed exclaimed, grinning, "I'd probably fail…" he mumbled, shivering.

Ulquiorra looked over and said, "Isn't it enough to be an _Espada_, to be more powerful than any of those characters, fighting criminals almost every other day?" Ulquiorra asked, leaning against the arm of the couch as he saw Grimmjow turn to look over at him.

The man seemed to consider this. "Uh…yeah, well…c'mon, I could be an Espada and a survivor! That would be cool! I'd blow their damn heads off!"

"I could be a survivor!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, his tail wagging. "I mean, I'm powerful as a dog, if I took my human form and shot at the zombies—!"

"Ah, you'd be dead in a second!" Grimmjow said, smirking as he turned back to the screen—only to find out that one of the AI players had shot a car and set off the alarm, alerting a horde.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow exclaimed, shooting the AI's as well as the zombies, his control moving wildly from left to right as he turned his character. "Grimmjow, watch out—!" Blue exclaimed and Grimmjow only realized what she was talking about too late.

WHAM!

He felt the impact hit him right in the temple, making his vision turn white! Grimmjow felt himself hit the floor, heard his friends' exclamation of shock and confusion, and saw his character fall to the floor, overpowered by the zombie horde…

And then he knew what had happened.

While playing enthusiastically, he had smacked himself in his own face with the game controller.

"Ah, shit…"

And then everything turned black…

* * *

_2012, New York; West Chelsea, 9:09 PM_

_The stench was the first thing that woke me._

Blue eyes opened and took in the darkness of the room and he lay there on his bed, tense. Something was wrong. He listened, listened for anything; the silence was one of the best things he had ever heard in his life.

They had not broken into his room, his door was too strong.

_I had no fucking clue what had happened…_

And then he heard it, coughing, a wet kind of cough, hacking and gasping as if the thing couldn't breath. It was coming from outside his bedroom. He stood and made his way across the room.

He stopped and listened near the door. They were out there; he could see them through the keyhole. They were definitely human, all of them and they were definitely alive. Some of them were just staring at the wall, some were vomiting, spreading more of what ever it was that they were infected with, and some were resting.

The infection had finally spread to New York even after the government had promised to keep it out. They had failed. And the infection had breeched his apartment now. Just how far had it spread in this city?

Crossing to his barred window, he peered into the street below, watching. The streets were full of them as well. "Fucking hell…" he hissed. He was reluctant to turn on his light; he knew that they would most likely be attracted to it.

He did know one thing. He had to get out of here and find out what the fuck was going on. He walked to his bedside table and pulled out a hand gun, packing bullets into his pockets. This had at least 30 shots; he had more bullets if he ran out.

_I knew I could either go out the window, or I could go into the street below. In order to escape my bedroom I could fire at the screws holding my bars, which would alert the guys in the hallway to my activity, in which case I'd have to work fast. If I ran into the hallway…things would get messy…it would be easier to go through the window but…_

And he grinned.

_Where's the fun in that?_

And he unlocked his door and flung it open. Every head in the room turned and Grimmjow said, grinning, "Hello, boys! Miss me?" and every one of them ran at him.

"I guess not!" Grimmjow yelled!

And he fired at every one of them running towards him, kicking those that got too close.

_It was something a lot of people would call "stupid". _

_To me, it was like Christmas had come early._

He smashed his gun into a man's face, sending him flying. He fired at his stomach and then he saw the window at the end of the hall. He tore towards it and flung himself through the window, landing on his feet below. They jumped out after him.

He turned and fired at the group coming out of the window, bodies fell in front of the window, making it difficult for others to come through.

The men and women in the streets had been alerted to his presences and, screaming, they tore towards him.

He reloaded and fired at the groups heading in his directions and smacked the ones behind him as soon as he finished. He tore away up the street, looking around the street for it. He ran towards the fire escape. They all ran after him. He stopped in front of the fire escape and shot at the groups entering the alleyway. There were too many however and he scowled.

_Yeah, okay, maybe this wasn't the brightest thing to do…but what the hell could I have done? Either way I could get killed—except I won't._

His gun had emptied itself and he began to climb the fire escape, reloading and firing at the men and women climbing up the ladder, he pulled up the ladder and began to race up the steps, shooting down the ones in the street below. He raced onto the roof and looked around. Nothing and no one. Panting, he sat down and peered into the street below him.

They were every where; some of them were still trying to get up onto the building. He was concerned about them finding a way into the building and onto the roof. And then he saw something. It was a table, with guns and bullets! Apparently someone had built some sort of fort up on the roof. No one was here, they had seemingly failed.

The infected got in. They always got in.

He hurried to the table and found a large gun, loaded with 50 shots and bullets to spare. He seized that and seated himself on the roof, trying to figure out just what the hell to do.

_I ain't a genius, but I know for a fact I ain't gonna last long by myself. I am possibly the only human left on the face of the planet who hasn't been infected. That would suck…_

And then he saw a newspaper and snatched it up, hoping to be enlightened. He read through it and found no probable explanation. This had been published two weeks before the infection got worse.

_I could only guess that it had been some bad meat that something had gotten into. The meat was cooked and served to some unsuspecting idiot who took a few bites and was already infected. He bit someone, who in turn bit someone else…no one does anything to fix it and—BAM. You got a nation full of infected. Either that or its some shit the military was messing around with and it got out. It could have been anything._

_And I'm probably the only survivor…tch, this ain't gonna go well…_

Grimmjow smirked. "Good thing I'm invincible." He mumbled and he stood and kicked open the roof door. There were no zombies waiting for him. And he proceeded down the stairs, listening for any sounds.

Silently, he descended the stairs and entered the hallway.

There they were.

All members of the apartment, waiting for him. Grimmjow fired at every one of them, feeling the jolt that went through his arm every time he fired. The remaining Infected turned towards him and charged. He fired until all of them were dead at his feet. He received a sharp blow from behind him and he smashed his gun right into the woman's face, sending her flying backwards, stunned. He fired into her stomach, killing her.

He checked out the remaining rooms, looking for weapons. He found none and proceeded further down the hall and then he heard it. Snarling, vicious snarling, very close by him. He stopped, tense, and looked around and it was then that he noticed the hole in the roof and looked up. And, with a scream, something was on him and within seconds he was flat on his back with the thing clawing at his stomach.

Grimmjow kicked it off and sent it crashing into the wall. Before he could properly fire at it however, the thing was gone, jumping down behind the corner and down the stairs. Grimmjow stomped to the stairs and looked below. He saw nothing and heard nothing. Probably because the hallway was pitch black.

_Okay, I ain't gonna lie. I don't like the dark and I definitely don't like knowing I'm gonna have to turn a few corners_ in _the dark. _

Scowling, he descended the stairs, pointing his gun around every corner. And then he passed a door with light poking through the cracks in it.

He kicked the door open and something wet and horrendous smelling was all over him. "Fuck!" he yelled and then he heard the screams and he turned towards the staircase and saw zombies running at him from every direction, the top of the stairs, the bottom of the stairs, and from the hallway he now stood in.

"Holy shit…" he hissed and he fired blindly into the horde, unable to see properly due to the disgusting shit that was all over him. There was too many of them, they were everywhere, screaming, clawing at him.

And from within the crowd there was that same scream he had heard before and before he could pinpoint the exact location, the thing was on him again, clawing at him. He could not get it off, he could feel them all kicking at him, clawing at him and then there was that thing ripping into his stomach with its claws. His gun was empty and he could not reload it from where he was.

Kicking hard at the thing on him, he swung his gun at the zombies clawing at him and the result was good, some were stunned and some even died from the impact, their skulls weakened by the disease.

More were coming and he could feel his vision returning as the slime slid off of him. He grinned and turned to face the horde running at him.

_Anyone would have lost their heads…both literally and mentally._

He reloaded his pistol and fired into the crowd of screaming, bloodied zombies, laughing like a lunatic.

_Not Grimmjow Jaegerjaques._

Grimmjow blew air onto his gun, smirking at the hallway full of the dead before he hurried to the nearest "Exit" sign, glowing green. He tore down the stairs at top speed, smashing his gun into zombies' skulls as he did so and firing at those who ran to him. Finally he reached ground level and tore through the alley way, shooting any zombie within his sight.

_I need to find some sort of food supply. I ain't gonna eat zombies. Ugh…fucking disgusting._

He began to search the streets for a deli or some sort of store. And then he saw a little gas station at the corner ahead of him and he hastily tore towards it. The power had gone out, meaning it would be best just to find some packaged food, rather than milk or anything cold.

It was also very dark. Grimmjow quietly opened the door and looked around. The store was quiet, no sign of life anywhere.

_Too quiet…_

Grimmjow crept forward very quietly, browsing the shelves for food. He snatched up some packaged food, shoved the small food items into as many pockets as he could find on his cargo pants and his leather jacket.

He picked another item from the shelf and it slipped from his fingers as he heard a soft creak somewhere in the store. He went very still and listened for any noise. He peered through the darkness, trying to make out some sort of movement. Nothing could be seen or heard. But Grimmjow knew better than to move. What if it was another one of those pouncing zombies?

And then he heard another soft creak and he lifted his gun above the shelf and fired at the window. There was a very audible gasp and Grimmjow scowled and hissed, "Show yourself you damn coward or I'll come in after you!"

And finally, growing impatient, Grimmjow flung himself out from behind the shelf and fired directly into the corner. There was another bang and Grimmjow felt scorching heat zoom past his ear, leaving a scratch upon his cheek.

And Grimmjow's eyes widened.

Zombies didn't use _guns_!

"Who the hell are you?" Grimmjow asked into the silence and the voice replied, "Tell me who you are and I won't shoot you." the voice was male and it was angry, but with an audible tremor.

"I'm just a guy trying to survive amongst hordes of fucking zombies." Grimmjow said coldly, putting his finger to the trigger, waiting for an attack. Just because there were other humans around didn't mean he had to trust them.

"Same." The voice replied and Grimmjow saw a flicker of movement to his right. He turned, following the movement. He heard a gun cock and Grimmjow tensed. "You stink, man. You've led the fuckers right to us."

And a bullet was fired right past him. The bullet pierced a container of gasoline outside and Grimmjow raced towards the window to escape the certain explosion! Was the guy nuts? He had fired right inside a fucking _gas station_! That was like _asking _to be blown up!

Grimmjow was around the corner when the gas station exploded behind him and a blur whizzed by. It was the man. Grimmjow was tempted to shoot him for almost blowing him up but before he could act on it, a car alarm went off behind him.

And then the ground began shaking.

Grimmjow frowned. _What the hell? _And he turned around, grinning, preparing to shoot the zombies running his direction. Grimmjow's face fell as he saw the _monster _heading right in his direction!

The thing running towards him was a gargantuan beast! It ran almost like a gorilla due to its _massive_ arms, its massive knuckles covered in blood and obviously swollen from running—wait forget its _fists_! That _massive_ thing was heading right for him, bellowing.

"Fuck," Grimmjow fired at it. The thing didn't slow. "Fuck," Grimmjow emptied his _entire_ gun into its _face_. It didn't slow! "FUCK!" and Grimmjow ran for his life up the street, firing over his shoulder at the thing.

And then the thing was right behind him. Grimmjow jumped onto a car and just as he got on top of it, the Thing smacked the car and sent it flying through the air!

Grimmjow flew off the car and landed flat on his back as the Thing drew closer and closer, bellowing. It ripped a huge slab of concrete from the floor and threw it right at him! Grimmjow covered his head in his hands and jumped up and made to run when the thing punched him in the back and sent him crashing tom the floor.

He seized his gun and fired at it, praying that the shots killed it. It raised its fist and prepared to hit him again when bullets pierced its fist, causing it to yell in anger and run past Grimmjow. He turned and saw the boy from the store, retreating backwards and firing at its massive body. The bullets pierced its skin and Grimmjow seized his gun and fired at the beast's back, causing it to scream in agony.

It turned towards him and then the boy hurled something at it. The Thing caught fire and within seconds it lay dead upon the floor, which was good because if it had died any later it would have been right next to Grimmjow.

Shaken, he stood to his feet and let out a shaky sigh, hoping his ribs weren't as broken as they felt. He knew they weren't, but he knew his stomach would be horribly bruised for a long time. He turned to the boy running in his direction. "What the _fuck_," he said, pointing down at the Thing, "Is that?" and the boy shrugged. "No clue. Hey, you alright? You took a big hit from that thing." Grimmjow scowled and said, "Fuck off. I don't want pity. Nor did I want your god damn help in the first place." Grimmjow said, the pain making him more irritable sounding than he normally would be.

The guy in front of him was not much of a boy at all. He looked more like a man in his twenties. He was wearing a loose fitting gray sweatshirt and grey cargo pants, his eyes were gray and his hair was a shocking shade of white. He also had a red kit strapped to his back.

"Where'd you get that first-aid kit?" Grimmjow immediately asked and the man responded, "Seems like a bunch of people found places to hold out and wait to die. I found one of those places. I found a first-aid kit. What's it to you?"

"In case ya haven't noticed, dipshit, I ain't exactly in great condition here!" Grimmjow snapped, the man's tone irritating him greatly.

"What'd you call me? I just saved your life, asshole!" the man replied angrily. "And if you wanted me to get you one, why not just ask instead of being a fucking jerk about it? There are three more in the back of that Bicycle shop over there!" the man replied, angry, pointing over to a shop to the left across the street.

Grimmjow scowled and stood up and proceeded to walk away up the street. He reached the door and pushed it open. He heard the man yell something out behind him, but the warning came too late as something sprung from the rooftop and landed right on him!

Grimmjow yelled out in shock as he felt the thing wrap itself around his head! He couldn't see a thing and the thing on him was steering him around like crazy! And then the thing jumped off his head to avoid being shot as the man behind him fired three shots at it. The third shot whizzed by Grimmjow's ear and he yelled, "Fucking idiot—! You almost—you almost killed me!"

"Just go in the damn store!" the man snapped, sitting down on a rock and reloading his gun. Grimmjow, grumbling, stomped to the back of the store and opened up a door. There were two handguns and a few others. There were also bodies on the floor. Grimmjow immediately found ammunition and a few other first aid kits. He took one, patched himself up, and then took an extra one for the road.

Hey, apart from the Head Humpers and Things, he could get use to the god damn apocalypse! He grinned and left the shop and saw that the man was starting to head out. "Where you heading?" Grimmjow asked and the man replied, starting to walk away through the parking lot, "Wherever the hell I can. I'm hoping to catch a boat out of here. Chelsea piers has 'em and that's the closest place to here. I'm going there while I still can and then I'm getting the hell out of here."

And then he looked in Grimmjow's direction and said, "You coming or what?" and Grimmjow scowled. "I don't do well in groups. But it ain't like I got any other choice if I wanna live. Fine. I'm coming. Tell me where to go." But it seemed the guy was dead-set on leading him there.

"We're both going in the same direction, just follow me." And Grimmjow began to walk after him, looking up and down the street for any sign of infected individuals. "Tch, are you so eager to survive—?" Grimmjow began and the man snapped, "And you just don't give two shits? Yes, I want to survive! Now, get your ass in gear!" and Grimmjow ran ahead of him.

They raced each other up the street until they both heard a loud hacking cough and stopped running. The man behind him sniffed the air and scowled, "I smell a Smoker." And Grimmjow turned to look at him and said, "Yay for the Bloodhound. I _hear_ a—whatever you just called it!"

Tense and weary, they scanned the fire escapes for a sign of any movement. Grimmjow had no idea what the thing looked like, but he did know what to look for. He saw the man run across the street and call, "Wanna sit there and get snagged? C'mon!"

And Grimmjow, who hated following, hurried after him. "Hey, Leader!" Grimmjow said sarcastically and the man looked over his shoulder and said, "Yeah?" and Grimmjow said, "How long will this journey take?" he snapped, "I don't know! I never counted how many minutes it took before! You went there before so shouldn't _you_ know?" the man snapped back at him.

"And if your so smart, try and figure out where we're gonna go after we get a boat. I don't even know how far the infection has spread…" the boy added the last few words to himself, frowning. Grimmjow scowled. He hadn't considered just how far this strange infection must have spread either.

And then he realized he would be stuck in a boat with this asshole.

Shit.

* * *

The moon was hardly visible due to the heavy clouds so it was darker than it should have been. "Fuck…" Grimmjow grumbled, stepping over a car, Hunting Rifle in hand. The man behind him carried his Assault Rifle over his shoulder, glaring around the deserted streets.

Grimmjow jumped over the last car and looked down. The street was littered with the dead; all of them appeared to have been killed painfully. "Looks like another one of those big-ass things." Grimmjow grumbled, remembering the thing that had attacked them earlier.

There were also cars that had been turned over, further emphasizing his opinion. Grimmjow saw another sign that said "Chelsea Piers" pointing down the street, unfortunately in the direction the Thing had probably run off in.

The man behind him stopped walking and Grimmjow heard his angry sigh. "Looks like we're heading off towards that damned thing again." And he began to walk off towards Chelsea piers. Grimmjow hurried ahead and jumped when he heard a loud sound to his left, coming from what was apparently a storage building. The door had been knocked down and Grimmjow could hear a loud, wet, sort of gurgling and belching.

Grimmjow sniffed and immediately regretted it. Whatever it was stunk to high heaven! And then Grimmjow saw movement in the corner of the lobby, behind some large boxes, big enough to conceal someone easily. Intrigued, he moved towards it and before the man behind him could protest, Grimmjow came face to face with one of the most obese zombies he had encountered tonight!

And he shoved it away, hard, and the thing staggered back with a sick belching sound and Grimmjow fire right at its belly. The thing burst apart, leaving the biggest spray of blood Grimmjow had seen yet! Something disgusting smelling splattered on his arm and Grimmjow saw that his arm was covered in green vomit!

Grimmjow growled and turned around to see the man gaping at him. "If that thing had vomited all over you, you would have attracted a whole horde, dummy." And, angry, Grimmjow wiped the vomit on his arm all over the man's gray sweatshirt. "Ugh! That stinks, _damn_ you!"

Grimmjow, chuckling, left the storage building and he and the man proceeded up the street. They both reached the piers and knew immediately that something was wrong. The place was smoking for one thing and for another, boats were broken clean in two, some had sunk and some were on fire.

They refused to believe that the same might have happened to the other boats and kept going. The man suddenly reached down and found an extra pistol. "Sweet."

Grimmjow looked down at his belt. He only had one pistol. The guy ahead of him had two. He was at a disadvantage. Grimmjow casually plucked the pistol out of his belt and the man yelled and snatched it back. "Hey! Get your own!"

"Listen, asshole, if one of is gonna make it out of here, it's gonna be me! Give me that pistol!" Grimmjow snapped and the man said, smirking, "Desperate much? Does he need pistols to survive?" the man taunted and Grimmjow wrenched hard on the man's pistol, almost knocking the guy into his chest.

"This really-isn't-a-good-idea!" the man said between pants as both men pulled on the pistol, and he was violently swung around and thrown against a boat and Grimmjow walked away with an extra pistol in his belt. He didn't notice a canny hand sneak to his belt and instantly remove the pistol so fast it went completely unnoticed.

And then there was a cry from somewhere in the gloom. "H-hello?" and Grimmjow and the man stopped walking immediately, eyes widening when they heard a very human call! There was another survivor! Grimmjow saw the man tear away towards where the call had come from.

Grimmjow walked after him and found that the voice had come from a small shack which had been locked up and various items had been pushed in front of the windows to prevent intrusion. Grimmjow hurried forward and called, "Yo. Someone in there?" and there was a gasp from outside and the small voice called, "Have—have you been bitten?" and Grimmjow said, "Nope. You?"

"I've been in here since it started." The voice was young, probably belonging to a young boy. The white haired man said quietly, "Can we come in? Maybe we can stick together?" and the door was unlocked.

Growing impatient, Grimmjow kicked the door open and he heard the person gasp in shock. "Not too loud!" The white haired man hissed and he hurried inside and Grimmjow saw his gaze soften.

A young boy, around thirteen, was curled up in a corner, watching them with wide eyes, but there was something defensive about those eyes, something strong in them that Grimmjow hadn't expected to see in a boy so young considering the circumstances.

In a way, it almost made him reconsider what the boy had said about not being infected and he lifted his rifle a little higher in self defense, knowing that if an attack were to occur, it would be hard to fight in such a small space. The white haired man knelt down beside the boy and said, "How ya doing, kid?" and the boy replied, "Have you seen anyone else?" he asked almost immediately and Grimmjow wondered if he had any relatives.

"Nope, not at all." The white haired man replied and the boy looked tearful. Grimmjow observed him for a moment. The boy had silver/blue hair, almost like his, he realized. He wore a white shirt, a blue jean jacket and blue jeans, his eyes were also a bright shade of blue. _Too much blue, _Grimmjow thought, scowling.

"Get up, kid, your coming with us." Said the man and he extended a hand, helping the boy to his feet. Grimmjow felt a nerve twitch and he said, angrily, "Oi, who made you leader?"

"And who made you leader? You're seriously going to abandon him?"

"Yes! I ain't got time for a kid!" Grimmjow snapped, not liking at all where the situation was going.

"Sorry…" the boy replied and suddenly he gasped and said, "Quiet, what's that?" and they all froze in place. They all heard it, running footsteps getting closer and closer to this small shack. The boy gave a frightened gasp and both grown men immediately raced from the shack, the boy following them.

The three boys tore up the street, looking over their shoulders as shouts and screams grew louder and louder. Grimmjow grinned. "Here they come." He called and he fired over his shoulder at five approaching humans, they were struck down with horrible screams.

"Look for a boat!" the white haired man called and the boy pointed to a motor boat and called, "That one, it's still standing!" and Grimmjow yelled, "Untie it and start that damn thing up! I'll hold 'em off!" and he turned to the running, shrieking, hordes and yelled, 'C'mon, c'mon! Bring it!" and he began shooting into the screaming crowds, laughing like a lunatic.

Both boys stopped running and looked at each other. "Are you sure he isn't infected?" the boy asked, nervous and the white haired man looked at the laughing Grimmjow and then back to the boy and said, "No. No I'm not." And he leapt into the boat and called, "Get the rope undone! Hurry up!" and he fired at the zombies attacking Grimmjow.

The boy tugged on the rope and tried to untie the massive knot but nothing worked! And then he saw an extra pistol in the man's belt, removed it and fired at the knot, breaking it. He winced at the massive jolt that traveled through his fingers however.

And then there was a bellow and the boy yelled in shock as something charged through the crowd right towards the blue haired man! "Mister, watch out!" he called, rushing forward.

Grimmjow heard the call and he turned around, eyes widening when he saw the thing heading right for him! The only thing he saw was the tiny head, a fierce looking face and one massive arm before the thing seized him, completely bowling the other zombies over. Horrified and unable to breathe, he was lifted up and slammed to the floor, knocking the air from his lungs and leaving his head spinning.

Both men in the boat were firing at the thing holding him but nothing worked. And then, the white haired man fired at a propane tank lying near the docks. The explosion did it and the thing let go of him and Grimmjow was on his feet immediately and tearing towards the boat. "Start it up! Start it!" Grimmjow bellowed as the charging infected behind him tore towards him, followed by several other zombies.

The boy started the boat and Grimmjow latched onto the end of the boat as it pulled away from the piers, half submerging him in the water. The white haired man pulled him up from the water and heaved him onto the boat, grinning.

And then there was a shrill scream and something was on the man, clawing at his stomach. "Get it off, get it off!" he screamed, kicking at it and Grimmjow kicked it in the ribs and he was stunned momentarily form the blow. Grimmjow shot it in the head and the thing fell over the edge of the boat, floating in the water for a moment before sinking.

"Are you alright, did he bite you?" the boy asked and the white haired man simply shook his head, shaking. Grimmjow leaned against the boat and watched Chelsea piers disappear behind them. "What the fuck are we gonna do now?" the white haired man asked, thinking. The boy suddenly said excitedly, "I heard on the radio in that shack that there was an evacuation post in New Jersey! The…Vista Center!"

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Well, how do we get there, do you know?" and the boy shook his head. "I don't know, but the guy on the radio said that the building has been lit from the ground up and the lights should make it easy for us to find the building." Grimmjow and the man scowled. "Great, that'll attract every infected man and woman in the city!"

Grimmjow grinned at the man's annoyed tone and said, "This'll be fun." And then the boy said, "Who are you two? My name is Weed." And Grimmjow eyed him oddly. "Who gave you that name? Was your mom a drug addict?" and Weed said, "No! And don't talk that way about my mother!"

"Mine's Kyoshiro." Said the white haired man and Weed said, "What's yours?" he asked Grimmjow and Grimmjow said, "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. Don't bothering remembering it though because I can bet you won't be around much longer. The hordes will knock you down in a second! I bet I'll be the only one to get to the copter in time." Grimmjow said, clearly unimpressed by his "group".

Kyoshiro snarled. "Hey, what makes you think you'll survive? You haven't even noticed you only have one pistol!" and Grimmjow jumped and looked down in shock when he realized Kyoshiro was right! "Bastard!" Grimmjow yelled, standing up and Weed exclaimed, "Sit down! Here, you can have your pistol, don't fight!" and he handed Grimmjow the pistol and Grimmjow immediately bonked Kyoshiro on the head.

"You little—!" Grimmjow yelled and Kyoshiro said, "I'll have you know before this stupid apocalypse happened I was a first class thief." And Grimmjow said, angrily, "Yeah, first in a class of idiots!" and Kyoshiro swung a punch at him. Weed got between them and said, "Do you guys want to die? If we fight each other we aren't going to get out of New Jersey alive! We have to work together, all of us."

Kyoshiro scowled and said, "Hey, he's got more brains than the both of us. Or just you." and Grimmjow glared at him. Kyoshiro sighed. "He's right. I'll tolerate you until we get to where we're going. And then I'm ditching you."

"Boo hoo." Grimmjow said, glaring out over the water as the boat moved swiftly through, leaving a slight spray of water in the air. "And then what? What if the infection has frickin' spread and the entire world is infected?"

"It isn't!" Kyoshiro snapped and Weed could tell he was deeply disturbed by this pandemic. "What makes you think it could have spread to other places?"

"All it takes is a bite. There are people in airports, on boats, in buses…the infected get in take a bite out of someone—!" Grimmjow began and Kyoshiro said, "Yeah and they'd let an infected get on a plane or a boat?"

"My point is still that there is a possibility of it spreading to other places. It could be that someone gets bitten, doesn't get infected right away, believes he or she is immune, gets on the plane—bam. The whole plane gets infected. Someone survives, gets off the plane, gets seen by a doctor, bites him and the cycle continues. Somehow it will get around. The world can't stay safe forever." Grimmjow concluded grimly.

Kyoshiro was staring at the boat, eyes narrowed, distressed. Weed looked up hopefully and said, "But there's…there has to be a cure." And Grimmjow said, "And who's gonna cure the human race when scientists and doctors aren't even immune to it?"

_I didn't like it either. But that's the way it was. The word as we knew it was ending and I think we all could feel it. Kyoshiro even tries denying it. Bullshit. Where the fuck is that going to get you? It's clear as day; the age of man is over. And here I am being forced to rely on a bunch of idiots in order to survive. Fuck that. As soon as I'm of the boat I'm going to get there first._

_Well, we probably sat on the boat for an hour. I even began to wonder if these guys really were immune. It's just so fucking strange that there are other survivors. It's a little good I guess._

As soon as the boat stopped, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed jumped from the boat and made to climb the stairs that led up to the docks but immediately stopped at the sound of coughing. Grimmjow scowled. "Shit." Weed's face fell and Grimmjow said, "Well what else did you expect, kid?"

Weed looked very nervous and Kyoshiro said, "Oi, you okay?" and the boy only shuddered with cold and whispered, "I'm…why did this happen? I can't—I can't kill people…" Grimmjow rolled his eyes and reloaded his gun.

Kyoshiro clapped Weed on the shoulder and handed him his second pistol. "To use this, put your finger there. They aren't human anymore, Weed. If you want to survive, you have to kill."

Weed looked at him and whispered, "There really is no cure?"

Kyoshiro shook his head. "There may very well be soon, but not tonight. Use that gun. You have to kill them or they'll kill you."

"Alright, shut up and let's kill these bitches." Grimmjow said and he tore up the steps. Weed glanced at Kyoshiro and he and the man hurried up the steps and into the streets.

The sight they were greeted with was unexpected.

There were armored cars in the street, there were mounted machine guns here and there and some of the buildings had caved in from the bullets. "The army got involved." Kyoshiro said and he looked around the street. Bodies littered the street, some in one piece and some that had ripped apart.

Grimmjow heard a loud yell and looked to his left and saw men running in his direction. He fired and they fell dead within seconds.

"Some help the damn military was." Grimmjow said, staring at the corpse of one of the men, clearly from the army.

Grimmjow began to walk through the darkened streets, listening for sounds of approaching infected. "We have a long way to go, kids. The whole damn city is infected so it ain't gonna be easy." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro called, "To make things easier we could try traveling through the subway." Kyoshiro was looking towards an overturned car in front of the subway station.

"Wuss." Grimmjow said and he jumped onto the car and hurried down into the subway with his two "friends" on his heels.

A hole had been blown into the floor and Grimmjow walked around in before proceeding to the other side towards the turnstiles.

"We should follow the line north." Kyoshiro called and Grimmjow nodded. He saw that the military had left a nice stack of pipe bombs and Molotov's that they had been unable to use. He hastily collected them and called, "Grab some of these, we may need 'em!" and then he heard shrill voices coming from the direction of the line they would need to follow.

He heard footsteps and called, grinning, "Get ready, kids, here they come!" And they came from the streets, from the hole in the floor and from all around. Kyoshiro called to Weed, "Stand with me, kid!" and Weed ran to him.

And then the infected hurled themselves at them. Grimmjow fired into the screaming horde and smacked the ones that got to close. They were fast, too fast. He could hear Kyoshiro calling at Weed as the horde got closer and closer to them.

And then something hit Grimmjow in the back, hard. He swung his gun at the thing and sent it flying backwards and he shot it in the head. But more of them came from the sides, throwing him off balance; one smashed into his ankles and sent him falling to the floor.

Grimmjow kicked it in the stomach and sent it flying over his head and before he could get up the thing was on him, clawing at his stomach. "Not you again!" Grimmjow yelled and Kyoshiro shot at it, killing it and Grimmjow flung himself to his feet.

A fist slammed into his face and Grimmjow winced and raised his fist, punching the man back and sending him flying to the floor and Kyoshiro shot him and then hastily shot one running to Grimmjow's left.

Weed fired and winced as the shock traveled up his arm from the force of the bullet. Two men ran at him and Grimmjow fired right into their heads. One died, the other continued to run and Kyoshiro smacked him in the face. Two women ran to Grimmjow and attempted to claw his face, Grimmjow punched them away and fired into their stomachs and winced at the amount of intestines that fell out. "Yeah, I know, ladies. You couldn't get enough of me."

More were still pouring in and Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed began to retreat backwards, firing almost blindly into the crowd. And then without warning something wrapped around Kyoshiro's waist and he screamed in horror as something began dragging him back up onto a train car. Something began ripping into his back! Kyoshiro yelled out in pain and struggled hard but was unable to free himself.

He heard a bullet whiz by and whatever it was holding him died in a thick cloud of smoke and Kyoshiro began coughing. He jumped down and landed on top of a woman. She began to run, slamming him into train cars. Kyoshiro seized her head and twisted it, breaking her neck.

Weed hastened forward and shot a man in the forehead as he ran towards Kyoshiro with a loud yell. "Thanks!" Kyoshiro called, leaping back into the fray to help Grimmjow.

As Grimmjow fired at advancing men and woman, something began smacking his back and he attempted to ignore it and failed due to the pain of the punches and, angered, he turned around and smacked the thing in the face, and then something jumped onto his head and he yelled out in shock as he was wrenched away from the crowd and towards a train car. "Fuck, get off!" and Grimmjow smashed his head against a train car, sending the thing flying off of him.

And then he saw something crawling towards him, hooded, grayish skin and then it gave a shrill scream and pounced. Grimmjow raised his arm and smacked his gun right into the man's face, sending him flying backwards and Grimmjow fired at his head and with a yelp, the man crumpled to the floor.

He heard Kyoshiro and Weed's fire cease and Kyoshiro called, "All dead, let's go." And he raced into the train car and ran ahead. And then with a loud groan, something huge vomited on Kyoshiro and the screams were back, people were racing towards them. Grimmjow yelled in annoyance and threw a pipe bomb through the train door before he closed it and yelled, "Move it you dumbass, let's get out of here!" and he saw Kyoshiro and Weed shoving away one of the most obese zombies he had yet to see. "The fuck?"

And Kyoshiro called, "Get it away, oh God, he's disgusting!" and Weed gave a very hard smack and the obese man was thrown backwards and Grimmjow fired at its stomach as Weed and Kyoshiro retreated. The thing blew up, spraying the walls and ceiling and leaving behind a gruesome view of its remaining torso.

"Ugh, oh God…" Kyoshiro wheezed and Weed looked away from the remains. "Hey, maybe we can head to the Zombie McDonalds he just came from?" Grimmjow asked, kicking the body over and Kyoshiro gagged. "Very funny!" Kyoshiro said, mock laughing. Weed found a baseball bat under a few train seats and he said, "I'm keeping this, is it okay? In case I ever run out of bullets."

Parts of the subway were on fire. Some trains had overturned and bits of ceiling had blocked several entrances. Trudging forward, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed made their way through the half obliterated subway, shooting any infected they happened to see on their way out.

Walking in total darkness, except for their flashlights, Grimmjow scowled and looked around every corner. "Fresh air! We're almost outta here!" Grimmjow called and right on cue, a woman hurled herself at him from the shadows. Grimmjow smacked her in the face with his gun to get her away from him and Kyoshiro shot her, mumbling, "Jesus Christ…I'm still not use to this…" and then Weed ran around a corner and swung his bat at a man's head, knocking him into the wall and Grimmjow hurried by him and saw the street above them.

Careful to avoid falling into any holes in the staircase, they climbed the stairs and entered the streets. Men and women were there, all staring seemingly at nothing, some were fighting each other and one had blood all over her mouth.

Grimmjow made to fire but Kyoshiro hurled a pipe bomb into the street and watched them all cluster around it. "They are attracted to light." He explained and he hurried off with Grimmjow and Weed on his heels.

The building ahead of them was lit up, lights on the roof as well, and Grimmjow grinned. "Here we are. C'mon!" and, tense, they proceeded towards the building. Something moved at the end of the street and Grimmjow stopped, only seeing it out of the corner of his eye.

"Getting to the top isn't going to be easy…" Kyoshiro grumbled. "I suggest we find an elevator and—"

"Hold up." Grimmjow said and he began to walk towards the end of the street, pointing his gun ahead of him. "What is it?" Weed asked and Grimmjow was silent. He paused at the end of the street. Something was hiding just around the corner and Grimmjow wanted to know what.

Without hesitation, Grimmjow hurled himself out from around the corner and was instantly tackled to the floor by something. Grimmjow pointed his gun into his attacker's face and he heard a new voice say loudly, "Are you infected? Have you been bitten?" it was a female voice and Grimmjow saw clearly that his attacker was a female and that she was also pointing a gun into his face.

"No. You?"

"No." and they let each other up and Grimmjow immediately made to attack her and she dodged his punch and countered with a kick straight to his groin which left him paralyzed. "Ow, shiiiiiiit…" Grimmjow wheezed and he heard Kyoshiro and Weed running over.

Kyoshiro tried to pin her but she did a back flip over his head and landed on the floor behind him. "What do we have here?" Kyoshiro said, grinning at her. "Another survivor! Oh and a _lady_ survivor, too." He added, grinning lecherously at her.

"Well, at the least it seems we all had the same idea." Weed said, coming between them to break up any more fights. Grimmjow recovered and yelled, "Oi, does no one give a flying fuck about me?" and he stood up and stomped towards the woman, only to have Kyoshiro smash into him and send him bowling over.

Kyoshiro took her hand and said, grinning at her, "Yo, the name is Kyoshiro. And you are?"

"Not interested." She replied, brushing his hand away and Kyoshiro pretended to be hurt. "Is this the Vista Center?" she asked and Grimmjow said angrily, "Yeah and you better hope I don't blast your brains out before we get to the top—and by we, I mean everyone except you."

And she was already hurrying to the building; she opened the door and froze in place as the instant she ran through the doors an alarm sounded from outside. Grimmjow swore loudly and yelled, "Who the fuck did that?"

Weed had been jumped by one of those pouncing zombies and thrown onto a parked car, setting off the alarm. Screams filled the air and Kyoshiro swore. "Get ready, ladies!" Grimmjow yelled, grinning and loading his gun as silhouetted figures began to climb fences, run across roofs, come from holes in the floor, and even falling from windows in the Vista Center.

"Hey, woman, get with us!" Kyoshiro called and he could already see her firing at the ones climbing the fences. "There are four of us," she called, "Each of us needs to find a group to shoot at, either the hole in the floor, the roofs or the Center behind us!"

Grimmjow scowled. She had a good point, not that he would admit that about a woman. Grimmjow turned and began to shoot the large groups coming through the hole in the floor. Kyoshiro began to fire at the roofs and Weed began to shoot at the Center doors behind them.

And over the screams of the infected, Weed could hear an approaching helicopter and he called, "Guys, the helicopter is close!" and Grimmjow yelled, "Yeah, got it! Move your asses!" and Grimmjow hurled a pipe bomb into the street behind them, causing the infected to run to it. Grimmjow and the other three made a mad dash for the doors.

Grimmjow fired at the doors and broke them and hurried through only to find swarms of infected men and woman running through the lobby towards him. The woman pressed a button for the elevator which was only five floors up fortunately and yelled, "The elevator's coming, come on!"

Grimmjow turned to head towards the elevator and winced as he felt a heavy fist slam into his back and he turned and angrily smacked the woman away from him. Just as he made to move again, more fists hammered at him, clawed hands seized his jacket and shirt and began pulling him back, one started climbing on him and Grimmjow yelled out, "Get the fuck offa me!" and then there was a very loud hacking cough from within the crowd and the smell of smoke and the elevator arrived.

The woman and Kyoshiro and Weed fired into the crowd around Grimmjow and Weed ran forward to help him into the elevator. Grimmjow smacked him away and raced inside and Kyoshiro threw a pipe bomb out into the street. The zombies ran to it and Grimmjow snapped, "Close the damn—!" and something wrapped around his throat and chest and he was wrenched away from his group.

Grimmjow struggled violently and within seconds sharp nails were ripping into his back! The smell of smoke was thick around him and Grimmjow struggled hard but couldn't free himself.

The woman fired a round of bullets right by him and the thing let out a wheeze and died with a cloud of smoke that left Grimmjow coughing. "Get in, come on!" the woman called helping him through the smoke. Kyoshiro screamed and Grimmjow seized the woman and wrenched her and himself out of the way as something charged right by them, into the elevator and seized Kyoshiro, ending with both of them slammed into the wall. The thing began pummeling him and Kyoshiro was screaming in terror and in pain.

Weed hastily fired into the thing's huge shoulders and tiny head, killing it and releasing Kyoshiro. Grimmjow raced to the elevator and he and the woman pressed the button for the final floor and the doors slid closed and they were in the elevator with the dead thing beside them.

Grimmjow took note of its huge, almost swollen, arm and then of it's other tiny arm which looked useless. It wore overalls and its shoulders were wide and massive. "I hate those things." Grimmjow mumbled.

They waited in silence and Grimmjow looked over their new comer. She was a woman with an olive skin complexion, black, slightly messy hair, and blue eyes. She wore a dark pink scarf, a blue trench coat and blue go-go boats. _Too much fuckin' blue._

The woman relaxed and said, seemingly at ease for now. "What are your names?" she asked and Weed said, "My name's Weed, it's nice to meet you." but he was shaking and he looked ready to have a nervous break down.

Kyoshiro grinned, bobbing his eyebrows. "Kyoshiro." And Grimmjow was silent, not ready or wanting to make any commitment to these people, especially since either they would soon be rescued or they would all be dead. What was the point?

"His name is Grimmjow." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow snarled at him. "Yeah but don't bother learning it."

The woman said, "My name is Blue." And Grimmjow's brain exploded.

_What the frack? She wears blue, her eyes are blue and her _name_ is Blue! Why the fuck am I surprised?_

"Stupid name." Grimmjow said and she stepped on his foot casually.

They were all silent, listening for any sounds as the elevator moved slowly towards the top of the building, the sounds of the helicopter grew louder and louder. And then they were on the roof and Grimmjow practically forced open the doors and tore out onto the roof.

There was a radio on a small table and Grimmjow raced to it and heard a voice say, "If there is anyone out there, anyone at all, please respond! I repeat, please respond! I am almost directly over head and will not land until I am sure anyone is there, please respond!"

Grimmjow answered the radio immediately and said, grinning excitedly, "Hey, how are you doing?" Kyoshiro and Weed and the new comer, Blue, all smiled widely. "We are so damn lucky, honestly, to think we survived this far and…wow, we make a damn good team." Kyoshiro said, grinning and searching the skies for the helicopter.

And then the pilot responded, "Please respond, if you are there, I will not land until I am sure anyone is there." And Grimmjow scowled and said into the radio, "None of us are infected, there are four of us, get us out of here."

Silence.

Grimmjow's face fell and a horrible feeling sank into the pit of his stomach. "If anyone is there please respond!"

"Grimmjow, answer the damn radio!" Kyoshiro snapped and Grimmjow yelled, "I _am_, damn you!"

A feeling of terror was sinking in and Grimmjow fought it back as he answered the radio again. "We're a group of four, we're on the roof, come pick us up."

No response.

Grimmjow checked the controls. Every control was on, what the hell was happening? Feeling more and more panicky, Grimmjow said, "Hey, we're on the roof, come and get us!" Weed's face fell and Blue bit her lip and Kyoshiro walked over and said, "Let me look at that." And he stepped forward and said, into the microphone, "We're here, come and get us already."

Grimmjow's fists clenched at his side and a feeling of anger, horror, and frustration came over him as he realized that something was wrong with the controls and the helicopter pilot really wasn't going to land.

_No, no, no, no…_

Grimmjow said loudly into the radio, "Come and get us, now! Come on, dammit!" and then Weed yelled, "Look!" and Grimmjow looked up and saw a helicopter flying forward towards the vista center. Grimmjow almost started to laugh with relief, grinning up at the helicopter as it approached the building.

"Hell yeah—what? What? No! No!" Kyoshiro yelled, his tone changing to one of horror as the helicopter flew right over the building and began to disappear into the night. Grimmjow's eyes widened and he felt his stomach turn over. "What the fuck is he doing?" Blue yelled and Weed ran to the radio and yelled, "We're here, we're here! On the roof, we're _here_!"

And as the helicopter vanished, Grimmjow felt something inside him snap. He crossed to the radio, lifted it and flung it off the roof with a roar of fury. "God dammit!" Grimmjow yelled and Weed jumped and scurried away from him. Grimmjow took out his gun and emptied his bullets into the street below, the bangs resounding through the air.

No one approached him, too scared to do so. Grimmjow looked down into the streets and for the first time that night, he felt despair taking over his senses. Below, on every roof, in every house, in every single sewer and in every single street were masses of infected individuals and here they were, four survivors stranded and left for dead against every single civilian of New Jersey and possibly the rest of the whole damn world.

Because of a busted radio.

It was almost funny.

And a wide smile stretched across his face, a low chuckle escaped his throat, and that soft sound became mirthless laughter, laughter which echoed through the cold night air. The grin that stretched across his face almost hurt and at this moment it was worth questioning whether or not he hadn't been bitten and the whole damn shock of the fact that he had lost control over his own life had washed away the pain of being bitten.

The world was ending. There was no hope left for mankind and there was no denying it. They were all going to die tonight.

_Well fine. If that's how the so called Gods are gonna fuck with me, fine. But two can play at this game. Fine, I'll play their sick, twisted game. Fine. If the only way out of this shit hole is either having the flesh torn off my body or becoming one of them, fine. But I ain't going down without taking a good hundred of those bastards with me. I'll drag each and everyone of them to the hell they came out of._

And Grimmjow spun around and crossed to the roof door and flung it open. Without turning around he loaded his gun and called to the shocked silent group of three, "Follow me."

And Weed said, timidly, "Grimmjow, what are we going to do? What if another chopper comes by and—?"

"There ain't any help coming for us, kid. Not tonight and not ever." Weed stared at the floor, scared.

"But, what are we going to do? How are we going to survive?" and Grimmjow answered,

"We're not going to survive. We're going to die trying. Fix your damn wounds. I don't have time to watch out for weak shits who can't defend themselves."

And, patching up the worst of his wounds, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques led his group down the stairs to the elevator to greet the oncoming horde that waited for them 50 stories down.

* * *

Grimmjow and his group made it near the outskirts of town and took refuge on a huge, wide, plank of wood in a construction site, sealed off from the streets by large wooden barriers, the moonlight shining down on them. Kyoshiro stood watch, glaring down into the streets for any signs of infected, Grimmjow lay on his back, his arm behind his head, gazing up at the sky, Weed was sleeping and Blue was sitting beside Grimmjow, her knees drawn up to her chest.

"There has to be another way out of the city…" Blue whispered and Grimmjow scowled and said, "Don't get your hopes up." and Blue said, "Why not?" And Grimmjow answered, "The fuckin' infection will spread, before you know it the whole world will be overrun by stinking infected mutants."

"You don't know that. Let's try and be positive. If you really believe that, things really will get worse…I just hope Pops, Mom and Ruess are alright…"

"Who?"

"My family."

"Probably not." Grimmjow said, scowling.

"Who says?" Kyoshiro asked and Blue looked over at him.

"For all you know, they could be fine." Kyoshiro said, yawning.

"Just saying they probably aren't!" Grimmjow snapped.

"Look, I'd know if they were dead. I'm going to find them. I have to find them. The last time I saw them was when the infection first hit. There was an attack…and…we kind of got split up." Blue said, looking worried.

"Kind of? You've completely lost 'em!" Grimmjow said exasperatedly and she glared at him and then sighed, closing her eyes, "It does seem that way…I'll find them."

"And _we_ have to find a way out of this city." Kyoshiro added, frowning and Weed stirred in his sleep and yawned.

"We've rested, eaten and healed up, let's get a damn move on!" Grimmjow snapped getting up and beginning to walk through the jungle that that would have been the new building, it wasn't even built yet and planks of wood were kept in the air by large poles connecting from one to another. Kyoshiro climbed down the poles like it was a jungle-gym—which, in a sense, it was—.

The four survivors made their way through the construction site. The whole place was silent but they kept their guns at the ready, waiting for an attack. Weed jumped and fired clumsily at a construction worker that appeared on the place they had been resting only a little ways behind them. He fell flat on his face as he hit the ground and Grimmjow fired another shot at him as he made to stand up.

Blue pointed her gun around the corner and fired at two men and woman standing there, staring at nothing. Blue hurried ahead, shooting down any man or woman she saw. "How come there aren't any kids?" Weed asked and Kyoshiro replied, "No kid older than thirteen years old can survive the infection. I read that if they are bitten, they die after a few hours. Infants die instantly. It's the same with animals."

Blue suddenly said, "There's a highway not too far ahead. If we go further we can get to the highway and we can get out of here." And Grimmjow saw a deli across the street and said, "I wanna stock up on food, wait outside." And he hurried towards the deli.

The power had gone out and everything was completely dark except for the windows where moonlight shone through. He heard Kyoshiro and Weed continuing to talk about the infection and he scowled. Did they want to draw the infected towards them? Idiots.

Grimmjow looked on the floor and scowled, clearly someone had been here before because empty cans and empty bags lay scattered here there. He proceeded to the back of the shop and found some food, just junk food really; but he doubted he would find anything else. Some fruit was still good however and a he took a single apple and was about to leave when suddenly he saw something flash by out of the corner of his eye and just then a bullet whizzed right past his ear and he jumped a foot in the air and turned around to glare into all corners of the shop.

He walked towards the darkened corner of the shop and snapped, "Who's there? Kyoshiro are you playing a joke?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath and his eyes narrowed. He prepared to shoot when he heard a soft whisper of, "Who's there?"

Grimmjow completely froze, eyes wide. _Could it be there's another survivor? Or is it just Weed or Kyoshiro or maybe even Blue being stupid?_

He decided to answer.

"I ain't infected. If you want you can show yourself. I don't particularly care as long as you don't give us any trouble."

Silence fell and then Grimmjow grew impatient. He stared into the shadows, trying to make out a shape, he couldn't. And then he saw something gleam, something green and he stared harder. "Just get your ass out here already. I ain't infec—!"

"Very well." The voice was different from any other voice he'd heard, it was calm, almost gentle, except there was audible coldness in there along with distrust and it was definitely a man's voice. "But if you show any signs of lying I will not hesitate to kill you." and Grimmjow shrugged, "Whatever, it ain't like we're going to be stuck together any—!"

Grimmjow's eyes widened and his rifle slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor with a soft clatter.

The man before him had pure, pure white skin that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

The wind that blew gently through the broken window beside him caused soft locks of ebony hair to blow gently against his snow white cheek, emerald tear tracks also slid gracefully from his closed eyes all the way down his cheeks.

His eyes, which had been closed seconds ago opened and Grimmjow lost himself in those eyes. They were the color of pure emeralds and the moonlight only did them even more justice, causing them to shine beautifully.

He stood with complete grace, small hands tucked into the pockets of his black suit, standing tall but with his head bowed just slightly, giving him an air of complete composure.

In other words, this man was simply drop-dead gorgeous, sexy, hot, beautiful, elegant… every kind of attractive word that there was out there.

The wind blew very gently through the broken windows, pure moonlight shining down upon him while Grimmjow stood in the shadows in front of him.

The man in front of him stared at Grimmjow as well, taking him in. Their eyes met and Grimmjow felt something jump inside of him, he suddenly was unable to move. He felt captivated.

"What's your name?" he asked, staring at him.

"I don't see why it matters." was the soft reply.

"Oh c'mon. Tell me."

"…Ulquiorra Schiffer." The man answered and Grimmjow smirked. It was a rather gentle name, he realized. Very fitting. And he watched as, almost in slow motion, Ulquiorra shook his head just slightly to the side, his hair catching in the wind, eyes closing just for a moment.

And Grimmjow stepped forward towards him, placing a fist on the wall near his head, affectively cornering him with his body. Those eyes blinked and but the face did not change. Like a concrete angel.

Grimmjow took his chin in his hand, an arm wrapping around his waist.

"I don't suppose anyone's told you this," Grimmjow purred in his ear, "But no one ever will since it's the apocalypse so let me say it first,"

The man's eyes narrowed.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but…am I happy to see you or did someone shove a fucking _canoe_ in my pants!"

A bird could be heard getting ripped to shreds by infected because of the silence that fell.

Grimmjow was wearing one of the most perverted grins since perverted grins, one of his eyebrows arching upward. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed into slits.

Ulquiorra whipped out a gun and Grimmjow leapt back with a yell of shock as Ulquiorra advanced on him, pointing the sniper rifle right at him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" Grimmjow yelled.

"You told me you weren't infected. You lied. I am going to kill you, trash." The man said, his face never changing, not even once!

Grimmjow dodged another bullet and yelled, "Wait a minute! I'm not infected! I'm not infected!" Grimmjow ended up racing around the store dodging bullets courtesy of the ever stoic man by the door. Grimmjow scowled and dove behind a shelf, and when the man looked up from quickly reloading his gun he found Grimmjow inches from him. "Surprise, Sexy."

And the door behind them banged open and both men were sent tumbling into the street right past Kyoshiro who had opened the door. Both men tumbled over and over before coming to a halt, Grimmjow on top of Ulquiorra, both glaring at each other.

"I am not infected, what the fuck is wrong with you, you dumbass!"

"I warned you that if you showed any signs of infection—"

"That wasn't any infection talking it was my—!"

"I don't care what it was, remove yourself from me and let me go my separate ways, trash."

"I was being sincere!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra went silent beneath him, his mouth open. He shut it.

"What the hell is going on?" Kyoshiro called, running over and Blue pulled Ulquiorra off of Grimmjow and then Grimmjow felt something tugging at his wrist and he looked down and gapped.

A handcuff was around his right wrist and that handcuff connected right onto Ulquiorra's wrist. Both men stared, horrified.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." The man snapped.

"Answer my question, bitch!"

"I will not. It's obvious what happened. That man opened the door, causing us both to roll over on the ground, as we rolled along, your hand, which had been holding onto my wrist the whole time to prevent more gun fire, ending up in that cuff."

"Shut the fuck up, smart ass! If you're so smart get this crap off!"

Grimmjow began tugging again and Ulquiorra said, "It is no use struggling. You need the key."

And Grimmjow replied with scorn in his voice, "Oh? And where _is_ the key?"

"Somewhere back in the remains of the police department. I was there when the infection hit."

"Oh great! It didn't occur to you to just freaking find the damn key?"

"I tried. But the police department had been blown up and—"

And Kyoshiro yelled, "Both of you shut up for a minute! Who are you?" he asked Ulquiorra and the man answered, "It doesn't matter because I will not be here much longer. Someone shoot this chain."

Weed hurried over and fired at the chain. It didn't break and Weed said, "Huh?" and Ulquiorra sighed and said, "Once more." And Weed fired again. Blue tried and Kyoshiro tried as well but the thing wouldn't break!

"Well, that's sweet. You told me your name but you won't tell them. Aw, do I have some sort of special effect on ya?" Grimmjow teased and Ulquiorra remained silent. "Well," Blue said nervously, "The more the merrier I guess."

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow however were glaring daggers at each other, but Grimmjow was smirking. Weed said, "Guys, stop arguing. We need to find a way out of the city."

"I am not going with you." Ulquiorra said and he pointed his rifle down at the chain and began shooting it again but it wouldn't break! Grimmjow smirked wider and responded, "Too bad, Shorty, I don't think you have a choice in that matter."

"Neither do you and I am not short."

"Yeah you are."

"No I am not."

"Yeah you are!"

"Not."

"Are too!"

"Am not."

"Are too!" Grimmjow yelled.

"Am not!" Grimmjow said deliberately.

"Are too." Ulquiorra snapped and he immediately stopped talking. Grimmjow smirked and Ulquiorra said,

"Be quiet or I will shoot you."

"Good idea, carry around dead weight!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra poked him in the eye.

Blue pushed them away from each other and said, "Boys, knock it off! _Now_! We have to find a way out of the city and we can't do that if you two are fighting, can we? Good, let's go." And she began to walk away up the street.

Blue began to walk ahead and then she heard Grimmjow say, "Fucking bitch." And she wheeled around and sent a death glare right through his soul. "What?" she snarled and suddenly a black aura surrounded her, her face hidden in shadow and her eyes ice cold.

Grimmjow slammed his mouth shut, suddenly not so eager to repeat what he just said, "Nothing. Just wondering how far we have to go…" he voice trailed away and Ulquiorra smirked. She continued to glare at him, her eyes narrowing into slits.

And then she smiled and said, "Not far at all! We're right next to the highway!" she said happily, pointing around the corner and Kyoshiro shuddered.

"Whoa, what's her problem?" Kyoshiro whispered and Weed shook his head. "I don't know…"

Ulquiorra sighed and looked down at the chain on his wrist connecting to Grimmjow's wrist and he frowned. Grimmjow glared at him and said, "Get your ass in gear." And Grimmjow started walking, dragging Ulquiorra with him and Ulquiorra began to walk beside him, looking at anything except him.

Kyoshiro and Weed hurried after them and Weed called, "Well, at least we'll be out of here soon…and on the bright side, we're still alive!" and Ulquiorra fell into step beside his new group and, together, the five survivors walked off into the darkness.

* * *

Their watches all informed them that it was 12:00 in the afternoon and yet the sky was just as dark as before, the clouds gray and hiding any sunlight from them. They walked along the highway full of abandoned vehicles. A truck lay on its side, on fire, the smoke filling the air.

Blue walked beside Weed and Kyoshiro while Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked in the lead. Taking a car was not an option due to the fact that the road was blocked by many vehicles.

Kyoshiro called out, "Smoker!" and he fired at the truck and they heard whatever it was die with a wheeze. "Smoker?" Ulquiorra inquired and Kyoshiro said, "They have long tongues that they use to constrict you."

"Wait, you're naming the damn things?" Grimmjow asked and Kyoshiro said, "I'm not naming them, I'm identifying them!"

"Means the same thing." Grimmjow grumbled and Ulquiorra said, "The fact that you knew that surprises me. I was sure someone of your intelligence wasn't capable of such a thing."

"Shut the fuck up!" Grimmjow said loudly and Weed said, "Quiet!" and Grimmjow said, "You be quiet, you dumbass!" and Blue said, "Don't call him that—!"

"Quiet!" Weed snapped and Blue went quiet. And they all knew why Weed hushed them the instant they heard it. Someone was crying very close by. Kyoshiro's eyes widened and Blue gasped. "Someone's still alive…" she whispered.

Ulquiorra however seized her wrist as she made to walk away and he whispered, "Stick together." And he and Grimmjow took the lead, looking around every corner, guns at the ready.

The crying got louder and louder and Ulquiorra spotted a small shack on the side of the road. He frowned and approached it, dragging Grimmjow with him. "What you wanna look in there?" Grimmjow said, glaring at him.

"What's wrong with looking?" Ulquiorra asked coldly and Grimmjow said, "I'll tell ya, Sexy. She's crying for a reason."

And Ulquiorra made to leave but Weed said, "I'm not abandoning someone who's in pain." And he pushed open the door very slowly.

Very dim light filled the room and Weed and the other four peered inside. Weed turned his flashlight on and Blue whispered, "Hello?" The sobbing only got louder and Blue said gently, "It's alright," Weed's flashlight beam fell upon something and they all made out someone crouching on the floor, face almost level with her knees and then they all saw it, red eyes. She was no survivor.

"Lights off!" Ulquiorra hissed and Grimmjow and Blue and Weed shut their lights off. Kyoshiro watched from where he stood on the road, very tense.

"Who the fuck is that?" Grimmjow hissed and he placed his hand on the door and made to close it when suddenly a low growl filled the room and Ulquiorra hissed, "Back away, back away." And Wed gasped when he saw that the woman was no longer crying, she had turned her head in their direction, a low warning growl escaping her throat, her lips curled back as she slowly stood to her feet.

"Whatever you do," Ulquiorra whispered, backing up slowly, "Do not—"

And Grimmjow reached up to close the door. He moved too fast. And with a scream she was on her feet and tearing towards them, faster than any other infected they had met. A single swipe from her razor nails sent Grimmjow and Ulquiorra flying backwards into a parked car, setting it off. Kyoshiro began firing at her as she tore onto the road, her claws flailing, screaming in anger.

"You idiot!" Ulquiorra yelled and he tried to shoot at her but she knocked him to the floor and began tearing at his stomach. Blue raced forward and began shooting at her back. She refused to die, no bullets seemed to affect her as she clawed at him. Grimmjow attempted to shove her away but she shoved him backwards.

Weed raised his baseball bat and attempted to hit her in the head but ended up being knocked down, Blue took this opportunity to shoot her in the head but missed, she turned in Blue's direction and ran at her and Blue began firing into her chest. Blue was thrown into the wall and razor claws hit her face. Kyoshiro tore forward and plowed into the woman, sending them both flying to the floor and before she could stand, he fired into her head, emptying his entire gun into her skull.

With a scream, she was dead and the entire group stood there in horrified silence, gasping for air and shaking. Grimmjow was still recovering from the blow to the head and he groaned and looked down and found Ulquiorra sitting up, his shirt and jacket slashed and bleeding from the stomach. "Fuck!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Ulquiorra pushed him away and said, "Do you want to kill us, you fool?"

"I didn't even shoot her! You think I knew that bitch was gonna do that?"

"You would have known better to just back away, and now look what you've done." Ulquiorra said, trying to sound angry but the pain form his wounds made it difficult.

Grimmjow made to yell something and Blue said, "Enough! We have enough trouble on our hands!" and Kyoshiro saw zombies climbing over cars, coming from the woods and from behind them. "Fucking hell!" Kyoshiro roared, reloading his gun and beginning to shoot at them.

Weed tucked his empty gun into his belt and readied his baseball bat. The five of them formed a circle, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra at the front and Kyoshiro at the left, Blue and at the right and Weed behind them. Grimmjow was still arguing with Ulquiorra as they began to kill the hordes running at them.

Grimmjow used his last pipe bomb and half the horde ran to it and Grimmjow and the others began shooting the ones that didn't run to it. Kyoshiro hurled a Molotov at the zombies further away from them so to avoid friendly fire.

And then there was a loud bellow and Kyoshiro yelled, "It's the thing with the big arm!" and Grimmjow called, "Oh I know, let's call him Charger!" and the Charger tore forward and Kyoshiro screamed, "Oh no, no, no, no, no!" and Kyoshiro was pulled away from the group by the Charger and Weed ran after him, yelling, "I'll end you with my baseball bat!" and he began beating at it with his baseball bat.

Ulquiorra fired into the Charger's back and killed it and Kyoshiro sprung to his feet and Weed smacked away the zombies clustering them and Kyoshiro shot at them. Blue could still hear Grimmjow and Ulquiorra arguing over the screams of the horde and she rolled her eyes.

One of those hooded pouncing zombies sprung forward and Grimmjow wrenched Ulquiorra out of the way and fired at it. It got too close and Ulquiorra smacked it away and allowed Grimmjow to finish it off. Grimmjow was counting with each zombie he shot. "40! 41! 42!" and Ulquiorra called, "50!" and Grimmjow yelled, "What the fuck? You cheater!" and Ulquiorra fired at the belly of an obese zombie and killed it at a distance and Grimmjow yelled, "That still counts as one!" and Ulquiorra smirked.

Blue kicked a zombie in the stomach and sent it flying backwards and she shot both it and the zombie behind it. She turned around and swung her foot at another zombie and sent him flying backwards and Kyoshiro shot it for her.

Blue leapt over three zombies and fired into their skulls as she flew over them, she landed on the ground and swung a kick at a woman running at her. And Grimmjow raced by and threw a Molotov and every zombie caught fire! Blue screamed at him, "Are you stupid? Not this close!"

Weed whizzed by, darting in and out of the crowd and smacking every person he saw with the baseball bat, crushing their heads and Kyoshiro watched his back, killing any zombie that came close to him. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were running through the crowd as well, shooting anything in sight and yelling out their numbers. Ulquiorra had killed more than Grimmjow.

And then the horde lay dead at their feet and, tired, they proceeded forward.

* * *

The sun had gone down hours ago and Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed watched the moon disappear behind the clouds. "It really is over…we can't go back to Manhattan... What are we gonna do?" he asked, looking imploringly at his friends and Grimmjow said, "Get me unchained from him!" and Ulquiorra said, "Here, here."

"Man, your looks are the only thing you have going for you. You're a complete dickhole." Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra ignored him. Blue sighed and said, "I'm not going to ask you two to stop fighting. But it would be appreciated if you would stop."

Ulquiorra continued walking, dragging Grimmjow with him. None of them knew where they were but Ulquiorra had told them that he wanted to get to Jersey City and find some sort of transportation and since the roads had become too hectic they had to walk on the grass and in the trees, shooting any infected on sight.

"Hey, genius, you know where your going?" Grimmjow asked, a leer on his face and Ulquiorra nodded. "Yes." And Grimmjow said, "Oh good, cause I was afraid you were leading us in circles." And Ulquiorra said, "Why would you assume that?"

"Because, genius, we passed this tree before! I've had it. Let me lead." And Grimmjow made to start walking but Ulquiorra dug in his heels. "Some trees look the same. This tree looks different from the one you referred to as a "giant dildo." I'm leading." And Kyoshiro said, "Both of you just shut the fuck up and walk, alright?"

"I fuckin hate forests." Grimmjow snarled as Ulquiorra took the lead. "It isn't a forest. The road is still in sight. We just chose to avoid the road because of the cars." Weed darted out of the trees and called, "Jersey City is two miles ahead!" and Ulquiorra smirked a little.

Grimmjow suddenly saw him wince and he said, "Oi, Ulquiorra? Are your intestines hanging out?" and Ulquiorra gasped and looked down and Grimmjow started laughing and Ulquiorra pushed him onto the grass.

Kyoshiro hurried back onto the road and called, "Jersey City is right ahead! I can see it!" and Blue gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

And within three hours they were in the city.

Something was wrong. The city was almost completely empty and there was a strange feeling in the air. Grimmjow and the others found a rooftop to take refuge on and they ate quickly and rested for a bit. Everyone except Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were asleep now. Ulquiorra was staring out over the street, looking and probably feeling restless.

Grimmjow realized his stomach was still bleeding. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yo, your stomach is bleeding. Do something about it; we don't want zombie blood getting in your system, especially if you're chained to me, now patch yourself up."

Ulquiorra said, "I would if I could but incase you haven't noticed, we have no means of—" and Grimmjow threw him a first aid kit. Ulquiorra blinked, surprised. "I got things to do tomorrow and dragging you around ain't one of 'em. Patch yourself up."

Ulquiorra lifted his shirt and stared at the wounds, they were not deep but they were certainly painful. Grimmjow caught sight of them and suddenly felt less hungry than he should have.

_Oh yeah, I'm the reason he almost got his stomach ripped out. _

_Wait, why do I care?_

He watched Ulquiorra bandage his injuries after putting some cream on the cuts to stop possible infection and Grimmjow sighed. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty…and embarrassed. Ulquiorra was silent now and he lay down, his left hand behind his head. Because of the handcuffs they had to sleep close together, which annoyed Grimmjow. "Not even a thank you, huh?"

When he received no response Grimmjow said, "Where the fuck did you get these damn cuffs?" and Ulquiorra remained silent and Grimmjow scowled and said, "Talk. Come on. Or I'll make up a reason. Okay, fine. You are into bondage and before the infection happened you went to a strip club and—."

"I was arrested. Where else would I have gotten these? Before the infection hit—never mind. I shouldn't be talking to you about this."

"Come on, what have we got to lose?" Grimmjow grumbled, watching him. Ulquiorra sighed and murmured, "I'd like to keep my dignity at least. I don't like trusting people."

Grimmjow nodded sullenly, "Me neither. It's easier to rely on yourself and to trust yourself. No one can disappoint you or hurt you that way. But I guess we have to rely on other people now…and each other. It sucks to admit it, but we do."

Ulquiorra remained silent for a moment and then he said, "Is that what happened to you?"

"What?"

"Did someone hurt you?"

Grimmjow shook his head, annoyed that he'd said that much. "No."

"I see…" Ulquiorra murmured and he turned his head to look at Grimmjow, those piercing emerald eyes staring into his.

"I was a gambler." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow looked up in interest. "I was discovered and arrested but they never had time to get the second cuff on my arm. And when I did manage to get the key it ended up lost amongst the chaos."

Grimmjow couldn't help feeling that there was something Ulquiorra wasn't telling him, like there was something more than the fact that he had been a gambler.

Something sad… why else would he have those strange tear tracks on his face?

* * *

_United States; New Jersey, Jersey City_

_Population; 247, 597_

_Initiate Containment Protocol_

* * *

"How far do you think this infection has spread?" Weed asked, hurrying after his friends as they made their way through town, shooting any infected on sight.

"Here," Blue said, handing Weed ammunition while Kyoshiro helped him put it in his gun. "And to answer your question…I heard on the radio that the infection is contained within the USA in Louisiana, Manhattan, New Jersey, Canada and Europe. But that was a week ago…" Blue added, somewhat nervously.

Ulquiorra walked ahead with Grimmjow. "Where hasn't it spread?" Ulquiorra asked and Blue responded, "No one ever mentioned that. They're afraid people will attempt to get there and spread the infection." She answered and Ulquiorra nodded. "Fucking bastards." Grimmjow snarled, kicking a corpse over onto its back as he stomped by.

"And here we are with no damn clue where we're going!"

"I do know where we're going." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow glared at him and said, "Oh and where might that be?" and the pale man answered, walking determinedly ahead, "I'm taking us to an airport. We're going to get a flight out of here."

Kyoshiro sputtered, "W-wait, you know where an airport is? How do you know this place so well?"

"I don't know where an airport is." Ulquiorra said and Weed moaned in disappointment and Grimmjow clenched his fists. "Then stop walking because wondering aimlessly is gonna get us all lost! Dammit, stop!" and they both halted and Ulquiorra said impatiently, looking at him with utter coldness, "What is it?"

Grimmjow glared at the floor and said, "Look, unless your cute little ass can lead us to a damn airport, tell us, until then, shut the fuck up." and Kyoshiro snorted. "Do you like him or hate him?"

"Shut up." Grimmjow growled.

"By the way, you told me your name but you never asked what mine was." Grimmjow said, smirking as he walked with Ulquiorra and they were all surprised how fast he turned on the Grimmjow charm.

"He makes me nervous." Kyoshiro growled and Blue laughed.

"Its Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." Grimmjow said, hurrying after him and Ulquiorra looked over at him and gave a slight nod before saying, "What do you wish to gain by telling me your name? How pointless." And Grimmjow made to hit him when Weed whispered, "Quiet!" and Kyoshiro stopped walking and said, "What?" and Weed was quiet.

And, tense, they listened too. And then they heard heavy footfalls on the ground, many of them, muffled voices and static. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he whispered, "What the hell?" and Ulquiorra looked around through the fiery streets and overturned cars. He squinted hard through the smoke and whispered, urgency in his voice, "Let's move."

Blue nodded, loading her gun. "Good idea." And they all hurried to an alley and dove behind a large set of crates. And from the smoke, figures emerged, all clad in protective suits. They were from the army.

Weed's eyes widened and he whispered, "They've come to help us…they've come to help us!" he gasped, excitement clear in his voice and Grimmjow's eyes widened. If that was so, then this was too good to be true! Grimmjow grinned, "The fuck are we hiding for?" he said and Kyoshiro stood to his feet, his foot crunching loudly on a tin can as he did so.

And the men in the street turned and stared right at them and every good thought in Grimmjow's head was crushed when he saw the stares they fixed them with. "Stay right there and don't move." The man yelled and the group of ten moved towards the group of five.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he saw the scanners they held in their hands. "We aren't infected, you can trust us!" Kyoshiro called, grinning. And then Grimmjow felt a huge yank on his wrist and Ulquiorra was sprinting away up the alleys and top speed. Grimmjow yelled, "What the fuck, Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra ignored him and charged ahead at top speed and they could hear Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed hurrying after them.

Gunshots echoed in the streets behind them and Ulquiorra hurried forward and lifted a large dislodged metal grate from the ground and leapt in. Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue followed and Ulquiorra slid the grate back in place. "Ulquiorra," Grimmjow began in a furious whisper, "What the hell—?" and Ulquiorra placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back and shushing him almost imploringly as the footsteps approached.

A pair of footsteps moved slowly above them until the man stood right above them. He shone his flashlight down into the grate at his feet and everyone held their breath. "Hang on." said the man and Grimmjow heard Ulquiorra tense beside him. Blue saw Kyoshiro lift his gun from his hiding place and point it towards the man's face.

The man above them knelt down and stared very hard into the darkness, shining his flashlight into the corners.

The man took noticed of the screws missing from the grate and he moved his hand over the grate, taking hold of it between his fingers. Ulquiorra pointed a pistol up at the man and prepared to fire.

And then there was a scream and the man jumped to his feet and called, "Hey, you guys, wait for me!" and he ran off after his group as a large horde of infected tore after them, their footfalls shaking the floor.

And Ulquiorra relaxed, letting out a shallow breath. Grimmjow stared at him, feeling unnerved by how nervous he had been. Blue said, nervously, "Do you think you have it, Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra looked up at the mention of his name, surprised she knew it.

"No. I have had an on and off fever for the past few weeks. If their scanners picked up the slightest trace of sickness on me, they would kill not only me but everyone else. I had to run."

Grimmjow gave a jolt and he said, almost nervously, "Fever? How long have you had it? Not that I care, just wondering."

"It's been on and off for three weeks before the infection hit. It's strange but that's how it is." And Ulquiorra stood to his feet and said, "I would avoid any of those men or if you plan on not doing so, you would do well to unchain me from you and—"

"Yeah and leave you here?" Grimmjow asked, sitting down on a rock. "Fat chance. I'd be considered a coward if any of you got left behind. No one's going to believe I'm powerful if I let four people die."

His reason was believable enough but Ulquiorra suspected more behind his words and he said, "It would be easier to leave me here." And Blue said, "It would be, but forget about it. No one is getting left behind on my watch!"

"Besides," Weed said, smiling, "We're stronger together. I really think we have a chance!" Kyoshiro nodded. "I agree. We're all getting out."

Ulquiorra looked a little surprised by their loyalty and he was silent for a moment. "I see…" he murmured.

Grimmjow stood, ruffling Ulquiorra's hair and he said, "We gotta take the roads, there's no following this passage because it's blocked. Let's go kick ass." And Grimmjow pushed the grate from the floor and climbed up with Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed following him.

Ulquiorra put his foot up on the pieces of rock and attempted to push himself up but almost slipped. Grumbling, Grimmjow caught his hand and both men looked at one another, their gazes locked. Grimmjow smirked. Ulquiorra glared. Grimmjow only grinned wider and Ulquiorra heaved himself up, his foot almost caught on a rock and he saw Grimmjow hasten to catch him if he fell.

Either Grimmjow was teasing him or he was genuinely concerned about his well being. Probably the former. No one was supposed to care about him anyway and no one ever had so there was no reason that now would be any different.

"Jaegerjaques, I can assure you my fever has not weakened me, as displayed by my previous actions."

"Tch, like I give a shit." Grimmjow said, crossing his arms, yanking Ulquiorra back a little from the movement due to their bound wrists.

Ulquiorra was almost amused. "Be careful then. People might think you care." And, smirking a little at the flustered reaction, Ulquiorra pressed ahead with Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed in the lead, Weed insisting that they were going to make it.

Weed probably didn't know it, but listening to someone so hopeful even after the horrible things they had witnessed was uplifting.

* * *

Kyoshiro led the way up the street, Blue and Weed behind him and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra behind them. They walked like this for a reason. They were now looking out for both the army and the infected. Kyoshiro stopped walking and peered into an alleyway. "This way." He said, pointing up at a fire escape and Blue said, "Why there?"

"We can watch from the rooftops. If anyone from the military is nearby we'll know." And Blue nodded in understanding and hurried forward and she pulled the ladder down, pointing her gun into the street behind them as her group began to climb the ladder.

Grimmjow said to Blue, "Go." And she began to climb the ladder; she and the other three watched the street with each flight they went up. There was a scream behind them and_ another_ one of those pouncing zombies hurled himself towards Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Weed shrieked and fired at it and missed. His bullet hit the chain between their handcuffs and, with a snap, Ulquiorra fell flat on his back.

Grimmjow gasped and said, "Hell yeah, it's off!" and he smacked the infected man in the face and shot him. "Let's call that guy a Hunter." Kyoshiro called, grinning. And Grimmjow replied, "What about a Pouncer?"

Ulquiorra recovered from the fall and heaved himself up, shaking his head. The alley was small, a brick wall stood behind him and a dumpster and trashcan stood here and there. Ulquiorra looked around and saw that everyone else had already climbed up to the roof and he hastened to follow them.

And then the ground began shaking and Ulquiorra looked around and what he saw made his blood run cold.

A gigantic beast raced up the street towards him, knuckle walking at such speed it was alarming. Its body, from its shoulders to its swollen hands, were muscled to the point where it seemed its skin would break. Its head was the smallest part of its body, his jaw seemingly too small to hold in it's tongue. There was pure rage in its eyes, killing intent in every line on its face.

It moved towards him, sending cars flying from its path as it tore towards him.

Kyoshiro screamed above him, "TANK!" and Grimmjow raced towards the edge of the roof and gasped when he saw the thing heading towards Ulquiorra, who stood there, paralyzed with shock. "Ulquiorra, dammit, move!" Grimmjow yelled and Blue began firing down into the street at it.

Ulquiorra tore towards the fire escape and started climbing it but a rock was hurled and smashed into him and the fire escape, breaking the ladder and sending Ulquiorra crashing into the wall.

And the creature roared, its massive body filling the alleyway, its fists swinging into every direction, breaking apart the wall next to Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra couldn't dodge the fist that hit him hard in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor, winded and terrified.

Ulquiorra reached for his gun but he knew it would be too late as the monster above him raised its fists, preparing to beat the life out of him and he closed his eyes, waiting for it.

It never came for Grimmjow landed right on top of the Tank's back and the Tank roared and attempted to pull him off. Grimmjow clung on, wrapping his legs around its head and firing into the back of its head. But the skull it seemed had been strengthened by the infection. It tossed its head back and sent Grimmjow tumbling into the street.

Ulquiorra seized his gun and began shooting at it as he tore after Grimmjow who lay recovering in the street. Grimmjow rolled away from its fists as it slammed its fist down on the ground, smashing the sidewalk into chunks of rock.

Grimmjow began backing away, shooting at it as it tore towards him. Grimmjow fell right against a car and he gasped. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, NO!" and the Tank slammed its gigantic fist into his stomach and sent him flying backwards through the air.

Winded and in agony, Grimmjow lay on the floor, gasping. "Come on, come on!" Grimmjow yelled, pain turning to rage as he forced himself to his feet and fired into the Tank's massive body, refusing to back away. And, inches from him, it collapsed at his feet. Dead.

Ulquiorra stood behind the Tank, his chest rising and fall faster than it should have, his gun still pointing towards the place where the Tank had just stood. He slumped, his small hands against his knees, hair falling gently into his face.

"Are you boys alright?" Blue called, she had also helped finishing the Tank. Grimmjow looked up at Ulquiorra and the man looked back. "We're alright." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow's jaw clenched.

And within seconds he swung back his fist and smacked the back of Ulquiorra's head, making Ulquiorra freeze in place as Grimmjow bellow, "ALRIGHT? What the fuck do you mean "alright'?"

Ulquiorra turned around and stared at him, eyes narrowing. "Would you have preferred a different word?" His words infuriated Grimmjow. "The fucking words having nothing to do with this! I told you to move! I screamed at you to move! And what did you do? You stood there and fucking waited for that shitty Tank to beat your ass! Are you a freaking moron?"

"What are you angry about? You did not have to come back and assist me. You don't like me. What is the problem?"

Grimmjow sputtered, too enraged to speak. This man could have died! He could have _died_! Didn't that mean _anything _to him?

_But then, why the fuck does it mean something to me?_

"There is a problem!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra said impatiently, "What is the problem then?"

"There just is a problem!"

"How so?"

"There is!"

"Tell me about it."

"There's a problem!"

"…Why?"

"Because I said so!" Grimmjow screamed.

"…That really doesn't make any sense." Ulquiorra said, closing his eyes.

Rain had started falling thick and fast from the sky and within seconds they had gotten drenched. Ulquiorra's was seized by the wrist and dragged back to the fire escape by a fuming and mumbling Grimmjow. They climbed up the fire escape in silence, Ulquiorra could feel Grimmjow watching him and he frowned.

And then he heard a groan of pain and turned to Grimmjow. The man was looking down the front of his shirt. "Fuck, I'm getting a damn bruise the size of a watermelon on my fucking stomach. C'mon, keep moving, dammit." He said to Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra was momentarily stunned.

No one had ever taken a hit for him before. And there was no reason for Grimmjow to do that. He didn't even like Ulquiorra very much, they hardly even knew each other, there was no mutual attachment and yet—

And Ulquiorra whispered the most honest word he had ever spoken to him, "Thank you." and he actually turned to face Grimmjow when he spoke, his soft green eyes meeting angry blue eyes.

And he knew Grimmjow could see what it meant to him because he saw those blue eyes soften slightly, saw some of the anger leave them. Grimmjow ran a hand through his blue hair, staring at the floor, seemingly embarrassed. Ulquiorra turned away and began to walk up the stairs. He didn't miss the small smile that made its way onto Grimmjow's face—which then turned into a smirk.

Ulquiorra got to the top of the stairs and looked around, waiting for Grimmjow. The man emerged and both men proceeded to the roof door to check out the apartments below. The door was bolted shut and Grimmjow began to remove the bolts with difficulty, Ulquiorra offering to help him.

Kyoshiro scowled. "And did we do nothing?"

* * *

The apartments were dank and almost pitch black except for the moonlight that came in outside. Apparently the people living in these apartments had left. Somehow they must have got wind of the infection. Grimmjow wondered if they got far.

He lay in the bedroom, listening to Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra's muffled voices.

"Man," Kyoshiro grumbled, sitting down at the table and eating the food he kept in his bag. "We have to find a way out of here and quickly."

"I'm worried about Grimmjow," Weed said, frowning down at his piece of bread, "He got hit by that…Tank really hard. I hope his ribs and organs are not damaged." Weed saw Ulquiorra stop eating and he said, "You okay, mister?" and Ulquiorra nodded.

"Yeah," Kyoshiro said, joining the discussion while Blue patched up her injuries on the sofa. "I think he might start vomiting blood and get weakened by the crushed organs." And he smirked when he saw Ulquiorra frown. "All for Mister Silent here. Seems like Grimmjow likes you." he said, grinning.

"Speaking of Grimmjow, I'll go get him. He needs to eat."

"I'll get him." Ulquiorra said, standing up and proceeding to Grimmjow's room, half wondering if Grimmjow would be dead when he opened the door. But he wasn't worried. At all.

"Oh and tell him we're leaving whenever he's ready!" Blue called before proceeding to the bathroom. Ulquiorra crossed to the door and pushed it open, saying softly, "Grimmjow, we have food. If you could—." And Ulquiorra went completely silent, half surprised to find Grimmjow without a shirt on when he entered the room.

Grimmjow looked up, his blue eyes meeting Ulquiorra's. Ulquiorra really did try to prevent his eyes from exploring Grimmjow's body. He failed. But he really did try! No, not really, he didn't try at all.

Ulquiorra had known that, at first glance, Grimmjow was well built but that didn't mean he wasn't surprised by just how well built he was.

He had a well defined chest and collarbone, six pack abs, well defined hips, strong shoulders and golden skin. Ulquiorra could even find it in him to ignore the bruise that would have ruined his perfect skin and muscular stomach except that there was nothing to ruin.

And then there was his face. He was…handsome, Ulquiorra had to admit. And then there was the way his gorgeous blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him.

Grimmjow was a sex God.

And it was only now that Ulquiorra realized how his hair color complemented his skin. Ulquiorra unknowingly licked his lips. He suddenly wanted to touch him, for he was willing to bet that his skin really was as warm as it looked.

And then something…interesting happened.

Grimmjow began to rock his hips from side to side in an almost hypnotic way, his thumbs hooking into the waistline of his pants as he swayed his hips back and fourth.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened.

Grimmjow smirked; lips parted slightly, his gaze seductive as he undid his skull belt.

Ulquiorra couldn't break his stare, he was entranced.

Grimmjow slid his belt off, taking hold of both ends before rubbing his belt against his shoulders and neck, moving his shoulders along with his hips. Ulquiorra smirked, licking his lips.

Grimmjow slid his belt down his back before dropping it to the floor and keeping up the delicious movement of his hips, his fingers undoing his pants and letting them drop to the floor, revealing tight black boxers, before swishing them around in a circle above his head before tossing them into a corner of the room.

Ulquiorra's heart beat only increased and he watched every movement, almost wanting to tell him to hurry the fuck up.

Grimmjow's hands placed themselves flat down against his pelvis and he proceeded to thrust his hips as if they were a separate part of his body.

Ulquiorra almost went slack jawed at how fluidly he was able to move.

Grimmjow's thumbs hooked themselves into his boxers and slowly began to push them down and Ulquiorra's smirk only widened.

And then he registered the suddenly angry stare on Grimmjow's face and he frowned. What? Reality was like a punch in the gut.

Grimmjow was _not _naked in front of him. His belt and white pants were _not_ scattered on the floor. They were _on_ him. And Grimmjow was _not_ doing any type of dirty dancing; he was glaring at him with his arms crossed over his bare chest.

The smirk slid from Ulquiorra's face and whatever excitement in him turned to horror. He had just been checking Grimmjow Jaegerjaques out and fantasizing about him stripping. Burning heat rushed to his face and Ulquiorra began stammering.

"Uh…um…uh…" Ulquiorra looked around, looking for an escape route. There were windows. The fall was high enough to kill him. But they were locked. The door! Ulquiorra seized the door knob, still stammering as Grimmjow's stare only intensified.

Ulquiorra wrenched on the door knob and realized that it wouldn't close! He tried harder and only received the loud grinding sound as the door scraped slowly against the floor. "Uh…Blue said—!" Ulquiorra wrenched on the door again and nothing happened.

"Blue said we're leaving whenever your ready and uh…um...be ready to—uh…so basically…!" and the door knob flew off and almost sent Ulquiorra flailing backwards and he looked from the door knob to Grimmjow and then said, "Just be ready to go soon." And he raced to the sofa and flung himself down on it face first.

Grimmjow smirked.

* * *

"Fucking shit!" Grimmjow spat, wincing at the aching in his stomach and Ulquiorra began to wonder if he really wasn't going to start bleeding from the mouth. Kyoshiro and the rest kept to the rooftops, looking out for the military in the streets below and shooting any infected that they came across.

Grimmjow jumped from one roof to the next and Weed did too and almost slipped. Kyoshiro caught the boy's arm before he could slip and Blue landed beside them. Kyoshiro extended a hand to help her but she turned down his offer of help and kept walking.

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and called, "Hurry up, Grimmjow." And Grimmjow leapt over onto the roof and winced as his feet hit the rooftop with force. "Fucking shut up or I'll blast ya—!" Grimmjow began and he slipped backwards off the roof!

Ulquiorra shot forward and seized his hand but both of them ended up falling. Blue sighed and called, "There's a fire escape on the next apartment, hurry and get to it. We'll watch out for you from above!"

Grimmjow heard her and opened his eyes and found an emerald pair staring back into his and realized that Ulquiorra had landed beneath him and that Grimmjow had probably crushed him. "Idiot! If I fall, I fall! Don't take the fall with me, we can't do that, it slows everything down!" and Ulquiorra stood and offered a hand, which Grimmjow refused to accept. "Stop being nice, it's freaking me out. What do you like me?" Grimmjow asked with a cocky smirked on his face.

Ulquiorra placed his hand in his pocket and both men proceeded towards the fire escape only to stop as they both heard loud voices! Grimmjow gasped and seized Ulquiorra and pulled him behind the wall with him, his hand on Ulquiorra's chest and Ulquiorra's hand resting on his arm. They were touching each other a little more than was necessary and both men realized this and wrenched their hands away form each other.

They listened, tense, as voices filled the streets. Footsteps headed off in different directions and Grimmjow peered around the corner. One man was sitting on a crate, his chin in his hand, sighing as he adjusted the radio beside him. "Hell, we can take this guy…" Grimmjow mumbled, pointing his gun towards him. Ulquiorra placed a hand on his arm and murmured, "His group is still too close by. If they hear the gunshot—"

Before Grimmjow could reply to him a happy cry filled the streets and a woman's voice called, "George!" and the man gasped and looked up and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra saw a woman running towards him, wearing a Military uniform. "Mary!" he exclaimed, standing and running to her, shocked. "What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra nudge him and whisper, "He's busy with his woman. Let's move." And both men began sneaking away as the woman replied that she was too worried to stay behind. A song started playing on the radio, a country song.

"This…this is the song we met too." Said the man smiling and the woman nodded. He took her hand, his arm around her waist as he said, "Let's dance!" and Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both gasped as the two people in the street darted right out in front of them and started dancing!

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed gasped. "Fuck!" Kyoshiro hissed and Blue face palmed. "In the middle of a zombie apocalypse?" Weed said, shaking his head and Blue sighed.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra meanwhile were having trouble. They had to move fast behind the couple, almost mimicking their dance moves as they backed away, side by side, unable to move forward for fear of being seen by the man and unable to stand up straight for fear of being seen by the woman!

Side by side, both men moved backwards in rhythm with the beats to the sound and almost not realizing it at all. Grimmjow however found a rhythm in his toe and began tapping his foot, moving his shoulders a little while Ulquiorra was thinking what to do.

The man and woman joined hands, standing side by side and kicking their heels and swaying their hips in time with the music. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra jumped backwards together, their hips swaying as well, crossing their ankles together and then jumping backwards.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Grimmjow grumbled and Ulquiorra saw the man and the woman dance away up the street and he and Grimmjow made a mad dash for the fire escape.

Ulquiorra started climbing it, grumbling about how stupid people could be. Grimmjow gasped loudly however as the couple began dancing back up towards the alley.

"Ulquiorra, their coming back! Shit!"

And, in a panic, Grimmjow seized Ulquiorra by the hips and wrenched him off the fire escape. Ulquiorra staggered from the sudden impact and fell backwards. Grimmjow reached out and caught him, pulling him into a tango dip just as the couple behind them did the same as the song ended, Grimmjow's arm around Ulquiorra's waist and Ulquiorra's arms around his neck, bringing their faces very close together.

Both men, slightly breathless and nervous, looked and at each other and found themselves nose to nose. Grimmjow's surprised expression turned into a wide smirk as he saw the expression of mild surprise in Ulquiorra's eyes. "That's a good look for ya, Ulqui."

"Ulqui?" Ulquiorra repeated coldly.

"I love you, Mary." said George and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked over as the woman replied, smiling, "I love you too, George." Grimmjow turned back to Ulquiorra and grinned even wider at the man in his arms. He moved in closer to Ulquiorra, feeling some sort of affection when he saw how red his face was getting. "Don't even think about it." Ulquiorra said, pushing Grimmjow away.

Kyoshiro, grumbling, dropped the ladder to the fire escape and said, "Get up here, lovebirds!" Ulquiorra removed himself from Grimmjow's arms and walked up the stairs while Kyoshiro chortled merrily about "Love amongst chaos!" and then about how stupid it was.

"Well," Weed said, "At least we're bonding!" and Blue started laughing at Grimmjow's flustered expression. "Oh, Grimmjow, admit it!" she called after him and Kyoshiro wolf whistled.

"Shaddap!" Grimmjow snapped and Weed laughed a little.

* * *

They had been walking across the rooftops for two hours now, Ulquiorra in the lead. Ulquiorra saw that that next building ahead of them was too high to climb and said, "It's too high. We shall have to walk in the streets now. Prepare yourselves just in case."

Kyoshiro, scowling, walked to the edge and looked below. "Yeah, do you even know where your go—holy shit…" he whispered and he turned around as Grimmjow barked a reply at Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro whispered, frantically, "_Shut up_! Now! Get down and come take a look at this…"

Blue knelt beside him and gasped at what she saw. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Weed knelt down beside them and all of them were immediately horrified at what awaited them in the streets below.

Men. Hundreds of them, all from the Army, filled the streets below. There was a safe house across the street and survivors were being taken form them. Weed gasped and whispered, "Survivors! There are other people who survived!"

The Military escorted people to an armored car before throwing them inside, all the while scanning them for infection before taking them from the safe house. There were at least six other survivors.

One of the group of survivors, a women was scanned. The scanner began beeping loudly and she began yelling at the men that she wasn't infected. Her son, who was not infected, was wrenched away from her and pulled away towards the survivors, screaming for his mother as they were thrown into the car and driven away to safety while the woman was thrown into a separate car.

"That's horrible." Weed whispered, sadness in his eyes. "She was infected, what were they supposed to do?" Kyoshiro asked, frowning.

Grimmjow however turned an icy glare on Ulquiorra and said, "Great, now look where you've led us! 'Oh, I know where I'm going!' yeah right! You led us right to them! Now what the fuck are we gonna do, huh?"

Ulquiorra sighed. "How could I have known that they would get here so quickly?" and Grimmjow stomped over to him and seized the front of his shirt and snarled, "Listen you—!"

"No, _you_ listen. This is not my fault and I will not tolerate being blamed." Ulquiorra said coldly, pushing Grimmjow's hand away from him. "If you cared so much, why didn't you lead? Though I am quite certain the results would have been the same if not worse."

Before Grimmjow could reply, Weed got between them and said, "Guys be quiet! We're right above the army! You have to be quiet! We'll work something out!"

Blue pointed to the large office building in front of them and said eagerly, "We can go in through a window and access another building from there."

"There is no other building over there, just a construction site and the fall would kill us." Kyoshiro said impatiently, thinking.

Ulquiorra was staring down into the street. "We wait for them to leave and then we continue looking for an exit. Maybe we could find a car and—?" and Grimmjow said, "Leave? They _aren't_ leaving! Alright, you know what? I'm leading. Get out of my way." Grimmjow pushed Ulquiorra out of his way and proceeded to the office window. He opened the window and made to climb through when Ulquiorra said, "We're waiting on the roof."

Grimmjow turned and glared at him, "They'll come looking through the apartments below us. They'll reach the roof and then what, huh? They have a harder time finding us in the offices."

And Ulquiorra responded, "And _we'll_ have a harder time seeing them in the offices. We wait _here._"

Grimmjow's face hardened and Ulquiorra's glare only intensified.

"How about we do both?" Weed suggested lamely and Kyoshiro said, "I say we kill them before they can kill us."

"But they're survivors! We can't kill them. If anything we should get them to listen to us!" Weed said and Kyoshiro snorted. "Yeah right. Thanks to Ulquiorra we won't so much as be offered a ride! He has a fever remember? In fact he's probably infected!"

"I am not infected, take it back." Ulquiorra said, turning an angry glare on Kyoshiro who scowled and said, "Just saying."

Grimmjow's eyes widened however and he said, "He's right. We could get on those trucks and leave this hell hole if you weren't here."

Blue ran between them and said, "We are not abandoning anyone, Grimmjow, forget it!" Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he said, "And how do we know you aren't infected?" and Grimmjow's eyes widened. He turned a furious glare on Ulquiorra and said, "Repeat that, I dare you." he placed a hand on Blue's shoulder and shoved her aside before walking to Ulquiorra.

"You're the one with the fever. Your infected, not me, you have no right to make that accusation!" Grimmjow yelled and Kyoshiro hissed, "Shut up!" and Grimmjow yelled, "You shut up, you dickhead!"

"Take it back." Ulquiorra hissed and Grimmjow said, pure scorn in his voice, "Take what back? Oh wait, you mean the fact that you could be and possibly are infected? No. I refuse. Stand down and let me lead." And Ulquiorra said, "I absolutely refuse."

"Do it!"

"Take back what you said about me. My fever has been on and off since before the infection hit. I am not infected. My symptoms would have shown, take it back. Now."

"No."

And before Weed could stop them, Grimmjow launched himself at Ulquiorra and flung both of them towards the edge of the building, attempting to push each other off. Ulquiorra succeeded in wrestling Grimmjow off the edge but was taken by surprise when Grimmjow seized his arm and pulled him off with him.

With a crash they landed in a dumpster below, the garbage bags bursting beneath them. Ulquiorra sat up, infuriated and made to pummel the life out of him but stopped when he saw that Grimmjow's head had struck the metal of the container and the blow had knocked him out.

And then Ulquiorra's anger faded and he sighed. "…Maybe we should listen to each other instead of trying to kill one another?"

Ulquiorra looked around the alley for an escape route and a way back to the building. There was no fire escape and if there was it would probably on the other side of the building. Ulquiorra crawled towards Grimmjow and attempted to lift him and sighed with annoyance. Grimmjow was heavy.

"What was that?" the voice was nearby and Ulquiorra's heart sank at the sound of the voice. He turned towards the entrance of the alley and heard approaching footsteps. Ulquiorra looked around the alleyway, looking for a door that would lead to somewhere—anywhere. There was none. If he carried Grimmjow he would never make it out. Ulquiorra looked down at Grimmjow, thinking hard.

The footsteps grew closer and closer and Ulquiorra heard a man call out in the distance, "There's no one else, Commander. Shall we head back?"

The footsteps halted and the man called, "I heard something down here. We will head back after I've checked it."

Head back? That meant they were leaving after they checked this alleyway…Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed would be able to find the exit to the city without worrying about the military. But they could not get on those trucks and if they were sure Grimmjow wasn't infected, they would get him on the trucks, making Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed follow.

This was a serious issue and Ulquiorra had a feeling that told him that Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed should not be let on the trucks. His instincts told him that he did not want to go where those trucks were taking the survivors.

Ulquiorra heaved a shaky sigh as he heard a man call out, "Who's there?" and Ulquiorra looked down at Grimmjow and sighed.

This was not going to be easy, but he felt that after Grimmjow had saved his life …he deserved this much. After all, no one had ever done that for him.

And, forcing his legs to move, Ulquiorra removed himself from the dumpster and rounded a corner and was instantly within sight of the military, his hands above his head. Forcing his lips to move, he called, "Don't shoot. I'm not sick. I don't have it."

"On the ground, drop your weapon to the floor!"

Ulquiorra got on the floor, dropping his weapon and waited for them to approach him.

One of the men called someone over and Ulquiorra was scanned. The scanner was barely inches from him when it went off and though he had been expecting it, it still sent a chill down his spine. His hands were chained behind his back and he was thrown roughly into the car and the doors were locked.

He squinted through the darkness and he could hear muffled laughter, see bloody mouths smiling at him and he could also hear the sobbing of the women who had been separated from her son. She was coughing.

In this situation, surrounded by these noises and smells and not knowing what was going to happen to him, it was truly hard not to believe he wasn't sick.

He closed his eyes; trying to drown out the noises as he forced himself to think over and over again, _I am not infected…I am not infected…_

And the cars disappeared into the night.

_To Be Continued._

* * *

I hope this wasn't gory enough to be given an R . This chapter was HUGELY inspired by the awesome shooter game called Left 4 Dead. It is an awesome game! And so is the sequel. I was also inspired by The Crazies so I'm not pretending I didn't copy a bunch of crap from both Left 4 Dead and The Crazies. I already have the second chapter written I just need to go over it and then I'll have it uploaded. Not tomorrow though because I am going to be out of the house. Our apartment is gonna be painted and thus, I had to take down all the pictures above my computer! D: And they were all of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra too...but luckily I was able to take them down without them taking any damage. :D My wall looks really empty now though apart from four framed pictures (of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra) that I have up there.

Man I am obsessed/in love.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'm sorry if at times it made you feel sick. x3 I just really love the idea of writing about a zombie apocalypse. It's too cool.

See you next chapter!


	17. Adventure 17

**Adventure #17**

**Smacked to the Future part 2**

"Grimmjow, wake up, wake up! Please wake up!"

"Oi, get up! Now!"

"Kyoshiro, Blue, he's waking up!"

Grimmjow could hear voices, very much human, close by him. He blinked once and then opened his eyes only to wince as the moonlight hit them. It must have been dark for…how long now…?

_God dammit, where the hell am I?_

He could remember…zombies…something about the military…Jersey City…someone named Ulquiorra…Ulquiorra! Grimmjow sat bolt up right with a groan and everyone jumped. Blue sighed with relief, smiling. "Thank goodness." And Weed hugged Grimmjow, to which he was immediately pushed away. Kyoshiro sighed and shook his head. "Took you long enough, we were all getting worried. We thought you died or something."

Grimmjow looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in an alleyway and lying in a dumpster. Grimmjow scowled and rubbed the back of his head and said, "How long have I been out?" and Blue said, clearly panicked, "Never mind that! Grimmjow, they took Ulquiorra!"

"Who?"

"The military took him! We thought they took you but—!"

Grimmjow's eyes widened and a strange feeling of shock passed through him. He looked around. Ulquiorra was no where to be seen. Grimmjow felt confused. "Why didn't they take me?" he mumbled, glaring at the dirty floor.

There was an answer. A very obvious answer Grimmjow was aware of but—no. It couldn't be that Ulquiorra had willingly handed himself over to the military. And if he had, they either would have let him go to safety or they—

"Holy fuck." Grimmjow breathed. Ulquiorra had an on and off fever! The scanners would have picked it up, which meant that Ulquiorra was—!

Grimmjow flung himself out of the dumpster and tore around the corner and looked around. "Where'd they go? Did they leave?" Grimmjow asked and Weed nodded and Grimmjow turned around and yelled, "And what the fuck did you do? Sit there?" and Weed recoiled and Blue exclaimed, "The streets were crowded, we couldn't—We would have done something if we could but—!"

Grimmjow was breathing heavily, looking around the streets for some sign of where the cars had gone. There were no tire tracks, there was nothing left. "Fuck!" and Grimmjow said, "They definitely took him?"

"Yes." Kyoshiro answered, "They threw him into one of those vans and drove north."

"Why the fuck would they do that?" Grimmjow asked furiously and Weed said, "Maybe they have a holdout?" and Grimmjow exclaimed, "They aren't rescuing crazies! They're shooting them on sight! They think he's infected, they aren't just going to go and—!" Blue put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Grimmjow, calm down, alright? We don't know that they are going to shoot him."

"You don't know that they aren't, do you?" Grimmjow snapped, walking towards the road, looking for a car that the army hadn't destroyed. "No, we don't know that. But there is no reason to assume that they did shoot him. We need proof." Blue reasoned, helping in the search.

As Grimmjow searched, the one thing he kept thinking, apart from _Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, what do I do! _Was,_ Why would he willingly sacrifice himself for me? Either he's really stupid or I've…maybe I've been wrong about him being a stuck up asshole… _

"What do we do?" Blue pondered, frowning. Kyoshiro suddenly hissed, "Be quiet! This way!" and he led his friends around the corner. They climbed a fire escape and knelt down on the rooftop.

Armed, uniformed, men stood in the streets below, at every corner. And almost all of them were dragging people into rescue vehicles. Some of the humans didn't look infected either.

"Look at all those motherfuckers." Kyoshiro growled. "I say we shoot them."

"They're rescuing people." Weed said, eyes wide, and Blue frowned. "And taking them where?"

Grimmjow frowned, glaring down into the streets. They would not take him to Ulquiorra. They would take them all away, where he didn't know. But he did know that getting Ulquiorra back would be impossible if they were taken away by the army.

It would have been so much easier to walk away. Ulquiorra wasn't a particularly important person to him, in fact, he hardly even knew him. But even he knew how to return a favor. And besides, easy was okay, but it wasn't fun.

"You lot," Grimmjow said, standing up, "Listen up. You go hop in those vans down there. I'm going to get Ulquiorra." Weed's blue eyes widened and he said, "I can't do that! Not knowing that I'm leaving you here all alone! Forget it."

Grimmjow scowled. "Just go!"

Blue put her foot down. "Forget it, Grimmjow. Just forget it."

"No, I'm not leaving that moron!" Grimmjow snapped and Blue groaned. "Forget about us _leaving_ you! I'm not going anywhere. We're a team right? We stick together."

Grimmjow looked over in surprise. "What the—?"

"Hey, if your going to bust into an Asylum, probably locked up tight by the way, full to the brim with zombies and armed military, not knowing where the fuck your going—count me, fucking, _in_." Kyoshiro said, smirking as he swung his gun over his shoulder and giving a loud almost evil chuckle.

Before Grimmjow could reply, Weed said, "We got into this mess together. We're going to get out of it _together_. We're with you until we find a way out of this place or until death. Together." Weed said determinedly and Grimmjow could see in his eyes that he was not going anywhere else except with him.

Blue said with absolute determination, "Everyone here is willing to go with you, we all know the risks. And we have nothing to lose. The world is ending and I don't know if getting rescued will make a difference, but if we're going to face anything, we're going to face it together. With Ulquiorra. Now, let's stop talking and go get him!"

Kyoshiro wolf whistled.

Grimmjow stared in shock, eyes wide. All of them were absolutely serious. He even thought if he threatened them at _gun point_ they still might be willing to go! This was…oddly nice. He'd never had anyone willing to follow him even if all the odds pointed to a painful death, heck, even _Kyoshiro_ was willing.

Grimmjow scowled and said, "You guys are fucking stupid."

And then Grimmjow grinned. "Let's do this!"

* * *

The entire room was dark except for the dim lights that shone in from outside, not entirely filling the room. As expected, no one wanted these freaks to see anything.

With a groan, Ulquiorra blinked a little to take in the darkness, trying to make out shapes. And then he looked down and sighed. His wrists and feet were bound and so was the rest of his torso and chest. He was stuck flat on his back in some weird bed in a dark room full of infected.

He could make out noises; someone was whispering indistinguishable words again and again. And someone was laughing up at the ceiling for whatever reason imaginable.

He could see the woman that had been separated from her husband lying next to him; she was simply staring up at the ceiling. Ulquiorra scowled and tried fruitlessly to free himself. He had to get out! He wasn't supposed to be here! Hopefully it would only be a matter of time before the military checked on them. They would check Ulquiorra and find out that he wasn't infected.

Or they would wait until he was infected and leave them here to rot.

"You aren't infected, are you?" said the woman.

Ulquiorra stared up at the ceiling and answered coldly, "No."

"You're immune?"

"I sure hope so."

And before the woman could reply, Ulquiorra heard voices from the armed men outside their door. It wasn't really even a door just plastic flaps all around them in a kind of strange shield

"What? What do you mean they—? They all escaped? The infected escaped? Are you serious? What do I put you there for? Never mind! Get to the Jet Blue airport in Manhattan, make sure everyone gets there. It's the only running airport we have left!" And he heard the man call to his companions on his communicator, "Get out of here, now! The infected got free. If we're split up, head directly to JetBlue airport in Manhattan!

And Ulquiorra heard footsteps hurrying away up the halls as their guards fled the scene.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he felt a flare of excitement and hope inside him. There was a running airport! If they were quick they could get there and—!

Ulquiorra felt something deflate inside of him and his head hit the mattress with a groan. Grimmjow and the others would never find him here. Even he himself didn't know where this hospital was located.

He tried again to get out of his bindings and gave up with a sigh of annoyance.

Why would they come back for him? He wasn't particularly important to them and he had never been as nice as he could have been. He wasn't use to working with other people and joining together with a group of strangers was the last thing he wanted to do. It went against everything he believed in.

And yet…they had been the closest thing to friends he had ever had before, even Grimmjow...whom he may or may not actually be attracted to. Ulquiorra shook his head and sighed, staring at the wall beside him.

Grimmjow was the reason he was here in the first place, in a room full of infected people, strapped to a bed. Why had he done that, willingly scarified himself for the military? And for a man he barely knew or liked…

But Grimmjow had done the same for him…well, not exactly the same but he had willingly faced a Tank for Ulquiorra, a man he barely knew or liked and even worried about him. Ulquiorra almost smiled and he would have if he wasn't as confused as to why the blue haired man would do such a thing for him.

Well, it wasn't like he would ever know…he wasn't ever going to see Grimmjow, Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed again anyway…

Ulquiorra suddenly frowned and went very quiet. Somewhere down the hall he could hear something, a shrill screeching sound as something was dragged along the floor.

The woman beside him gasped and Ulquiorra heard her start struggling to break free.

And then Ulquiorra remembered something that made his blood turn to ice. The infected had gotten out of whatever captivity they'd been put in.

And before Ulquiorra could attempt to free himself the woman beside him turned to face him, a cold, cold, smile on her face as she whispered, "…They're coming…" and Ulquiorra turned towards the doorway just as the plastic flaps were pushed aside and a man entered the room.

The first thing Ulquiorra noticed was that he was bloodied. And the second thing Ulquiorra noticed was that he was dragging something along the floor.

His gaze roamed through the room, a gaze that was colder than ice, his face expressionless. And then he saw a woman lying in bed, murmuring at the ceiling. Slowly he crossed to her bed, the thing he held leaving a horrible screeching sound as he went.

He stopped before her, his gaze seeming to go right through her. And then he moved. He lifted his bloodied pitchfork from the floor and impaled her right through the stomach. Twice. The blades pierced through her all the way through the mattress with a horrible squelching sound.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened with horror and he could only watch as the man wrenched the pitchfork from her body and crossed to the bed beside her where a man lay, laughing. And he impaled him. The blades pierced through the bed and then he wrenched his pitchfork out and repeated the action with such ferocity it was almost unbearable.

The woman beside Ulquiorra started laughing as the man approached her and her laughter turned to chokes and gasps as the man's weapon pierced her stomach once and then twice to ensure she was dead. The blood dripped through the holes in the mattress to drip onto the floor, already leaving a large puddle beneath the bed.

And then that cold gaze snapped onto Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra's eyes widened as their gazes met and he looked away, his breathing turning to gasps as he fought to escape his bindings.

And then he was right in front of Ulquiorra.

Those merciless, empty eyes seemed to pierce right through Ulquiorra's as the man registered that he was very much alive. And in a flash he lifted his pitchfork from the floor and Ulquiorra looked away, screwing his eyes shut just as the bloodied pitchfork lunged towards his stomach.

"S_hit_, you look pathetic."

Ulquiorra's eyes flew open and he stared in amazement at the man that stood before him. It was Grimmjow! But where he had come from and how he gotten here didn't make much of a difference.

Grimmjow was scowling at him and he was also holding the pitchfork. The body of the man lay on the floor, his neck broken. Ulquiorra glared at the pitchfork and said, "Put that down." And Grimmjow dropped it and it fell to the floor with a clatter.

They both stared at each other in amazement and some sort of strange relief in knowing that the other was alright.

They were both silent for a moment, not knowing what to say while Grimmjow busied himself with the straps on Ulquiorra's bed.

When Grimmjow had gotten him out of his bindings, Ulquiorra sat up and waited for Grimmjow to free the one around his torso, he offered help but Grimmjow refused.

Once his feet were free Ulquiorra hastily made to tell Grimmjow about the airport but was stopped when Grimmjow said, "Why did you willingly turn yourself in? You could have hid and let them take me. Why are you suddenly starting to act like an okay guy instead of an asshole? Are you trying to trick me or—?"

"Trick? I did it because there was no other option. I would have carried you but neither of us would have gotten far, we were in a dead-end alleyway and the military was outside."

Grimmjow only glared at him and said, "Then why not offer us both or hide and leave me? Tell me the truth, no lies. And tell me now."

Ulquiorra frowned and Grimmjow lost his patience, "Oh just spit it out! Or I'll make up my own reason!"

And Ulquiorra answered tiredly, "Because you saved me from the thing you call a Tank. No one…has ever shown any concern over my wellbeing and the fact that you actually bothered saving my life made me feel that I owed you a favor."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he said, "But that _big_ a favor, Ulquiorra? Why the hell would you do that?"

Ulquiorra avoided his gaze and Grimmjow felt a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. "Aw, all that for me? Your getting kind of soft aren't ya?" and Ulquiorra looked at him in annoyance and found that Grimmjow had sat down at the foot of his bed and leaned over to him, bringing them nose to nose.

"If I am soft then why are _you_—?"

And Ulquiorra's words died in his throat when Grimmjow kissed him on the cheek. Grimmjow grinned at the cute expression of shock on Ulquiorra's face as he moved away. Those beautiful emerald eyes were wide, making him look adorable. It was a good look on him.

"No one has ever been fucking stupid enough to do that for me."

"Huh?" Ulquiorra asked, seemingly zoned out. Grimmjow sighed and raised a fist in order to knock Ulquiorra on the head. It was more affectionate than angry.

"No one has ever willingly handed themselves over to the military, even though they have a fever by the way, been thrown into a van full of infected people, been taken to a hospital and sedated all the while not knowing what will await you when you wake up or not knowing _if _you will wake up at all and then almost impaled by a crazy guy with a big ass pitchfork…all for me."

"Is that your way of thanking me?" Ulquiorra asked, a small smirk on his face and Grimmjow sent an angry glare in his direction. "No! I'm just saying—!"

Ulquiorra chuckled and Grimmjow said, "Oh what now?"

"Your blushing." And Grimmjow immediately denied it. "Shut up!" and Ulquiorra only chuckled again.

Grimmjow watched on and felt his anger fade, content on watching Ulquiorra and the smallest smile playing at the corners of his lips.

It was the closest thing to a smile Grimmjow had ever seen on him.

And Grimmjow laughed too.

And then Ulquiorra suddenly seized his arm and said, "Grimmjow, listen, I just remembered something important. I over heard one of the troops talking about evacuating to New York and heading to JetBlue airport. There are planes there. And if we hurry we can catch a flight out of here."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Are you serious? We could get out of this shithole?"

Ulquiorra nodded and Grimmjow laughed aloud. "Fucking sweet!"

And only a few floors down they both heard screams and yells as the hospital was breached by the infected. Grimmjow's face fell and he stood up and seized his gun and said, "Let's get the fuck out of here!"

And Ulquiorra hurried after him. "Where are Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue?" Ulquiorra called, suddenly realizing they weren't there.

Grimmjow broke down a door and hurried down the stairs, cursing. "Hell if I know! They're here somewhere, they just—!"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he said incredulously, "You didn't stick together?" and Grimmjow called, "This hospital is fucking huge! There's no way we could have found you unless we split up!"

Ulquiorra was annoyed by this. Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue could be anywhere!

Grimmjow glowered at the expression Ulquiorra was giving him and called, "Oh come on! Don't look at me like that!" and he flung open the door and both men rounded a corner and immediately stopped running.

Zombies were running at them from all directions, from the halls behind them, to the left, to the right and ahead, even through the flaming room at the left.

"Ah fuck." Grimmjow said, face set in an angry scowl.

Ulquiorra loaded his gun and sighed. "Unless either of us can come up with an idea in four seconds we're not getting out of this."

The ceiling above them began to cave in as the fire spread.

Grimmjow spat onto the floor with a growl. He never was a big planner he was more of a man of action who did most things off the top of his head. But in this kind of situation, in this narrow a hallway—

A radio on the floor suddenly started sputtering to life and without warning a song filled the room, seeming to carry over the screams of infected and the roar of flames…It was possibly the most unfitting song ever. It was Queen and the song was Don't Stop Me Now. He had listened to that song for a while before the apocalypse.

And then everything slowed down…

Grimmjow took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as the soothing opening sent a spike of adrenaline through him. He looked to his right and found a window. If he stared hard enough, he could make out another window to the far right…

He had this.

And, smirking, Grimmjow took Ulquiorra's hand.

Ulquiorra glanced at him, brow furrowed.

Grimmjow reached down and strapped the radio to his back.

And without warning, Grimmjow flung himself and Ulquiorra both out the window!

Grimmjow seized the window sill and climbed up, breaking through the window and tearing towards the staircase. They both raced up the steps, Grimmjow murmuring the lyrics to the song as he went.

They door to the roof was kicked open and for a moment Grimmjow hesitated and then quickly figured out what to do and began to run. "Get on my back and hold on, emo-kid!" and just as Ulquiorra jumped onto his back, one of the special infected—a small one with red hair and a manic grin and dressed in nothing except a pair of boxers—jumped on Ulquiorra's head.

Grimmjow tore towards the edge of the roof, now singing loudly with the song and grinning like an idiot. Ulquiorra, who was now quite terrified, forced the creepy zombie off of his head and said, "Grimmjow, what—oh no, no, no, no, no!" and Grimmjow jumped off the roof with a gleeful cry of, "Yahoo!

And they were fifty stories off the ground, too!

Ulquiorra expected them to fall but instead found them…flying? He opened his eyes and found that someone for whatever reason had stretched a grappling hook from the roof to a lower side of the building leading down towards a window.

They both slid down the rope, heading towards the window, Grimmjow having a blast while Ulquiorra refused to look down. Both men crashed through the window and Grimmjow landed on his feet while Ulquiorra landed on a hospital bed, which luckily had a set of wheels.

Grimmjow seized the bed, Ulquiorra laying on it, and pushed it through the doors and down the halls.

Meanwhile, Kyoshiro, Blue and Weed were walking through the halls. They had gotten lost and the elevators didn't work and they were stuck in the wrong side of the overly huge building.

Kyoshiro scowled and said, "Yeah, splitting up really worked out well, huh? Stupid Grimmjow! When I find him I'll—!" Blue sighed and said comfortingly. "Kyoshiro, anger isn't going to help us find them."

And Weed said, frowning, "Hey, guys," he was looked down the hall, "What's—?"

And before any of them could move all three of them were plowed by a speeding hospital bed.

Blue screamed and looked around and her face split into a smile when she saw who was driving. "Grimmjow—? Ulquiorra! Thank god!"

"You lucky bastard!" Kyoshiro called, grinning and Ulquiorra nodded and Weed gave a sign of relief. "I'm so happy you found him, Grimmjow! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. A little shaken." Ulquiorra responded, twitching, and he said, "Looks like the horde found us." He was looking over Grimmjow's shoulder at the men and women running after them.

"Zombies!" Kyoshiro called, lighting a pipe bomb. And he threw it. Badly. It landed on Blue and she yelled and tossed it to Weed, who tossed it to Ulquiorra who threw it over Grimmjow's shoulder. The zombies crowded around it and exploded!

"Wahoo!" Kyoshiro called punching the air! "You know, we all make a damn good team!" Kyoshiro said, moving over on the bed slightly so that Blue could be more comfortable. Yes, the four of them managed to fit on the bed.

Grimmjow turned a corner and drove them right down the stairs and after a few minutes of bumpiness and feeling queasy, they reached the first floor and Grimmjow raced out the doors.

Once they got outside Grimmjow looked to the left of the street and found zombies lined up side to side on the left side of the street!

They all looked to the right and saw another line of bloodied men and women. "What the—?" Kyoshiro said, cocking an eyebrow.

Zombies had lined up on both sides of the street and within seconds they were doing stupid girly hand flips, turning left and right and bogeying down to the ground with the music, singing gibberish.

One of those pouncing zombies they called a Hunter was also playing an invisible guitar and head banging.

Grimmjow exchanged glances with his friends.

Just to make this less creepy, Ulquiorra threw a pipe bomb and they all gathered to it and exploded.

They all began to relax as they tore through the streets finally reaching some train tracks that headed down towards the piers, Ulquiorra calling out which way to go as Grimmjow pushed them forward. "Left!" Ulquiorra called and Grimmjow went left.

And then Kyoshiro frowned and said, "Wait is this Queen? I love this song! TANK!" he screamed and Blue, Weed and Ulquiorra turned around in horror as they saw the massive creature tearing after them, roaring. The only one oblivious to the Tank's presence was Grimmjow!

"Grimmjow!" they all yelled and Grimmjow's grin vanished and he turned around just as Kyoshiro, in a panic, accidentally shot a bunch of flammable containers right next to them. "Holy—!"

The containers exploded, sending fire and pieces of container shooting up all around them just as the Tank punched the hospital bed and sent it flying! In slow motion.

And, through the fire and the flames, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Grimmjow flew through the air, everyone held an expression of panic on their faces—except Grimmjow. He had his eyes closed, a wide smile on his face as he spun gracefully through the air, almost as if there was no gravity at all.

And as they hit the floor, they descended a hill and disappeared from sight, leaving behind a stunned Tank and a field full of flames.

* * *

The first place they looked for in order to get back to Manhattan was a boat. So, they checked the piers and along the way, they learned about the list of things Grimmjow hated about life.

"—oh and that stupid, stupid, kid pop singer. I fucking hate him! And I hate water." Grimmjow added, glaring at the water.

"You know what I hate?" Kyoshiro asked, twitching and Grimmjow said, "Nope."

And Kyoshiro yelled, "PEOPLE WHO TALK SHIT ABOUT EVERYTHING FOR HOURS! WHAT _DON'T_ YOU HATE?"

Grimmjow jabbed himself in the chest and said, "I don't hate vests, slicing zombies to ribbons, and porn."

Blue rolled her eyes and Kyoshiro's face turned red. "Anything else?"

"Horror films…uh…death metal…especially Disturbed!"

"Disturbed isn't death metal." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow barked a rather vulgar insult at him that made steam come out of Kyoshiro's ears. "I'm gonna fucking—!" Kyoshiro began and Blue put a hand on his shoulder and he looked over at her, all smiles now.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"We have to find a good boat. Care to help?" She asked and Kyoshiro said, grinning, "For you, I'll find the fucking Titanic." And he walked off to help search. He used to steal motorboats sometimes so he had a good idea of how to drive them.

He also knew what to look for.

Grimmjow followed him, still taunting. "And what will you find for me?"

"I'll tell you what. A great big brick to shove up your—"

Elsewhere, Weed and Ulquiorra were checking the remaining boats. A lot of them were either on fire or had sunk. "Will this one do?" Weed asked, pointing to a red boat. Ulquiorra stared and said, "Notice that the controls are broken."

"Oh…"

"Hey, Captain?" Kyoshiro called, pointing to a black and white motorboat. "Will this one do?" and Ulquiorra and the others hurried to it. The controls were not broken and the boat showed no signs of damage.

They started her up and took off up the river, Kyoshiro driving.

Grimmjow turned on the radio and started listening to the loud song they were playing, tapping his feet.

Ulquiorra stared back at the city they were leaving behind and sighed. He hoped they would be able to make it to the airport and soon. He heard the song "Trouble" by Pink start to play and he glared over and Grimmjow and found he was pretending to play a guitar and Kyoshiro turned up the volume and began head banging. "Alright, we're almost there," Kyoshiro called. "Hold on."

Blue smiled and rested her head on her arm, closing her eyes. Weed stared ahead, excitement gleaming in his eyes as he waited for them to get there.

Within minutes they had found a pier and left the boat and traveled along a road on foot. Kyoshiro voiced a sudden question, "How do you think the Army's gonna get to the airport?"

Ulquiorra shrugged. I'd imagine they have some form of transportation, such as helicopters. Those who had helicopters needn't go to the airport. Some, in large groups, walked and—"

As Ulquiorra continued his explanation, Grimmjow and Blue walked on in silence. Weed was starting to fall behind, feeling tired from walking for so long. Kyoshiro kept a close eye on him as well as on Blue.

Weed finally stopped a little behind them, resting against a tree, tired out from all the walking. Kyoshiro doubled back and said, "How are you holding out?" and Weed said, "I'm alright. We've just been walking none stop for days. But it's nothing I can't handle." The young boy said, clearly determined to not look weak.

He was very young after all and it was only natural he'd be this tired.

Kyoshiro walked out in front of him and said, "Hop on, kid." And Weed hesitantly climbed onto his back. Weed seemed very tense, not wanting to put his weight on Kyoshiro's body. "Relax." And Weed slowly relaxed, falling against Kyoshiro's form.

Kyoshiro began to walk, able to walk tall with the young boy riding on his back. Weed closed his eyes and said, "Thank you." and Kyoshiro grunted in response.

"You can sleep if you like."

"Hell no he can't!" Grimmjow called. "If a horde comes we'll have to look out for both of you!"

"But we can do that." Blue cut in and Kyoshiro looked over at her and saw her smile at him. Normally she gave him the cold shoulder.

Kyoshiro grinned at her and said, "Sleep, Weed. I can look out for the both of us."

"But…"

"Sleep. Or I'll make you."

Weed instantly fell asleep.

Blue chuckled. So beyond that tough façade, Kyoshiro had the heart of a marshmallow, huh? Blue fell into step beside Kyoshiro and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra walked with them up the piers until they found shelter in a safe house located in a tunnel entrance to the highway.

* * *

Grimmjow woke to the feeling that he had wet his pants. Except that he couldn't have done that…could he? "Oh shit." And he sat up and looked down, the floor was wet. Oh shit. Wait a minute!

Water was leaking under the door! Grimmjow sat up and looked outside and what he saw made his stomach turn over. Water, huge amounts of it, heading directly towards them!

"WAKE UP!" Grimmjow yelled and he flung open the opposite door and yelled, "GET UP! THERE'S A FLOOD!" and within seconds everyone was on their feet as the glass around the door broke and water began pouring in. The water level rose higher and began leaking through the bars.

Kyoshiro flung himself to his feet and tore towards the door, pulling Weed with him. Ulquiorra seized Kyoshiro and Weed's guns and ran to the door with Blue following him and Grimmjow slammed the door behind him and before they could run down the tunnel the ground began shaking.

Grimmjow expected a Tank but it was something much worse.

The walls began cracking, the cracks spread to the ceiling and the ceiling began to collapse all around them, water began to pour into the tunnel from behind them and it came in massive waves.

The ground began cracking and separating as they ran through the tunnel, the water bursting through the safe house doors and coming in from the ceiling.

Kyoshiro pulled Weed with him, yelling at him to move faster. Ulquiorra leapt over a hole in the floor and landed on a car, the car began slipping backwards and he leapt off and began to run up the tunnel, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

And the worst bit about this whole thing was that the tunnel was full of traffic, empty cars were everywhere, making running almost impossible.

Grimmjow tore forward, ahead of his group, running fast, ducking between cars and running sideways as he passed through two cars very close together. And then he couldn't run anymore. He got caught between two cars and started struggling.

He looked over his shoulder and before he knew it, he was submerged completely. He was pulled forward, everything speeding by him, only missing cars out of luck as they were pushed past him.

Blue ran ahead, the water lapping at her heels. And then a car smashed into her back and sent her flying underneath it as the water plowed her.

She smashed into a truck and just as she did a car slammed into her, pinning her against the car. She was trapped. She struggled, unable to breathe as water filled her lungs.

Ulquiorra forced himself above water and saw something that made his heart sink. The tunnel entrance was being blocked up by falling debris and cars! The water level was rising as it fought to find a way out and Ulquiorra knew if the water didn't carry them quickly enough, they would all drown.

Weed was pulled forward, terrified, unable to control where he was being pulled or how fast. His hands lunged at anything in sight, desperately trying to hold on to something, anything. And then something smashed into him, searing pain pierced his back and he yelled out, choking.

He was pulled through the window of a car. The car turned upside down, left, right, and collided with everything in sight. And Weed couldn't get out, his head was aching, every part of him hurt and he was terrified.

Kyoshiro looked around, unable to see anyone anymore. He smashed into a truck and yelped in pain. He clung to it as the water raced over his head. And then he saw something. It was Blue!

He dove under and began pushing the cars away from her, but to no avail, nothing worked. He grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her out but her hand slipped from his as the car collapsed on her and Kyoshiro's yell of horror choked him. He was losing oxygen fast but he refused to give up. He swam downward and began pushing on the car, she helped him. He put both hands underneath the car and began to lift it with extreme difficulty and as it rose a few inches, she began pushing herself out.

Spots were popping in front of Kyoshiro's eyes as the need for air became too much, but he was sure that her need for air was greater than his. And he pulled hard on her hand and within seconds she was out and swimming beside him just as a car smashed into Kyoshiro's back.

Rocks were falling fast over the entrance and it was almost blocked. The water level almost touched the ceiling now. Ulquiorra lay against the rocks, attempting to push them. And then a car was sent flying into them and the water exploded form the tunnel, sending cars flying out onto what remained of the road.

Grimmjow was flung forward, head over heels, and almost fell many feet down as he stopped right next to a hole in the road. He clung to the edge, desperate to hold on as the water passed over him. And then the water was gone and Grimmjow looked up in time to see a car tumbling towards him, breaking the concrete as it rolled directly towards him.

And then a hand grabbed Grimmjow's wrist and wrenched him away from the hole just as the car fell through the hole all the way to the bottom and exploded.

Grimmjow looked up and found Ulquiorra lying right on top of him, his hand in Grimmjow's and Grimmjow relaxed up until he started expelling the water from his lungs. Ulquiorra looked down, coughing himself and said, "Anything broken?" and Grimmjow said, coughing hard, "Nothing." And Ulquiorra relaxed, his head hitting Grimmjow's chest, his small chest rising and falling faster than usual.

Grimmjow grinned despite all that had just happened. Ulquiorra looked cute when his hair was drenched. Grimmjow himself, to Ulquiorra, resembled a goofy sheepdog because of the hair that covered his face. And then Ulquiorra looked around and when he spotted no one he immediately became agitated. He sat up and called, "Blue? Kyoshiro? Weed? Are you here?" and there was a call from somewhere in the tunnel. "Ulquiorra, is that you?" and Ulquiorra hurried forward and found Blue slumped on a piece of concrete, drenched.

Blue saw Grimmjow hurry over and he said, "Is anyone else here?" and Blue suddenly sat bolt up right and looked around, eyes wide. "Do you know where Kyoshiro is?" she asked and Grimmjow shook his head. Blue's eyes widened and she hurried through the tunnel.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra split up to help in the search for their two missing companions as well.

Blue called twice and when she received no response she hurried through the tunnel, looking for the place where she had been caught. She saw the truck and hurried towards it.

Kyoshiro was lying on his stomach, soaked to the skin and unmoving. Blue gasped and ran to him. She knelt down beside him and turned him over onto his back. "Kyoshiro! Kyoshiro, wake up!" Blue pressed her head to his chest, listening. She heard nothing.

For a moment, she was stunned into silence. She put her hands on his chest, lifted them and slammed them down. "Kyoshiro, wake up, please wake up!" she cried.

Grimmjow appeared behind her, holding a barely conscious Weed in his arms, Ulquiorra stood behind him. Both of them were silent. Weed let out a soft gasp of horror and he tried to get down to get to Kyoshiro and Grimmjow said, "Hold still, dammit, your leg is in bad shape, alright?"

"Let me go, Grimmjow, let me go! Kyoshiro!" Weed called, struggling and Grimmjow only held him tighter. "Dammit, would you be quiet? You can't do anything by going to him, alright?" But Ulquiorra could see that Grimmjow's face wasn't angry despite what the tone of his voice said, there was something else in his eyes and his body language that suggested that he was nervous, maybe even scared.

Blue listened at the man's chest and still heard nothing. Fearing the worst, she tried again and received no response. "No, come on, you can't die for me!" she begged. "…Not for me…" she whispered, her voice breaking. She looked down at Kyoshiro and felt tears fill her eyes.

"…I'm so sorry, Kyoshiro." She whispered.

A cold hand closed over hers and she immediately went quiet and looked down, beautiful blue eyes widening in shock when she saw gray eyes open and stare back into hers.

"Heh, like water could kill me."

"Kyoshiro!" Blue exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug.

A broad grin split Grimmjow's sullen face and Ulquiorra sighed with relief. Weed gave a gasp and Grimmjow gave him a quick squeeze as Weed tearfully smiled over at Kyoshiro.

Kyoshiro stared up at Blue in surprise, a frown on his face. "Why would you do that? Cry for me? A guy you barely know…"

Blue smiled down at him and said, "I thought you had died for me. I would have missed you."

Kyoshiro didn't seem to know what to think and he said, "You would have missed me? Me, of all people?"

Kyoshiro numbly put a hand on Blue's shoulder, tentatively returning the hug, slowly taking in what she had said to him. A smile slowly spread across his face and he rested his head against her shoulder.

"…Thanks, Blue."

* * *

While Kyoshiro had survived the hit, his ankle had been twisted, which was much better than what could have happened, given the circumstances. Blue and Weed offered to take turns helping him walk but Kyoshiro was stubborn and insisted that he didn't need any help.

They all walked along down the drenched road, dim sunlight shining down on them as they walked side by side, Kyoshiro only a little ways behind.

They followed the road until they found a sign that said JetBlue Airport 50 miles and kept walking. The road was rough, cars were scattered in and out of their path, and holes were here and there due to the earthquake.

Grimmjow leapt over a large hole and Blue helped Kyoshiro across despite his protests. Ulquiorra jumped across and Grimmjow caught his wrist in case he were to fall and they proceeded onward.

None of them spoke much. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra occasionally taunted each other and bantered amongst themselves, in a playful way. Weed kept quiet, making it his job to watch out for Kyoshiro. Blue walked beside Kyoshiro as well, also watching out for him. Kyoshiro walked with purpose up the road, never showing signs of pain.

They had to rest around sunset and they found an overturned truck to rest under as the rain came, hard and cold, the rain clouds blocking what light there would have been from the sun.

They all lay in the back of the truck, Grimmjow had slid the door closed to keep out the cold, but it only closed half way. It was raining very hard.

"…Do you think things are ever going to go back to normal?" Weed asked and Grimmjow could tell this was troubling him. Grimmjow scowled, "If the disease goes airborne then no. If we keep it contained in this state then there might be a chance." Ulquiorra answered, failing to hide a shiver as the wind picked up outside.

"What if it never does go back to normal?" Kyoshiro asked bitterly, "Then what?" and Grimmjow was silent, suddenly afraid to think such a thing. But Kyoshiro had a point. What if the world never did go back to normal? Every human being would become a mindless, violent, zombie. What if when they were rescued—_if_ they were rescued—the pilots were infected? What if the disease just spread and spread? And what if they did get to wherever they were going and the disease and the military found them there?

Mankind no longer had control over the world they had created. Everything was going crazy and soon, Grimmjow would have no control over what remained of his life either.

"I want to get out of this hellhole." Grimmjow said, his voice low.

Ulquiorra looked up and his large emerald eyes narrowed slightly in worry. "Is something bothering you?"

"…I just realized I had absolutely no life before this. I barely lived before this. Now the world's ending. I really fucked up." Ulquiorra frowned. "What brought this up?"

"I have no idea." Grimmjow mumbled, looking up at him and finding those green eyes staring back into his. "What were you doing before this shit?" Grimmjow asked.

"Nothing I am proud of." Ulquiorra answered, staring out into the rain.

Weed answered, "I was trying to feed my mother. My father was a man in the army and when he left to go investigate the outbreak, she got sick. They took her to a hospital somewhere…"

"She had it." Kyoshiro said bluntly and Weed said, loudly, "No she didn't! My mother had been sick for weeks! She didn't have the infection!"

"Well, if she didn't then, she definitely does now! Everyone does." Kyoshiro answered and Weed said, angrily, "You can't be sure about that!"

"Hell yes I can!"

"Oh shut up!" Grimmjow snapped and both boys went quiet and Grimmjow said, "If the kid wants to be in denial, let him. He can be disappointed later!"

Weed turned a hard gaze out towards the rain and then his face fell. Grimmjow and Kyoshiro both saw the tears pricking at the young boy's eyes and Kyoshiro sighed and said, "Listen, even if she was alive, she'd be all the way back in the city. She could be anywhere. Maybe your dad is still alive though." Kyoshiro looked very guilty and when Weed ignored him he curled up in a corner of the truck.

Blue hadn't joined the discussion because she had fallen asleep hours ago, tired from the hard day. Grimmjow glanced from her to Ulquiorra and found the smaller man attempting to find warmth in the truck by moving from place to place.

Getting annoyed with Ulquiorra's shifting about, or so he told himself, Grimmjow shrugged off his precious vest and he handed it to Ulquiorra. The man's emerald eyes blinked at him, seemingly uncertain as to why Grimmjow would offer him that.

"Take it. Your moving around and shivering is pissing me off." And Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra hesitantly slip it on over his shoulders. It was bigger than his shoulders and seemed to swallow his shoulders whole. Grimmjow didn't want to, but he grinned at the sight.

His grin turned to laughter and Kyoshiro and Weed joined in and Ulquiorra's lip twitched in response to the laughter, his eyes softening just a little as he zipped up the vest.

* * *

"You know, guys, I really think we have a chance!" Weed called over the screaming wind and vicious rain. They could barely see a thing in front of them and it was freezing.

Grimmjow sneezed loudly and yelled, "Weed, are you being sarcastic?" and Weed called, grinning over at him. "No. I'm dead serious. I really think we'll be okay!"

"Weed if you don't stop being positive, I'm going to blow up the plane just to make you sad!" Grimmjow called and Weed said, "Being positive has never wronged me before, Grimmjow. Maybe you could learn from it?"

Ulquiorra was still wearing Grimmjow's vest so he was probably the warmest out of all of them…which was not saying much since it was almost below freezing. Kyoshiro cursed and called, "I think I can see a sign!" and he hurried to a road sign and called, "Two more miles!"

Blue shuddered violently and staggered forward, struggling to see through the rain. "Stay close!" she called. Kyoshiro let out a yell of, "SHIT!" and Ulquiorra and the others hurried to him only to find a huge hole in the road right in front of Kyoshiro.

They would have to walk from here.

The five comrades set off through the grass towards the airport, knowing only that they had two more miles left and that they should keep their eyes peeled for the airport.

They trudged through the rain and mud, shivering. Occasionally they'd come across high water and Weed would go splashing through it. The rain slowly began to clear and, out of annoyance, Grimmjow poked Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra poked him back. They both started poking each other which then turned into a shoving match.

Kyoshiro splashed in a large puddle and hurried forward, grinning as he realized he could see the road. They all got back on the road and continued, climbing around and over cars as they went, a new energy flaring through them as they realized that this nightmare was almost over.

Ahead of Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and the others stopped walking. Grimmjow hurried to them and a grin split his face. Down below them was JetBlue airport, waiting for them.

And then his grin vanished when he saw how trashed it was. A plane had crashed below, fire was everywhere and the airport was overrun. "Of course." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow reloaded his gun. And then Blue saw Ulquiorra frown. "If the Military had gotten here they would have cleaned it up before getting a ride out of here. What if the Airport isn't working?"

Grimmjow clapped a hand on his shoulder and Ulquiorra shuddered at the contact. Grimmjow's hand was warm, a complete contrast to his own skin. He felt his large hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Then we'll _make_ it work. We're getting out of here." And Grimmjow hurried towards the airport with his friends following him.

* * *

The airport truly was a mess. Abandoned luggage was piled here and there and a plane had crashed right into the ground and filled the whole area with debris and fire. Kyoshiro eagerly checked the remains of the plane and found some first aid and called, "Come talk to the doctor!" and Blue hurried with Ulquiorra to receive treatment from the two first aid packs he'd found.

Weed and Grimmjow looked around the airport, trying to find a way to the landing paths. Weed peered through the smoke and flames and called, "There's a parking lot on the other side of this plane. All we need to do is get to it, keep going through it and see what we find on the other side."

Grimmjow nodded and hastily fired at the infected scaling the rooftops. Weed hurried around the destroyed plane, clearing a path for his friends and his four friends followed. Blue ran by a car and called, "Don't shoot that car!" and Grimmjow grinned. He shot it.

"You jackass!" Kyoshiro bellowed and Grimmjow started laughing as the screams of the infected filled the air. Weed groaned angrily and started shooting the infected running towards them. Kyoshiro scowled and hurled himself at Grimmjow, smashing an elbow into his ribs as a Charger (the infected with the big arm and overalls) charged by them, narrowly missing them both.

Weed stumbled behind a car and he and Blue both heard a high pitched squealing right behind the car. Blue and Weed turned around to find a woman behind them, fat, long necked, and with her mouth seemingly ripped open and spouting a foul smelling, hot green liquid.

"Oh shi—!" Blue began and the thing spat stomach acid at them. Weed and Blue leapt back and Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro both yelled out in pain and shock as the acid began to burn through their shoes. Weed shot at her and the woman died with a squeal, a pool of acid sizzling around her for a few seconds after she died. Ulquiorra heard the car alarm stop and the last few infected were shot by Grimmjow and the others.

Kyoshiro turned a furious gaze on Grimmjow but before he could speak a Charger rammed him, sending him flying away from the rest of the group. The Charger and Kyoshiro both smashed into the wall and the Charger proceeded to ram him into the ground before Weed got to it and shot it. Kyoshiro sat up and saw Grimmjow running over. He fired at Grimmjow's feet and Grimmjow raced away from him as Kyoshiro fired at his feet, deliberately missing but still eager to scare him.

"Don't shoot me! Don't shoot me!"

"Don't you fucking run away from me! I'll kill you!" Kyoshiro yelled as Grimmjow bounced away from him. Ulquiorra sighed and Blue placed a hand on Kyoshiro's arm and said, "Don't waste your bullets."

"Hey, guys! I found the terminal! Let's move!" and they hurried to Grimmjow to begin the journey through the airport.

The lobby was a mess, of course, luggage was scattered here and there, chunks were missing from the ground and the roof had caved in due to the earthquake and in some places, entrances were blocked.

Zombies wondered through the halls, fighting with each other or just staring blankly. Grimmjow finally found a door that wasn't blocked and opened it, holding it for his friends before walking through the passage after them. Kyoshiro ran into a room and fired at two men and a woman, killing them, before grabbing some pain pills and taking one. "I got some pills here." He called and when no one showed signs of needing them he pocketed them.

They entered the lobby and found that every entrance except the ones that led outside was blocked. The screens above the counter were blank and the counters were deserted, some covered with blood, and the lines that led to each counter had been knocked over and ripped and broken.

Kyoshiro called, "Boomer!" and with a bang there was a huge explosion of blood, leaving behind a gristly torso. "Boomer?" Blue said and Kyoshiro explained, "The fat ones. They explode on you. I haven't seen that many of 'em though."

Grimmjow peered through his scope and fired at five zombies almost out of sight, killing them. Blue beckoned to the baggage department and Grimmjow sighed. "Great, in with the bags. Wait, this'll be cool." And he immediately crawled through the small opening.

The conveyor belts had all stopped working. Zombies were in the room and Grimmjow immediately shot two of them dead. Weed, Kyoshiro, Blue and Ulquiorra hastened to help clear the pathways and began shooting them.

Grimmjow felt a jolt go through his body was a large fist smacked him in the back of the ribs as he was leaving and with a loud snarl he turned around and shot it in the face. "Fucker." He heard more bangs as Kyoshiro killed more below them. Grimmjow and the others took the stairs that were positioned here and there and finally found a door that led them to another room in the airport.

The room was apparently where people would be scanned for anything dangerous in order to pass through and wait for their plane. Grimmjow shone his flashlight into corners, scowling. Ulquiorra stopped walking behind him and looked around. "It's quiet. Too quiet." Ulquiorra heard Kyoshiro grumble. "Where the hell are those bastards?"

And a shrill scream filled the room, making every jump. The "scream" was turned out to be an alarm that had been triggered when Weed walked through a metal detector.

"WEED!"

And screams filled the area, the sounds of footsteps breaking the silence.

Weed's face fell.

"Sorry!" Weed exclaimed exasperatedly, for he had not known that a metal detector would still work even when the power was out.

"Move, let's move." Ulquiorra hissed, retreating backwards as men and woman tore towards them from left and right. They raced around the corner, running into a room full of cushioned seats, the large windows showing the flight paths below them.

Blue looked to the right and saw a red steel door. "Get to that safe house door!" she called and her friends hurried past her, shooting at the zombies that tore towards them.

Grimmjow yelled in annoyance when he felt fists raining down upon him from behind and from the front. There were so many! He shoved them away and Kyoshiro shot them for him. Then, laughing manically, something landed on Kyoshiro's head and wrenched him away from the crowd, pulling him away towards a corner.

"Get this thing off my back! Get it off!" Kyoshiro yelled.

Grimmjow attempted to get to Kyoshiro but a zombie latched onto his back, its teeth attempting to get at his neck. Grimmjow slammed himself against the wall and Ulquiorra shot it in the head. Weed spotted a zombie heading for Grimmjow's right and fired at its back twice. And then something vomited on all of them, blinding them.

Weed fired blindly in the horde, unable to see. "Get those doors open!" Weed yelled and seconds after the words left his lips, he was thrown to the ground, in pain and unable to move as the horde pinned him.

Ulquiorra fought his way through the crowd and wrenched Weed to his feet. Grimmjow flung open the doors while Blue shot the men and women trying to get at Grimmjow and then Grimmjow tore inside followed by Weed and Ulquiorra. Blue then looked around, scared that she couldn't see Kyoshiro and saw that he was nowhere to be seen.

Blue called, "Where's Kyoshiro?" and Grimmjow and the others ran back out and began shooting at the horde, trying to find Kyoshiro. Blue finally found him lying on the floor being kicked to death by the horde and yelling at the zombies and shooting at them, but more only came. Blue and Grimmjow ran forward and pulled him to his feet while Ulquiorra and Weed kept a look out for more. There was more coming.

Grimmjow scowled and flung Kyoshiro over his shoulder and tore for the safe house door with his four comrades running after him. Grimmjow slammed the door shut and locked it, falling against the wall with a groan. Kyoshiro, panting, looked at Grimmjow and managed to say, "Thanks…I guess…" and Grimmjow only growled.

Weed handed Kyoshiro a first aid kit and Blue and the others began to patch themselves up as well. Ulquiorra waited by the door, staring out over the airport, tapping his foot. He couldn't wait to get out of here and stop fighting for his life every second.

"Are we all ready?" Ulquiorra asked and Weed called, "Ready!"

"I'm cool." Kyoshiro said, reloading his gun.

"Let's go." Blue said and Grimmjow stood up, strapping a first aid kit to his back. "Let's get the fuck outta here—what the hell?" a loud rumbling filled the air along with the sound of what was unmistakably an engine!

Weed and the others hurried out onto what remained of the bridge and they all looked to the sky, eyes widening. A plane was flying across the fiery sky, heading towards the landing path. One of its wings caught the glare of the sun, making them all blink.

And then it turned sideways and its wing struck the ground, tearing up the floor. And then the plane crashed, sliding across the floor, heading right for them. And then the plane exploded, the explosion shaking the floor and sending flaming parts flying through the air and the plane stopped moving across the ground and whatever remained of it lay still.

"Holy shit!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Grimmjow yelled, "Did you see that?"

"That was awful." Blue murmured, eyes wide. "I sure hope no one was on that." But she knew the chances were slim. Weed said softly, "It would have been better than landing here."

Ulquiorra scanned the destroyed grounds, more planes had crashed today, the sky was turned a bloody color because of the smoke and Ulquiorra could make out more zombies below them. And then he heard something, a yell, "You there! Ya'll looking for a flight out of here?" And Kyoshiro grinned and called, "Hell yeah!" and Weed said, "I can't believe it! Someone's really here! Someone's here!"

"Yes!" Blue yelled, smiling from ear to ear, the first real smile in days. Kyoshiro grinned at her. A real smile looked beautiful on her. Not that he wanted to be a mushy sap…but he kind of wanted to leap for joy and hug her.

"We're really gonna get out of here after all!" Grimmjow yelled, slapping Ulquiorra on the back, "What did I tell ya?"

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and he said, "Let's get out of this hellhole."

"That's the spirit!" Grimmjow said, laughing as he hurried through the airport, shooting the infected that he came across.

A plane, a military plane by the looks of it, was parked beside a large fuel truck. "Answer the radio!" The voice was coming from a radio lying against the chest of a dead man. Ulquiorra answered it and said, "Get us out of here."

"I will, but only if you'll do me a favor and help me get some fuel in this plane, kid! Do you see the gas pump? I need you to turn it. The pump'll make a real racket though, so ya'll make sure you're ready for a fight before you gas her up!"

Grimmjow looked to his right and found, on a crate, first aid and ammunition. "That's sure strangely convenient." He said, hastily reloading his gun. Weed was smiling so widely he didn't even seem to care that they would have to fight in order to get out of here alive. "I'll start the pump!" Weed called eagerly, hurrying to it and Ulquiorra hastily hurried to the crate next to Grimmjow to start reloading his gun.

"Ready?" Weed asked and Blue nodded. "Do it." And Weed started the pump. "Where do you think the pilot will take us?" Grimmjow asked, grinning at Ulquiorra. "Well hopefully he won't take us to the military, where they will most definitely line us up against a wall and shoot us dead."

Ulquiorra reached for the ammo at the same time Grimmjow did. It was probably an accident, but Grimmjow's hand ended up on top of Ulquiorra's. "We're getting out of here. And if the military tries anything, I'll cut 'em to ribbons…or I'll shoot 'em to ribbons." Grimmjow added. Ulquiorra looked from their joined hands to Grimmjow's face and saw an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Here they come." He murmured, his hand tightened once on Ulquiorra's before he moved his hand from Ulquiorra's to finish reloading his weapon. "Let's kick some ass!" Kyoshiro called, grinning and licking his lips excitedly, "We're unstoppable!"

"Yeah!" Weed called pumping his fist.

And then there was a loud hacking cough and Blue was constricted by a long, slimy tongue and pulled away from the group just as the horde appeared from all sides. Kyoshiro tore after her and shot the man behind her as he began clawing her back. He was a man with an almost undistinguishable face due to the tumor-like lumps on his face. His tongue seemed to go on forever and it was effing disgusting. There were also green spores coming from his body.

Kyoshiro shot him and he died in a large puff of thick green, cloudy, smoke. Coughing, Blue and Kyoshiro removed themselves from the cloud of smoke and found the horde coming from behind them. They both turned to face the horde and Kyoshiro called, "Ready for some fun?"

"Oh yeah, ready." Blue answered, smirking.

Blue hurled a Molotov into the oncoming crowd and within seconds, zombies were set aflame. Kyoshiro grinned, shooting one coming at Blue from behind, "How would you like your zombie? Shot, blown up, or aflame?"

"All three." She answered and Kyoshiro hurled a pipe bomb into the horde with one hand while shooting at the ones that ran towards them. Blue hurled another Molotov and Kyoshiro grinned as the zombies began running in all directions, on fire. "Not bad!" he called and Blue smiled at him. "I could say the same for you!" Kyoshiro grinned back.

The pipe bomb went off and the fire shone in both their eyes as they stared at each other before hastily looking away and continuing to shot zombies. "Stop lookin' at me! Makes me feel like a freak!" Kyoshiro called his face a light pink. Blue ignored him, her face feeling warmer than usual.

Grimmjow tore by, calling, "Stick together you dumbasses!" and Blue tripped him. Grimmjow turned his trip into a clumsy tumble and kicked a zombie in the stomach. Then Grimmjow fired at its knee cap and its leg came off. Grimmjow stared and looked away. "Eugh!" he exclaimed almost comically.

Ulquiorra meanwhile stood by the truck, Weed behind him, shooting at the large groups that ran towards them. Ulquiorra looked through the fire that burned almost everywhere, squinting. He could see silhouettes moving towards them. He waited, his heart beat exhilarating.

And then he charged at them, loading his gun as he ran. He leapt above their heads firing down at them, hitting each and every one of them exactly where he wanted. He landed on the floor right behind their corpses.

Grimmjow ran by them, firing at them. One got too close and Grimmjow smacked him away and Ulquiorra shot the man in the head. Blue and Kyoshiro stood behind them, Weed on the right, all of them in a small crater in the floor, forming a circle as hundreds ran towards them. Grimmjow was sure he had never seen this many. They came from all sides, endlessly.

"Let's give them the fight of their damn lives." Grimmjow said, grinning. And Kyoshiro ran forward with a battle cry, slamming his fist into a woman's face, she staggered back and tore at him with sudden speed, almost knocking him backwards. Kyoshiro shoved her away and then something leapt at him and knocked him to the floor. Kyoshiro kicked him off and shot the man in the head. He didn't die and simply charged forward. Kyoshiro shoved him away and just as he did, Grimmjow leapt on the man as he ran by.

Grimmjow got on one knee while Ulquiorra stood behind him, shooting over his head into the crowd. Some refused to fall and ran forward but they were struck down anyway. Grimmjow was laughing as he shot at the men and woman. Ulquiorra tried not to notice that had a good laugh.

Weed hurled a Molotov and his side of the fight caught fire. The fire spread due to the close contact, setting almost all the men and women on fire. And then something leapt from the fire, still alive, with a scream it pounced on Ulquiorra, throwing him away from the group and began clawing at his stomach, gouging deep cuts into his skin.

Ulquiorra struggling, trying to push the hooded zombie off of him but was rendered helpless by the attack. Grimmjow panicked, unable to reach him. "Ulquiorra!" and Weed lunged and smashed into the zombie, knocking him off Ulquiorra. Weed took his baseball bat from the floor and swung it at the man's head, breaking his skull. Weed ran to Ulquiorra and helped him to his feet and immediately shot the woman kicking at Ulquiorra.

Blue was pinned behind them and the woman above her began lunging at her neck, screaming. Blue kicked her in the stomach, throwing her off. She lunged back at her and Blue leapt over her head and landed on her, sending her flying. Grimmjow tore through the horde, literally, using his fists as well as his gun, smashing his gun into the skulls of several.

Grimmjow heard a bellow and turned around. A Charger was tearing towards him. Kyoshiro yelled a warning but muttered, "Finally someone else, that's so sweet." And then the Charger halted mid run with a screech and swerved violently in his direction! Kyoshiro screamed and the Charger plowed him, breaking through the crowd and smashing against a broken down plane.

He lifted Kyoshiro from the ground and slammed him down onto it with such force it left Kyoshiro unable to breath, his skull aching. Grimmjow fired at the Charger's back and it died after a few shots. Kyoshiro flung himself to his feet with a yell of annoyance.

Kyoshiro and Grimmjow ran back to the group but got cut off half way by the infected that ran towards them. Grimmjow slammed his elbow into a man's head and smashed his knuckles into a woman's chin, breaking her neck. Kyoshiro grabbed a man by the shoulders and threw him into an oncoming crowd, knocking them over.

And then something plowed into Grimmjow's back and almost bowled him over. The man was shot down by Ulquiorra as the man burst into the picture, slamming the butt of his gun into a woman's face. She staggered and Ulquiorra shot her.

Blue hurried forward with Weed, still holding his precious baseball bat. "Duck, Ulquiorra!" Weed called, swinging his bat at a man's ribs. And then with a loud groan, a Boomer woman vomited on Grimmjow, obscuring his vision. The horde swarmed him, coming from all sides. Grimmjow pushed them away, shot at them, but was almost helpless. He was thrown down and the zombies clamored all over him, kicking him, tearing at him and hitting him.

One lunged for his face with its teeth and Ulquiorra wrenched it away and shot the Boomer. At close range and she exploded on them all, obscuring their visions with bile. "Sorry!" Ulquiorra called.

"The tank is half way full!" the pilot called. "But I'm experiencing some difficulty!" Ulquiorra mumbled a curse and smacked the zombies away from Grimmjow and heaved the man to his feet. "Did you get bitten?"

"Fuck no." Grimmjow answered, slamming his elbow into the side of a woman's head, knocking her away from Ulquiorra. Blue slammed her foot into a man's ribs, throwing him side ways. "Keep it together, guys!" Blue called and she raised her fist and punched a woman away from Weed. "Watch out!" she called, firing over Kyoshiro's shoulder at two men lunging for him.

Kyoshiro smacked one away and kicked him in the stomach while Weed eagerly watched his back, hurting any zombie that ran towards him. Ulquiorra slammed a hard kick at three, killing one of them and dodging a hit from two of them. Grimmjow took care of the two bothering Ulquiorra and hurled his last Molotov into the crowd, barely dodging the flames.

Weed rammed his body against an infected, throwing him sideways and Grimmjow shot the man for Weed as he ran by. Weed leapt back as a man lunged for his neck and Weed swung his bat at his neck.

Something slammed into his back, multiples fists hit his back and Weed turned around, swinging his bat into their sides, killing some and throwing them back. Weed winced ."Sorry." he mumbled, hurrying to help Grimmjow. A woman lunged for Grimmjow and Weed caught her, pushing her away.

Her nails raked at his neck and she slammed him to the floor, lunging for his throat. Weed began desperately pushing her back but as only tried harder, his teeth barely grazing his neck.

With a yell, Weed seized her arm and flipped her off of him, throwing her to the ground. He lifted his bat and slammed it into her chest, throwing her backwards into a flaming corpse. He looked away hastily, taking no pride or pleasure from what he was doing.

"We're just about ready to go, survivors!" the pilot called from the radio. And then, with a roar, the engine of the cargo plane sputtered to life and the wings began to spin.

"About damn time!" Kyoshiro called.

"That's the last flight out of here, let's move!" Grimmjow yelled.

And they all raced to the plane as the back began to lower. Ulquiorra tore forward and he could hear Grimmjow yelling, "Move, move, move!" and then zombies were in front of them, their attacks slowing them. Weed threw two aside and Kyoshiro rammed them out of the way, dragging Blue by the hand.

And then the ground began shaking and Grimmjow turned around only to be struck down to the floor. A rock had collided with him, throwing him to the ground.

A ferocious bellow was heard and Grimmjow saw a Tank racing towards him, the ground shaking as it ran. It lifted a rock from the floor and hurled it at him, Grimmjow covered his head and flung himself to his feet, tearing towards the plane. And then the Tank was right beside him. A fist struck him in the ribs and Grimmjow was sent crashing across the floor, striking his head against the floor.

Blue felt Kyoshiro's hand leave hers as a hooded infected hurled himself at Kyoshiro, knocking him to the floor. The infected men and women swarmed him, kicking him and hitting him as the hooded man tore at Kyoshiro's stomach. Weed ran forward, yelling, and slammed his bat into the hooded man's head. Kyoshiro was pulled to his feet and hurled towards the plane just as Ulquiorra hurled himself inside.

Blue looked around, eyes widening. "Where's Grimmjow?" she yelled and Ulquiorra's stomach turned over in horror. He looked out from around the plane and saw many infected forming a circle around one of the biggest infected he had seen yet. He remembered it only too well. H remembered the fear he'd felt when facing it in the alley. He remembered the damage it had been able to do with only a single hit. He also remembered that Grimmjow had risked his safety to save Ulquiorra from it.

And Ulquiorra called, "Stay there and cover me." And he ran from the plane.

"Ulquiorra!" Weed cried, horrified as the pilot called,

"Listen I cannot hold us here much longer!"

"Hell yes you can!" Kyoshiro yelled.

Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue began to shoot at the zombies that ran after Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra ran forward, shoving zombies out of the way and snarling when they hit him. He began shooting into the crowd surrounding Grimmjow and then realized that wouldn't work. He got down on one knee and pointed his gun right at the Tank as it turned in his direction.

And he fired right into its eye, the bullet pierced through its head and it fell to its knees. And Ulquiorra was running before it hit the ground. He was by Grimmjow in a second and lifting him from the ground. And from all sides the infected came, running at them. There was another Tank, possibly even bigger than the last one.

Ulquiorra ran to the plane and Grimmjow had just gotten in when it started to move. And then Ulquiorra was knocked away from the plane by a massive chunk of rock, thrown from the Tank.

"Okay, we're taking off!" the pillow yelled.

Grimmjow's gaze met with Ulquiorra's. The man lay a good few feet away from the plane and a Tank was running at him. Grimmjow let out a growl and leapt from the plane just as it began to move. "Grimmjow!" Blue yelled.

Kyoshiro watched, eyes wide, half terrified, half amazed. Then he snapped himself out of his stare when Weed called, "The only thing we can do for them is shoot! Help me!" and Kyoshiro and Blue and Weed began to kill any infected that came near Grimmjow as he ran for Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra only watched, amazed. And then Grimmjow screeched to a halt in front of him. And before Ulquiorra could so much as blink, Grimmjow flung him over his shoulder and began to run up the runway, zombies coming from all sides and closing in on them.

The Tank swung it's massive fist at them and Grimmjow screamed at Ulquiorra, "Shoot the damn Tank!" and Grimmjow began to move left and right and jump up and down to avoid the Tank's fast swipes. The plane was now rising off the ground.

"Shoot it!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra began shooting at the Tank as it tore towards them, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed began helping as well.

The plane was getting higher and higher.

And then Grimmjow yelled out in anger and turned around and began running at the Tank.

Blue screamed and Kyoshiro yelled, "What is he doing?"

Grimmjow raced towards the Tank and Ulquiorra yelled, "What the hell are you—?"

"This gonna hurt! A lot!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened as the Tank drew back its fist and punched them right off the ground.

They flew backwards through the air, both yelling in horror. And then they were tumbling head over heels and then they both hit the wall with a loud crash!

Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro were by them in seconds, relieved and telling them how worried they were or how awesome that was. Grimmjow's eyes opened and then Ulquiorra's and both men realized that they were in the plane, surrounded by their friends and alive!

They both stared at one another, eyes wide, shaken and breathing heavily, disbelieved that they had actually survived. Blue eyes met green eyes and held that gaze and then Grimmjow grinned widely and a smile graced Ulquiorra's face. And then they were both laughing and Grimmjow leaned his forehead against Ulquiorra's.

They were safe at last.

* * *

Good things had to end.

Within a good few hours of being rescued they had been flying across the border of Mexico. And then the pilot got infected. He must have gotten bitten before he had taken refuge in the plane. That had to be the answer.

It was barely dawn when they crashed into the desert.

Any hope that they had had hours ago was gone along with the plane and the dead pilot and they simply stood in the desert seconds after the crash happened, no longer knowing what to do.

Grimmjow had never felt this kind of defeat before. Everything felt hopeless. He could no longer control his own fate. The desert would take him. Or maybe he had been bitten and just couldn't feel it? He would sooner die in the middle of nowhere than become infected but he no longer had that choice. Just as mankind had lost control of their world, he had lost control of his.

And it was a terrible feeling.

And then Weed stood up and began to walk, he took a few steps forward and stopped, turning his head in their direction. He waited. And Kyoshiro stood, slinging his gun over his shoulder as he did so. He turned to Blue and held out his hand, shyly avoiding her eye contact. Her blue eyes met his gray eyes and she took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Ulquiorra stood to his feet, letting out a soft sigh as he glanced at Grimmjow and found that the man's gaze was on the floor. Grimmjow's eyes found Ulquiorra's and he looked away. Ulquiorra leaned down to his level, a pale hand sliding over Grimmjow's.

Grimmjow entwined their fingers and lifted his head slightly, the emotion in that emerald gaze almost taking his breath away. Ulquiorra's gaze told him one thing. "I am not leaving you here."

Ulquiorra was not leaving him behind. If he was going to sit here and wait to die, Ulquiorra was going to sit here and wait to die with him. From the beginning of this whole mess they had been together. They had all been together.

And the only good thing out of this nightmare was that it had brought Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed into his life.

Grimmjow stood up, never removing his hand from Ulquiorra's, his other hand encircling Ulquiorra's waist, pulling them flush together.

Grimmjow kissed him, his heart feeling as if a firework had gone off inside of him, filling him with warmth. His heart was beating so fast and it only beat faster when he realized how well Ulquiorra fit in his arms. As if Grimmjow was supposed to hold him.

He heard Ulquiorra inhale sharply through his nose and felt the man's small body tense against his. Ulquiorra's hand tightened against Grimmjow's for a moment and then Ulquiorra's body relaxed, his smaller hand sliding up to rest against Grimmjow's cheek.

Ulquiorra kissed Grimmjow back and he felt Grimmjow melt into him. Ulquiorra's heart was beating so hard he was sure Grimmjow could feel it. He was also sure he felt Grimmjow's knees shaking and he wanted to laugh. That really was adorable. They were both scared and they were both feeling the same joy right now.

They were in this together. And they would get out of this together.

They both moved away, inches apart, eyes staring into each others.

Grimmjow was sure this was the first time he had ever seen Ulquiorra truly smile. And it was fucking gorgeous.

Kyoshiro wolf whistled.

Grimmjow wanted to be angry but instead he laughed. Ulquiorra chuckled, his smile touching his eyes and Grimmjow grinned back and began to walk beside Ulquiorra with Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed beside them.

Kyoshiro hesitantly slipped an arm around Blue's waist and she didn't push him away. Instead she only smiled. Kyoshiro pulled her close, a wide smiling gracing his scarred face, and allowed her to rest her head against his shoulder.

And the five friends walked through the desert, the sun shining down on them. Their situation was horrible; they were hungry, tired, thirsty and scared.

But they didn't despair, instead they made the most of what they had in order to survive. They walked on for days helping each other up if they fell and encouraging each other when things looked bleak. And Kyoshiro could be seen giving Weed piggy back rides when he wasn't holding Blue.

Each other was all they had and so they took care of each other and didn't abuse one another, working together, as they had back in New York and New Jersey, to help one another find food and what little water there was.

They wouldn't have made it without each other.

And days later, their hope was rekindled by the sighting of a city.

Monterrey.

They stopped walking along the roadside and simply stared in amazement at the city ahead of them. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue stood in stunned silence, staring down into the city below, unable to believe it.

If Grimmjow had been a lesser man, he would have been moved to tears. He was moved. But instead of crying like a lesser man, he tagged Ulquiorra and raced away down the road, laughing like an idiot. Kyoshiro followed him, laughing as well. Blue and Weed took off, cheering. Ulquiorra simply stood there on the hillside, staring down into the city. And then he smiled to himself before running into the city after his friends.

They had really made it.

And up above them, up above Monterrey, above Mexico and the United States, above the world itself; a military satellite focused itself on Monterrey.

_United States; Mexico, Monterrey_

_Population: 1,130,960_

_Initiate Containment Protocol_

* * *

"Where's the ambulance? They said they'd be here an hour ago!"

The voice was panicked, very clearly panicked.

"Ulquiorra, calm down. It's a busy city."

The voice was young and spoke with a calming tone.

"C'mon, Grimmjow's tougher than that! He wouldn't die from hitting himself in the head!"

The voice was cool and yet exasperated.

"It is in their line of duty to be on time when someone is hurt. They are trash."

The panicked voice again…did he know this voice?

"I just got off the phone; they said that there was a traffic jam and that they are on their way."

This was a woman's voice.

"Stupid Grimmjow."

It was the panicked voice from before.

"Oh, Ulquiorra, he's fine!"

The female voice again.

Grimmjow's lids felt heavy but he opened one anyway and was almost blinded by the sunlight shining through the window. It was sometime around sunset…wait a minute? Where they in Mexico…or—?

Wait a minute!

Grimmjow sat bolt up right and looked around. Everyone in the room jumped away from him in shock. Grimmjow's mouth turned downward in a deep frown. Wait a minute…that amazing experience…that whole thing had been a _dream_. A _dream_! An amazing, epic, _dream_!

Grimmjow grinned, "I have something epic to tell you— FUCK!"

Ulquiorra had walked over and smacked him in the face with his Left 4 Dead video game case.

"I expect you think it's funny?" Ulquiorra said coldly, glaring down at him and Grimmjow yelled, "What? Stop being a bitch the instant I wake up! I just had the most epic dream in the history of epic dreams!"

Kyoshiro was all ears. "Really?"

"It was about the zombie apocalypse! And we were all in it! We fought our way through Manhattan and New Jersey!"

"Whoa!" Weed exclaimed and Blue smiled widely. "Sounds you like you had a good time wherever you were. Ulquiorra however has been worried the entire time you've been out."

Grimmjow turned a teasing stare in Ulquiorra's direction. "Aw, really?"

"No, she's lying." Ulquiorra answered, rapping Grimmjow on the head with the case of his game. "Ow, then why are you so pissed off?" Grimmjow asked, taking a swipe at him with his fist. Ulquiorra, who had been kneeling above his torso, jumped off and said, "What makes you think that?"

Weed sighed.

"Oh I don't know, maybe your acting out of character and getting angry at me for being out for hours?" Grimmjow asked angrily.

"Does your head hurt?" Weed asked and Grimmjow looked at the small dog and said, "A little…what happened?"

"You were playing and you smacked yourself in the head." Kyoshiro explained, pointing to the control lying on the table. "With that."

Grimmjow rubbed his head. There was definitely going to be a lump on his head.

"Okay, forget calling the doctor. I'm okay. I'm gonna continue playing my game." Grimmjow said, standing up. Ulquiorra twitched. "You're going to do what?"

"Can I go after you?" Kyoshiro asked eagerly and Grimmjow said, "Let me think about it." And before Kyoshiro could respond, Grimmjow turned to Ulquiorra and said,

"I'm going to continue playing my game, dumbass. Pass me that control will ya? Oh and tomorrow I want the sequel." Ulquiorra took the control before Blue could and stared at the bump on Grimmjow's temple. His eyes narrowed.

He walked to the television, knelt down and seized Grimmjow's Xbox and carried it from the house. Grimmjow's head swung in Ulquiorra's direction and he ran after him, yelling, "Oi, what the fuck are you doing?"

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed ran after him, confused and willing to intervene should a fight break out.

Ulquiorra walked outside, opened the gate and chucked the Xbox into the road, dusted his hands and stood off the side as Grimmjow came outside, angrily saying, "Where is it? That thing still has my game in it—!"

And everything that happened next, passed by in slow motion.

A motor could be heard and they all turned to look down the road…Grimmjow turned, staring through the blinding sunlight, squinting…

And then they saw it…

A FedEx truck was driving up the street, its white coat of pain caught the glare of the setting sun... And Grimmjow's eyes widened in horror as he realized what was about to happen…

"NO!" He cried and he ran towards his Xbox…in slow motion!

Grimmjow ran towards the street, running desperately towards his precious Xbox, calling out at the truck to stop! He was inches from it! His hand stretching out towards it— and then the truck ran it over, its wheels crushing the Xbox in an instant!

The pieces flew everywhere and Grimmjow stopped dead, his whole body frozen in horror as he saw the Left 4 Dead disk fly through the air, blocking out the light of the sun for mere seconds before breaking apart!

And then, through the pieces, he saw…Ulquiorra…smirking at him.

And Grimmjow ran at him, screaming at him and pointing. And finally they stood face to face both yelling at each other, Grimmjow enraged and Ulquiorra indifferent. And then Ulquiorra ran away up the street and Grimmjow, still yelling, ran after him.

And Kyoshiro was yelling too, infuriated because he had wanted to play that game! And, yelling, he ran after Ulquiorra and Grimmjow.

And to break up the fight, Weed ran off, calling after his friends to calm down and clearly distressed by the arguing.

Blue sighed and ran after them just for the heck of it…and to ensure they didn't all end up killing each other.

And together, the five friends ran off, Ulquiorra running ahead in victory, Grimmjow running after him in anger, Kyoshiro running after _both_ of them in anger, Weed—still yelling at them to calm down—running after them to find a resolution and Blue ran just for the fun of it.

And they disappeared into the glorious sunset!

* * *

That's the end of this two part now I'm on to the next one...which I still need to plan out a little more before I get to writing it. The next chapter will be more about Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue but I'm not going to completely ignore Grimmjow and Ulquiorra! I just want to center more on the dogs for the next chapter because sometimes I feel like I neglect them. ): I hope it doesn't feel that way. I also want you guys to get to know them more. I also know that I wrote about the "hooded zombie" a lot. xD I didn't realize how many times he kept popping up in this until i spell checked it. xD The "hooded zombie" is a Hunter from left 4 Dead, all the special infected (Boomers, Smokers, Witches, Tanks, Spitters, Chargers, Hunters, Jockeys) all are from the Left 4 Dead games. They are such awesome games. My favorite character from L4D would be Francis. I like comparing him to Grimmjow. x3 They are alike in several ways. And they are both hawt.

My favorite part of this chapter was writing Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's "first" kiss because it was so sweet and then the scene when they support each other after the plane crash. Ah, luv luv.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these two chapters, I really enjoyed writing about the end of world. Its a cool topic.

Till next time! 8D


	18. Adventure 18

**Adventure #18**

**Obsessive**

It was a beautiful day in New York City. The flowers were in bloom, the sky was cloudless and a bright blue. The trees had sprouted flowers and bright green leaves and the air was full of the smell of life.

It was June 11th and that only meant one thing! Summer was in the air!

And summer only meant one thing.

It was time for late spring cleaning! The day that all slackers despised and the day that cleaners who lived with slackers feared and loathed.

While Blue and Weed and Ulquiorra bustled about, Grimmjow relaxed against the counter while Ulquiorra stood behind him, cleaning it.

He snapped out of this however when Blue came running by with a huge box of stuff and Grimmjow yelled, "Hey! Where are you going with that?"

"Throwing out the mountain of things in your closet that you've never used." Blue called, throwing the box outside into the yard.

Grimmjow tore after her and returned inside with his box, grumbling. "This is my stuff, woman! You can't throw it out!"

Blue groaned and walked by him while Ulquiorra hurried to start mopping the floors. Weed hurried to a trash bag, holding a paper plate with dust and dirt on it, in his mouth.

"Wow, the floor under our bed is disgusting!" Weed exclaimed, coughing and sneezing. Grimmjow simply relaxed against the counter while his friends ran around working. "Yeah, horrible huh?" Grimmjow said, yawning.

"And I know someone who should be helping." Blue said with a glare at him and Grimmjow said, "Oi, I cleaned the bathroom!"

"Not only you, Grimmjow. Kyoshiro!"

"Yeah yeah. What I want to know is if we have enough time to clean this shitty house, why aren't we out there making money? Or at least getting food?"

"The money that went into paying for that car you wrecked, the house you destroyed while wrecking the car and those parking tickets we got because of your lousy driving, ate all our money right up!" Blue exclaimed, clearly angered.

Grimmjow's face fell. "Oh."

Ulquiorra sighed. "And I got fired from my job at the store after my boss found out I didn't know one of his workers was a thief and stole the money from the cash register."

Something crashed to the floor and Ulquiorra instantly tensed up. Grimmjow frowned. It was easy to see Ulquiorra was stressed out and that thought made him feel a little guilty about losing all their money.

And the fact that they were cleaning also added another dosage of stress for the man. He tried to act like he wasn't bothered or stressed out by anything but Grimmjow could practically see the stiffness in his shoulders

And Ulquiorra was also acting weird. He would often wring his hands together when he thought no one was looking, his brow would furrow and he would tug on the tight emerald turtle neck sweater he was wearing. There were no other shirts in the house to wear because every article of clothing was at the cleaners. Grimmjow knew that Ulquiorra hated tight shirts, he hadn't worn one since the day he had been held hostage by Shizaa. Grimmjow had a feeling he knew why.

The straps Shizaa had put on him had been the reason he couldn't get away. He had been rendered completely helpless. When he wore anything tight around his chest it must have felt like…

Grimmjow felt something clench in his chest and he scowled. He didn't even like thinking her name. He just liked to call her a bitch but even that didn't sit well in his head.

That event had left a mark on him as well as Ulquiorra. And he knew it had to his canine friends. They got worried whenever Ulquiorra was out too long and as well as whenever Grimmjow left. Grimmjow still had scars from that time he was attacked by "Skull" Alaron Blare's men.

Weed still had nightmares about that event and he knew because Kyoshiro told him. Weed apparently still blamed himself. Grimmjow knew Ulquiorra still blamed himself for not being there to help him because the nightmares were there too. Nightmares about Shizaa and Grimmjow's attack.

Grimmjow also had his fair share of nightmares but he refused to talk about them. He refused to admit that he woke up shaking and worrying that, somehow, he would wake up and find that Ulquiorra was gone.

There had been times where Ulquiorra would wake up in a cold sweat, shivering and gasping, letting vulnerability show when he thought Grimmjow was asleep. And as soon as that fear would show he would stop moving, as if he were rebuking himself, and then he would try and sleep again. Grimmjow would have held him except he knew it wouldn't help and his pride wouldn't let him.

Weed was too young to have those horrors in his head and as for Ulquiorra…if nightmares could take any physical form Grimmjow would have destroyed them a long time ago. But these were terrors he couldn't destroy to keep from scaring them. He couldn't kill those images. It was beyond his control and he despised knowing he was powerless.

"Grimmjow?" Weed's voice interrupted his thoughts and Grimmjow looked down. "Hm?"

"You look sad. Are you alright?" and Grimmjow suddenly realized how his facial expression had changed and he scowled at himself. "Yeah. I'm fine." Weed stared up at him for a moment and said softly, "Are you thinking about…her?" Weed's voice was a whisper as he spoke and Grimmjow's eyes widened.

How the hell did Weed know?!

"What? No!"

"Oh…I thought you might be because. It's the 11th of June and I thought it might be bothering you."

"Why the hell would that—?" and Grimmjow's eyes widened in horror. "What?"

Weed looked upset that he had reminded Grimmjow and he said, "I'm sorry that was…that was inconsiderate…"

Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra who stood across the room, dusting the bookshelves. He felt his heart clench and he looked away and glared at the opposite wall, unable to speak.

The 11th of June was the day that Ulquiorra had been kidnapped.

* * *

The crowd roared as Kyoshiro was slammed against the wall with force strong enough to break a bone. Kyoshiro was drawn back and slammed back into the wall before he was hurled to the floor, grinding his jaw together to keep from crying out in pain.

The monstrous man in front of him was 100% muscle and 0% brain. But that didn't mean he didn't pack a good punch.

Kyoshiro spat a tooth out onto the ground and said, "Don't tear your outfit breaking my ass, sissy boy. Looks like your boyfriend put a lot of effort into making it." And he sat up and jumped over the man as he ran towards him with an angered bellow.

Kyoshiro landed on his shoulder and jumped off, dodging the kick the man sent at him before throwing in a hard punch to his face that sent the man staggering backwards into the wall.

The man hurled a punch at him that Kyoshiro dodged and sent back at him and didn't miss. Kyoshiro took a moment to clap in time with the blaring music, jumping from one foot to the other before kicking the man in the face as he got up.

The man ran at him and Kyoshiro jumped around him, grinning. "Think you can tear my head off? Bring it on, bitch!"

Kyoshiro slammed him against the wall and made to kick him in the chin but he foot was seized and twisted and Kyoshiro yelled out in pain as he was dragged across the floor hurled into the wall with a crash.

"Not bad! You surprise me! Now come on and come at me with all you've got!" Kyoshiro yelled, grinning like a lunatic.

The man tore forward and Kyoshiro kicked his feet out beneath him and slammed his foot into the man's face. The man was sent flying to the sides and Kyoshiro sprung, seized him by the hair, and hurled him into the opposite wall.

The man smashed into the wall and didn't get up. Kyoshiro accepted the drink offered to him, downed it, and then he was plowed and slammed into the wall twice by the man he was fighting.

Kyoshiro was thrown to the floor. Kyoshiro planted two hard kicks in the man's stomach and then he was lifted up by the shirt and punched in the face, twice. Kyoshiro hit the floor with a groan.

The crowd began booing loudly and angrily and Kyoshiro heaved himself to his feet, cracking his jaw back in place.

The man was grinning viciously at him and Kyoshiro raised both hands and said, "Okay, you've won. Happy? Go fuck yourself." And he made to leave. Of course he wouldn't _really_ leave a fight. He would be considered a coward. It was just an act.

And then, half way to the gate he stopped walking.

And then he turned around and sent a punch flying over his shoulder at the man's face. The punch hit him in the eyes and, momentarily blinded, he sent a blind punch at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro blocked and slammed his elbow into the man's ribs, twice.

And then he slammed his fist directly into the man's stomach and kicked him. The man crashed right through the wooden barriers and didn't get up. The crowd stood in shocked silence and Kyoshiro crossed to the man standing at the gate and took his winnings.

And, bruised but proud, he took his leave, a wide smirk on his face.

Now at least his friends could afford to eat something.

* * *

Grimmjow peeled off his large shirt and tossed it to Ulquiorra. "Wear it." He ordered and Ulquiorra frowned but removed his emerald turtleneck and slipped on Grimmjow's large, black, t-shirt. Grimmjow saw him relax a little and he grinned widely at the sight of Ulquiorra in a shirt almost ten times larger than his body. It was frickin adorable!

Ulquiorra frowned and said, "Grimmjow, might I inquire—?"

"Shut up and let me talk. I want to uh…shit…" Grimmjow stopped, pondering over how to say it. Ulquiorra looked up and Grimmjow could see impatience in his eyes. If his slender hand hadn't been over his lips, they probably would have been turned down in a frown.

Grimmjow scowled and felt pressured. "I want to take you."

Ulquiorra looked up sharply and Grimmjow added very quickly, "I want to take you _out_!" and Ulquiorra chuckled softly behind his hand, eyes closing. Then the emerald eyes opened as he fully realized what Grimmjow said. "You want to take me out?"

Grimmjow nodded. He had been planning this for a while now, just to have a day entirely to themselves, away from the house. And he decided that, today of all days, Ulquiorra needed to build some good memories of today, not bad ones.

_But it ain't a date. I don't do dates. _

Grimmjow scowled as those thoughts entered his head and he glared at the floor. Only romantic saps went on dates! He _definitely_ wasn't a romantic sap!

_A-anyway! Dates are when two people, a man and a woman, go out together. For men it's a night on the town. Not a date. What _does_ make a date anyway?_

Ulquiorra said, "But what about Blue and the others?"

"They can manage by themselves!" Grimmjow exclaimed impatiently, annoyed by Ulquiorra's inability to relax and be willing to have a good time. "So, what do ya say, Ulqui?" Grimmjow asked, grinning and plopping down on the bed beside him. "You wanna have a good time?"

Ulquiorra stared at him, considering. "…It sounds…exciting, I have to admit." And Grimmjow scowled. "Oh come on, Ulquiorra! Get out and live for a day! Just stop analyzing things and worrying about things and just say yes! Anyway, I know you've been dying to get me alone." Grimmjow added, smirking widely.

Ulquiorra frowned a little. "Is this a…date, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow snarled. "No, it isn't! I don't do dates, Ulquiorra! This is just…a night on the town between two guys. Oh for the love of—!"

"It's a date then."

"No!" Grimmjow exclaimed angrily, heat going to his cheeks.

Ulquiorra said, "Your embarrassment and fruitless denial is strangely endearing. When do you want to leave?"

Grimmjow gave him a wide eyed stare for a moment, surprised (and a little annoyed) by the choice of words. Before he could protest to being called cute, Ulquiorra made the decision for him. "We leave in a minute. Dress formally and be ready to go." And Ulquiorra was already pulling off his black t-shirt when Grimmjow looked up. "Leave." Ulquiorra said, feeling Grimmjow's eyes on his strong back.

Grimmjow stood and then stopped in the doorway. "Oh and it ain't a d—!" and Ulquiorra sighed, walked over and closed the door. He rested his head against the door, feeling a small flare of excitement.

And then he frowned a little.

What exactly did two people _do _on a date? And what was Grimmjow's idea of a date?

He would have to find out later.

* * *

"What do you mean, Blue?" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Blue said, "They left! Grimmjow put a note up on his bedroom door saying that he took Ulquiorra out for the night! While that is nice, it leaves us at a disadvantage because house cleaning will take longer." Blue said, frowning as she sat down on the sofa with a growl.

Kyoshiro scowled. "Joy." And he rummaged in his pockets for his mp3 player. He had taken to listening to the radio for job advertisements just in case something caught his interest. "We all gotta work. No dog sits this out. Damn Grimmjow…" the white haired male grumbled.

Blue scowled at him and said, "He's not the only one who lost us money you know, Kyoshiro. You caused quite a few accidents yourself."

Kyoshiro gave a jolt and Weed said, "I'm pretty sure we all caused our fair share of accidents…I hate to admit it, but none of us are very careful when we're catching criminals."

Kyoshiro began to listen to the radio.

A man's voice boomed from the small ear plugs. "Are you looking for something that will change your life?! Are you ready for the biggest piece of news that will alter your life forever?!"

Kyoshiro's eyes widened in excitement and Blue said, "Something good?"

"Then get ready to have sparkling, white, shiny—!"

"TEETH!" and Kyoshiro's grin turned into an angry scowl. "Oh come on! White teeth?! Isn't it enough that they haven't fallen out?!" and he smashed his mp3 player against the table with a snarl on his face.

"Kyoshiro you're going to break it." Blue noted and Kyoshiro sighed and released his crushing grip on the mp3 player. Kyoshiro turned around and said, "Weedy, any suggestions? Weed? Weed!"

Weed was gone.

Kyoshiro sighed. "Damn it. Where'd he go off to now?"

* * *

Weed walked up to his neighbor's house and knocked once. An old woman answered and smiled politely. "Yes young man?"

"I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help out today?" Weed suggested.

This old woman had moved in last week and Weed, out of kindness, offered to help her get her things inside. He ended up helping her organize the entire house and she eagerly paid him for his troubles. Weed was called in every time she needed help with something and paid.

Of course he had felt guilty about her paying him for just helping her out, but she insisted that he take the money.

"How sweet of you to ask, but I am quite fine today, young man." She said with a smile. And Weed took his leave. He liked to drop in every now and then to see how she was holding up—that and her cookies were delicious.

He frowned. He had been using his money to help his friends but right now he was very short on money. They all needed jobs…so _he_ was going to get one for them. It wouldn't be a big job, probably just helping out at a local store, but anything would help.

He went from store to store, asking if there was any job available, but they all said no.

_They probably think I'm too young. I'm plenty reliable. _

Weed thought with a frown. He went up to another deli and said, "Hello?" And a man at the counter turned around and said, "Yo." He looked angry. Weed apprehensively approached the counter and said, "Is there any work available here for me?"

"Hell no, no one would hire you! You're barely even up to my shoulder!" Weed scowled. "You don't know that." He said and the man scowled when he realized that the boy in front of him was serious.

Before Weed could leave however, the man said, "There's a big office building just across the street. The boss frequents here and he's always complaining about how he needs more janitors. Try there." The man grumbled and Weed smiled, thanked him, and left.

The woman at the front desk looked down her long, pointy, nose at him and said, adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses, "Uh, you answered our ad?"

Weed said, "Not really, but I am here for work. I didn't know there was an ad." He added, nervous that maybe he had done something wrong. The woman frowned. "What type of work?"

"I'm willing to be a janitor here." Weed said, getting a little more nervous as her stare grew colder and colder. "You're a little young," she said coldly, "Aren't you?"

"Yes, I know I am, but that doesn't mean I can't do a good job." Weed said, gaining a little more confidence as he spoke. The woman stared and said, "We'll see…our last janitor quit. He worked on floor 60, the door to the left, down the hall. Talk to Mr. Aaron Roaf."

Weed hurried to the elevator and hastily pressed the button for the final floor of the building. The doors opened and Weed hurried outside into the small hallway. He hurried towards a large wooden door at the end of the hallway. He passed a window and peered down below. He was very high up!

Shuddering, Weed knocked and waited.

"The door is not locked, come in." said the voice and Weed pushed open the door.

A man sat at the desk, going through a small pile of papers. Weed sniffed quietly, using his canine senses to investigate the man in front of him. He smelled clean, too clean perhaps, he had an air of nervousness about him and he smelled sweaty to prove it.

He also smelled satisfaction. And a sense of relief. But there was something wrong; something Weed couldn't place his finger on…

Then the man looked up and smiled a rather cold smile and said, "Hello. My name is Aaron Roaf. Linda, the woman at the front desk, informed me that you are looking for work. I was told you were young, but _this_ young—" and Weed said, "I can still be of use though. I can clean well enough."

"I see, you wish to be a janitor. Very well, you will be in charge of cleaning this floor of the building, our last janitor quit due to his age."

"Really? Thank you!" Weed said, smiling gratefully at his new boss.

"However, you are not, ever, to touch my desk or anything on it or go through my drawers or arrange anything. Do you understand? In fact—!" the man seemed to hesitate and Weed frowned. His desk must be of great importance to him.

"I understand, sir, you can trust me. I won't touch a thing." Weed said, honestly. The man frowned, seemingly suspicious. The man sighed and said, "Welcome to your job, Mr.…?"

"Weed."

"Mr. We—wait, what?"

* * *

Blue frowned and set the cell phone down. "He isn't answering his cell phone." She said with a nervous sigh. Kyoshiro growled a response from his computer. "He can take care of himself." But Blue could tell Kyoshiro was nervous.

"I know he can but still…I think we should go look for—"

"No we shouldn't! He's fine."

"You're worried."

"No I am not worried, I just—!"

Blue made to interrupt when the phone rang.

Kyoshiro launched himself at the phone and Blue rolled her eyes. "Of course you aren't worried."

"I'm not, be quiet!" Kyoshiro snapped, picking up the phone.

"Yo, Weed, where are you?"

Blue saw Kyoshiro's body freeze and she was immediately alarmed. "What is it?"

Kyoshiro gave a stiff nod and said, "Yeah…yeah, got it." And he set the phone down and immediately began heading towards the door.

"Kyoshiro what is it?" Blue asked, unnerved.

Kyoshiro called, "Weed's at Mercy Hospital. Something's happened."

And they were both out the door in a matter of seconds.

* * *

Ulquiorra blinked.

When did Grimmjow do fancy restaurants? And how was he able to get a reservation at such a fancy joint…especially when he was supposed to have zero money.

It was an Italian restaurant with gorgeous marble floors and a fireplace that was used during the winter. Some seating areas had couches to sit on for groups and those that didn't had fancy red cushioned chairs with overly large tables.

There were also Greek pillars and a large chandelier. Gargoyles of open mouthed lions emerged from the ceiling.

It looked more like a banquet hall than a restaurant and the people here all wore suits and fancy dresses.

Even Grimmjow had had to wear a suit in order to get in here.

Ulquiorra felt small. Very small.

"Oi, you gonna walk in or am I gonna have to shut the door on you?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra hastily walked through. "How did you manage—?" Ulquiorra began but Grimmjow was lead away by a waitress and Ulquiorra followed.

He had…booked a private room for both of them.

She left them alone and they both seated themselves and Ulquiorra looked around the room. The marble floors were the same and there was a fireplace that was meant to burn on cold nights and a chandelier hung from the ceiling, the pillars were there as well in all corners of the room and Ulquiorra frowned.

"How did you manage to get a reservation?"

Grimmjow grinned. "I have my ways."

"When you have zero money?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow went silent. Ulquiorra wondered if Grimmjow hadn't been planning this for a while.

Ulquiorra felt strangely spoiled and he looked at his empty plate.

"Isn't this a little much?"

Grimmjow looked up and scowled. "Hell no. Why?"

"It's just a date, isn't it?" Ulquiorra said and he saw Grimmjow's blue gaze furrow a little. "It ain't a date!"

"Sure." Ulquiorra said, finding amusement in Grimmjow's denial.

"The date has nothing to do with it!" snapped Grimmjow and Ulquiorra felt confused. "You aren't making much sense."

"It's because it's a date with _you_, not because it's a date—and it isn't a date!" Grimmjow added the last bit with haste and Ulquiorra felt his heart jump at Grimmjow's words.

Ulquiorra felt his face getting strangely warm and he hastily began to sip his water, avoiding Grimmjow's gaze.

He chanced a glance at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra felt his mouth twitch.

Even with his suit, the man still had the urge to remind the world that he was still Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and wear his skull bracelet. He also left his dark blue dress shirt unbuttoned around the chest and his tie was crooked. He still looked good, Ulquiorra admitted.

He reached across the table, seized Grimmjow's tie and said, "After that speech I gave you, you still can't tie a tie to save your life." And Grimmjow jumped on the defense and said, "At least I don't waste my time giving speeches about _ties_."

While Ulquiorra was busying himself with Grimmjow's tie, Grimmjow leaned across the table and whispered, "I do know for a fact that I could put _your_ tie to better use." And as he spoke, Grimmjow used Ulquiorra's tie to pull him closer.

He felt Grimmjow's large hand settle at the nape of his neck.

"You know, it's a bad idea to wear a suit, Ulquiorra. Makes me wanna rip it off of you."

And then both of them looked around when they heard a small squeak. It was the waitress, and something told them both that she had been around long enough to hear their rather strange flirting.

Grimmjow growled and tightened his hold on the nape on the slightly red-faced Ulquiorra's neck. "Uh…you are…uh… are you gentlemen ready to order?" the waitress asked, eyes wide and looking nervous.

Grimmjow smirked. "Spaghetti and meatballs for me."

"Fettuccini Alfredo." Ulquiorra answered.

"Would you like anything to eat—? Sorry! Anything to drink?"

"Red wine for both of us." Grimmjow answered, falling back into his chair and the waitress hastily left, very red in the face and looking slightly traumatized for whatever reason imaginable.

Ulquiorra ignored Grimmjow's laughter and sighed. "How you love to torment me." Ulquiorra said, hiding the small smile behind his hand.

"Oh you have no idea." Grimmjow said a wide smirk on his face.

* * *

Kyoshiro and Blue arrived at the hospital, room 46, and Kyoshiro burst through the doors and looked around wildly. "Weed?! Weed!" and they both spotted a familiar person sitting at the foot of the bed.

He turned towards them and before he could speak, Kyoshiro smacked him upside the head and yelled, "You aren't even hurt! They made it sound like you were hurt! Where the frick did you go?! Where?!"

Weed rubbed his head. "Ow."

Blue yanked Kyoshiro back by the sweatshirt and said, "Calm down, he's fine, isn't he?"

Kyoshiro only snarled and Blue turned to Weed and said, "We were worried about you—as you can probably tell by his behavior." She added, smiling at him. "Where did you go? And why?"

Weed looked concerned. "I didn't mean to make you all so upset. I told you where I was going, don't you remember?"

Blue blinked, confused and Kyoshiro said, "Hell no you didn't!"

Blue tried to remember and came to the conclusion that neither of them had been listening when Weed told them. "So why are you here?" Blue asked, over Kyoshiro's ranting. "You aren't hurt so—"

"Oh, that's right!" Weed exclaimed softly, pointing towards the head of the bed and Blue went silent when she saw what Weed was pointing at.

A little girl, probably around four or five, lay in bed, asleep.

Kyoshiro turned to Weed and said, all anger forgotten so suddenly it was creepy, "Where did you find her?"

"I found work at a large building and was given the duty of cleaning the building. I just started when I heard a thud outside the office I was cleaning next to. I didn't think much of it first until I heard a thud right against the door and realized that it was locked from the inside. I had been told to stay away from this office but I…well, I suppose I did the right thing because there was a girl bound and gagged in the closet, under lock and key, I only found out it was a little girl after the police arrived and got her out. I called the police, they came with an ambulance and they were nice and took me along with them to the hospital because I was worried about her. I wanted to contact everyone but Grimmjow isn't answering his cell phone so I couldn't contact him."

"She was bound and gagged inside a busy office building?" Blue said, frowning. "Why would someone do that?"

"The office was said to be empty since the guy working there quit and no one had gone in there for a while, I could tell. It was all dusty."

Kyoshiro was frowning. "Sick bastards." He wasn't even sure he wanted he imagine why she was bound and gagged in the first place. Weed seemed to know what he was thinking and he said,

"The doctors found no trace of sexual abuse, only physical." Weed said and Kyoshiro felt his heart clench and felt anger fill him.

Blue immediately began to head for the doors. "I'm getting some food for her." She called and Kyoshiro said, "The police could just as easily—"

"I know, but there's a deli right next door and I'm not going to waste anytime." And she hurried outside.

Kyoshiro glowered at the floor and said, "You aren't going back to that building, ever. You've just found something they were obviously trying to keep hidden. If whoever is responsible for this finds out that she's gone, we can't risk you going back."

"I know that." Weed seemed disturbed about the fact that a little girl had been held hostage in the very building he had wanted to work in and Kyoshiro ruffled his hair, "Hey, at least you found her."

And then a scream filled the room and Kyoshiro flung himself to his feet with a yelp of shock as the child in bed behind them awoke, terrified and hysterical.

She wouldn't let Weed or Kyoshiro near her for when they approached her she screamed, "No! No!" and writhed away from them. Kyoshiro called out, "It's okay, and it's alright! Your safe here, you're safe." But she wouldn't quiet.

Weed could smell the fear coming off her in waves and he felt helpless and scared as well.

Kyoshiro felt the strangest urge to wail along with her when he realized just how her fear affected him. He knew that fear; he knew that fear so well. He could remember screaming that way. He could remember the fear that came when he remembered that not even his mother could keep him safe, knowing that she wouldn't help him. She would watch, too scared to move and unable to stop crying.

The doctors came in along with Blue and began yelling things to each other. All of them heard the doctor say, "Sedate her. She may be hallucinating."

Blue exclaimed, "Or she's terrified! She's just woken up in a room she doesn't recognize right after suffering physical abuse from a complete stranger! She's terrified!"

The little girl continued to wail, hysterical and even more terrified when she saw the white masks over the doctor's faces. Blue let out an impatient sigh and moved past the doctors and towards the little girl.

Blue knelt down in front of her and said, "It's alright, everything's alright. No one will hurt you." and the sound of Blue's voice almost immediately had a claming effect for the child stopped screaming and turned to hysterical sobs.

Kyoshiro saw Blue's eyes soften and felt something tug at his heart when Blue was embraced and clung to desperately by the child.

Blue's hand gently stroked the little girl's hair in a comforting motion, Blue soft voice whispering gentle words against her ear.

Kyoshiro felt himself relax, listening to her gentle voice, feeling the sudden storm inside him slowing. He felt a smile spreading slowly across his face.

She really was something.

* * *

"Well, Blue ain't letting that child out of her sight." Kyoshiro said as he and Weed waited outside the hospital room. Weed nodded. "The police should be here in a moment…I wonder if we'll be able to find her parents." Weed mused staring up at the ceiling.

"Blue's really something, huh?" Weed said, smiling widely. Kyoshiro grinned. "Yeah."

"She immediately knew what the little girl needed, even when the doctors didn't. She's really amazing, don't you think?"

Kyoshiro grinned wider and nodded. "Frick yeah."

And then they both heard footsteps and looked up to find two police men walking towards them. Kyoshiro raised a hand and Weed said, "Ah, you're here!" and one of the men nodded and said, "We just have a few questions for you." Weed nodded.

"Why were you there?"

"I wanted a job and I was told I could get a small job at that building."

"Aren't you a little young to want to work?"

"That's what some people told me but I wanted to help my friends raise money so I thought I would be helping them by getting a job but…I guess I kind of made things worse for everyone."

"What job did they give you?"

"Mr. Roaf gave me the job of cleaning the floor his office is on." Weed answered and the police man said, "How did you find her?"

"I was cleaning the hallway and I heard a thud coming from inside the office down the hall. I had been told not to clean it because it was empty so the fact that there was any noise coming from in there was strange. I passed it off at first, but then I heard a bang against the door and I was immediately alarmed and I unlocked it and found her in the closet."

"Who asked you to stay away from that office?"

"Another janitor. His name was on his tag, his name was Joseph Hanson. He said to avoid cleaning it because it was uninhabited by anyone."

"Not very smart, keeping a child locked up inside a workplace." The cop grumbled and his partner said, "He probably used the place as a last resort, no one would really think of checking his office, they'd think to check his home, wouldn't they?"

"Anyway, thank you, Weed. You'd do well to stay out of that building. We're going to head back and question the others on that floor." He said to his partner.

And then Blue's voice sounded next to Kyoshiro. "She can't stay in the hospital." Both men stopped and turned towards her. "She hates it here and she isn't even injured. No broken bones or infection, concussion, nothing. I'm offering that she stay with us until you can find her parents."

"And what makes you think that you can take care of a child. It isn't your place to decide that." said the officer.

"Because we're perfectly capable and you can trust us. We've turned in criminals to your department before. Skull Aleron Blair, remember? We've also handed in other guys in different countries." It was Kyoshiro who spoke and Blue looked at him, surprised to find that he was supporting her and the idea.

One of the officer's frowned and said, "I think…I remember one of our men telling me of a kid called Weed and some guy named S…Schiffer…Schiffer? Was that it?" And Kyoshiro nodded enthusiastically. "Ulquiorra Schiffer. We also rescued the canine star Fido from Blair. We also caught the terrorist Amanda Griffon. You can't tell me you don't remember that one."

The police man next to the more cynical one suddenly gasped and said, "Are you serious?! I remember that woman! Some guy named…Grimm-something came up with this amazing plan and caught her! Oh my God! You guys are too cool! Larry, you remember the Griffon case, right?! These guys were _amazing_!"

Larry scowled and said, "Alright, alright, yeah I remember that! Fine, the kid will stay with you until we can find her parents! As long as you get the doctor's say-so." And he called, "We'll keep you informed, Team Grimmjow." And he walked off.

Kyoshiro scowled. "Team Grimmjow?"

Blue smiled at Kyoshiro and said, "Thank you. I'd just feel so bad leaving her here."

"But will she be alright leaving with us?" Kyoshiro asked and Blue said, "Are you kidding? She refused to let me leave until she had fallen asleep. She really is adorable. I wonder what her name is…?"

"I wonder why she was kidnapped." Kyoshiro said.

"Well, with any luck, the police will tell us." Weed said, his eyelids drooping. It was only 4:00 in the afternoon and already he was tired. It had already felt like such a long day…

Kyoshiro looked over when Weed's head slumped against his shoulder and he said, grinning, "Blue, we should get the doctor's say-so soon, cause Weedy's fallin' asleep on me." Blue smiled and said, "Thank you again, Kyoshiro." And Kyoshiro's face flushed and he said, "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

And Blue hurried off to find the doctor and Kyoshiro allowed himself a smile.

* * *

Kyoshiro stared up at the building in front of him and sighed before walking through the revolving doors. It was a flipping lawyer's office! The guy had kidnapped the girl and hid her in a lawyer's office! The guy probably had been a lawyer himself! Talk about ironic.

The only reason he had been able to get here was because of Weed who had sleepily told him the address and floor of the building before going to sleep.

Kyoshiro looked around and scowled once before proceeding to the front desk and waited for the woman to get off the phone. "Yo."

"Yes, it's so strange!" the woman exclaimed on the phone. "He stopped in again last night! Mr. Roaf leaves work after his shift is done and then he comes back even without having to do any cases, even after we've closed for the day, he comes, unlocks everything, deactivates the alarms inside his office, sits down and doesn't even work and—! And I only know this because one time he forgot the password to the alarm and the police came and—!"

"Yo!" Kyoshiro snapped, getting impatient and the woman glared at him and said "Excuse me, Velma. Yes, what do you want?" she snapped and Kyoshiro said, "I just want to know if any police stopped by this afternoon? Around 3:00?"

"They did stop before 3:00. With an ambulance."

"Wait, they haven't come back since?! At all?" Kyoshiro exclaimed and the woman said, "No, young man, they have not. Now, please." And she continued her discussion while Kyoshiro felt anger heat his blood. The police didn't believe them! The police didn't believe Weed's story about the girl even though they had been there and got her out themselves, they didn't believe a thing! For all they cared it was just a joke by some little kid!

_I guess we really are on our own from here. Stupid fucktards._

Kyoshiro proceeded to the elevator and went up to the floor Weed's boss worked on, trying not to imagine the police laughing their asses off at headquarters. It must have been the same two detectives from the hospital who came down to this building when Weed called them.

They had acknowledged the things Kyoshiro and the others had done in the past, but hadn't believed Weed's story?! What _asses_!

Fuming, Kyoshiro left the elevator and walked briskly through the halls. Those men were supposed to help people! Not whomever they believed was lying or not! Seriously!

Kyoshiro stopped in front of the office and knocked.

He heard footsteps and the door opened and a man appeared in the door way, looking tired. Kyoshiro immediately knew something was up with this man, he was very nervous and clearly stressed out about something. "Are you a client?" he asked and Kyoshiro nodded.

"Yes." Kyoshiro explained his completely false situation and watched the man's reaction to it. The instant he realized that this was a Lawyer's office he had quickly come up with a plan to investigate Weed's boss, watch his reaction to things, see how he operated, just to see if he could be the one who kidnapped the girl. He would 'question' other's on this floor too, but Weed's boss was his top priority.

"You may come in." the man grumbled, messaging his temples as if he had a headache. Kyoshiro stepped inside and looked around the place for a moment. His office was neat, as expected from a Lawyer, but somehow…something felt odd. The man smelled odd and the nervous smell only increased when Kyoshiro entered his work space.

"What's your name?" the man asked and Kyoshiro said, "Kyoshiro Shirogane. What's yours?" Kyoshiro asked and the man replied, "Aaron Roaf. Now, about your situation Mr. Kyoshiro—" and suddenly the door was pounded on very fast and the man jumped and said, "What on Earth?" and proceeded towards his door.

He opened the door and Kyoshiro saw a woman with long, curly, black hair standing there. She took sight of Kyoshiro and said,

"I'm sorry, you have a client?" Kyoshiro sniffed once and could immediately tell that she was very nervous, she was also very angry about something.

"Yes, Matilda, what is it? Can't you see I'm in the middle of—?!" his tone was very annoyed and Kyoshiro frowned. _He takes his work pretty damn seriously._

"Well, I need to speak to you about something very important. It's just come up." Kyoshiro saw Roaf's shoulders stiffen and sensed a very panicked air about him. _The fuck is going on here?_

"I am very sorry Mr. Shirogane but I will need to be excused from your presence for a few minutes."

"No problem." Kyoshiro said, shrugging and the man suddenly turned and said, "And, please don't touch or move anything on my desk."

"Got it."

And they both left the room.

And then Kyoshiro stood and proceeded towards his drawers. He opened one and browsed through and blinked when he saw just how neatly everything was arranged! He had arranged every case file, A to Z and according to what year they took place in. Yeah that wasn't really unusual but he had also arranged client's names A-Z. Murder cases had been categorized, assault cases had been categorized and every possible client he had worked with had had their cases categorized.

Kyoshiro closed the drawer and opened the next one and found several more files and slammed it shut. He searched the mahogany desk and scowled when he found nothing interesting. His hand accidentally knocked a picture from the desk however and it fell into the small trash bin next to the desk.

Kyoshiro hastily retrieved it. It was a picture of a beautiful woman, smiling and holding a small boy in her arms. _Must be his wife. He had a ring on his finger so that must be who she is._ And then Kyoshiro caught sight of a strange looking letter in the trash. He pulled it out and jumped when he saw the seal on the side of the letter. It was from the government! Kyoshiro checked the envelope and found no letter and cursed. "Dammit! What an awesome find!"

* * *

"He got a letter from the government."

Blue looked up and said, "The government? To him? Really?"

Kyoshiro nodded excitedly as he seated himself beside her on the sofa. "It can't have been sent that long ago…what the hell does the government want from him?"

"Hm…" Blue thought about it. "We're dogs. We were never fully educated about how the government works…but I wonder if it would be odd for them—?" the phone rang and Weed hopped over to answer it. "Hello? Ah, Grimmjow!" and Kyoshiro and Blue both looked over in interest.

Blue heard Grimmjow say, "Yo. How are things?" and Weed put him on speaker-phone so that everyone could listen.

"Things are pretty strange." Kyoshiro said, "Weedy got a job with a lawyer who kidnaps kids."

"Wait, so you confirmed he really did do the kidnapping?" Weed asked and Kyoshiro said, "I've got a good guess."

"What?!" they heard Grimmjow bark. "Oi, Ulqui?"

"I'm listening, don't be so loud." They all grinned when they heard Ulquiorra's irritated voice.

"We have the kid staying with us," Kyoshiro said, looking towards the stairs where they all saw the little girl sitting and watching them with interest. "Tell me about the kidnapper." They heard Ulquiorra's say.

"We haven't got much to go on but the police didn't believe a word when Weed told them about the girl. For one thing, the guy's a neat freak, too neat! Everything in his office is arranged a certain way—but anyway, I found a letter from the government in his office. The letter was no where to be seen, I even checked his jacket."

"Tell me about his mannerism."

"Hm…okay, he's completely devoted to his work for one thing. I overheard the woman at the front desk saying that even after the office closes, he'll come back more than once during the night, then he'll leave, without even working! He gets pissed about the idea of anyone touching or moving things in his desk—which I did anyway just to spite him…and look for clues. And he gets very nervous and impatient if he is taken away from his work." Kyoshiro said, "He's completely devoted to it. Anything you want to add, Weedy?"

"Nope, you summed it all up." Weed exclaimed. "One of his clients knocked something off his desk and put it back in the wrong place and he almost snapped at the man! He immediately rearranged everything and told the man to keep his hands away from his stuff!"

"He goes to work even after working hours are over, and he doesn't even work when he goes there, he's a neat freak, he can't tolerate anyone moving things on his desk.…I can confirm one thing about this man. He has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder."

"Would that explain—?" Kyoshiro began and Weed shook his head. "It might explain his behavior but we don't know what lengths he'd go to if someone pushed his buttons. It could be the girl did something to anger him, but…it just seems strange. We need to learn more about him first before we judge him based on his disorder."

Ulquiorra was silent on the other side of the line until Grimmjow said, "What's eating you?"

"I don't know if he did it. Some people who have OCD have a phobia of germs and avoid contact with people or, if they have contact, they have to wash their hands. But other repetitive behavior also happens. Some people, for example, will have to keep checking that the door is locked before going to sleep, or have to keep switching on a certain lamp, they have to do it…it could be that his work has become his obsession and he has to frequently go to his office. Anyway, ask the girl what happened and see what she knows. What did the police say?"

"They didn't believe us! I asked the woman at the front desk and she said no police officers stopped by to check the building!" Kyoshiro exclaimed angrily.

"Scum." Grimmjow grumbled.

Ulquiorra said, "I'll call you if I get an idea. Keep us both informed and if you feel threatened, we'll both step in to help. And be careful. She knows something and she was captured for a reason, I wonder if that man even knows she's missing. Weed is bound to be an immediate suspect, so don't let him leave the house without you two. So, we have the kidnapped girl, we have the letter from the government…" there was silence for a moment and Ulquiorra sighed. "I'll need to think about this."

"Will giving you his name help? His name is Aaron Roaf." Weed said and Blue suddenly gasped and Kyoshiro said, "What?" and Blue said, "That name…I…I've heard it before…I just…I don't know where…a movie?"

"He's a lawyer." Kyoshiro said and Blue groaned, closing her eyes before sighing. "Ugh, it's no good. I can't remember for the life of me!"

"If you do, let us know, even the smallest details are important."

"You done?" Grimmjow sounded irritated and Kyoshiro said, grinning, "Sorry to interrupt your date…or were you both making out?"

"Shut up!" and the call was ended rather moodily by Grimmjow.

Blue sighed. "You love annoying him don't you?"

"Oh you have no idea!" Kyoshiro said, cackling.

Weed turned towards the bedroom Grimmjow and Ulquiorra inhabited where their guest was sleeping and said,

"Maybe we should ask her now? But I feel that that would upset her…"

"I wouldn't like to force that on her. If we're going to ask her, be gentle about it and don't force any answers out of her." Blue said.

Kyoshiro entered the room and Weed and Blue entered behind him.

"Yo, kid."

"Hello." She answered a little shyly. Weed smiled. "How are you doing? Are you enjoying yourself here?" he asked and the girl nodded.

And then Blue entered the room and the little girl's whole body froze and she whimpered in fear. Kyoshiro jumped and saw Blue's eyes widened when the little girl let out a cry of terror. She barricaded herself under the covers, sobbing and terrified.

Blue turned on the lights and hurried forward to the shaking bundle under the blankets and said, "It's just me, it's not the bad man who hurt you, it's okay, you're alright." And at the sound of Blue's gentle voice the bundle latched onto Blue's legs and hung on for dear life.

After she had calmed down and had something to eat, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed introduced themselves. "I'm Weed and that is Kyoshiro and Blue." Weed said. "Blue?" said the little girl and Blue nodded. "Kyotoro." She said, pointing a small finger at the white haired man and he said, "Kyo_shiro_." But he was more amused than angry.

"I'm Elizabeth. I'm named after the Queen!" She said, smiling and Weed said, "Wow, that's a strong name!" Blue laughed at the wide smile on the girl's face.

Kyoshiro couldn't bring himself to make her relive getting kidnapped, especially after how she had reacted to seeing Blue. However her kidnapper must have worn black. And Kyoshiro frowned and said to Blue while Weed and their guest chatted, "She didn't react that way when we walked in, Blue. I think it's either the clothes or the fact that you're a female. I think a female kidnapped her." And Blue nodded in agreement and was distracted by Elizabeth tugging on her sleeve to get her attention.

_If he does have a germ phobia it would make sense for him to get someone else to do the job for him! He can't touch people, so he has someone else kidnap her for him…but the big question is why he wanted her kidnapped at all…and I've got a feeling that that letter from the government has something to do with it!_

* * *

Kyoshiro was tired. He was very tired. It had been a busy day and he wanted to sleep. He was just heading upstairs to check on the kid and then he was going to bed. He entered the room and saw her look up at him. "Yo." Kyoshiro raised a hand and said, "This is your room. If you need anything, our room is this way." Kyoshiro pointed to the left, further up the hall and she nodded and Kyoshiro made to turn off the light when she gave a loud exclamation and Kyoshiro sighed. "Okay, lights on…but you can't possibly sleep with this much light on!"

Kyoshiro kept one light on and said, "Night, kiddo." And before he could leave, Elizabeth said, "Kyotoro, can you read me a story?" and Kyoshiro looked around at her.

This was a room where two adult men resided; there weren't any children books in here. Kyoshiro then spotted a book called, _When the Dead Walk_ and knew that that was one of Grimmjow's horror stories. He saw a book called _World War II; a History _which was one of Ulquiorra's. He sighed and said, "We haven't got any books you'd be interested in."

"But there are books." She said and Kyoshiro said, "How about you just go to sleep? Okay?" and she suddenly said, "Kyotoro, can you please tuck me in?" and Kyoshiro scowled. What century did they live in? Did parents still tuck their kids into bed?

Kyoshiro walked over and pulled the covers up to her neck and said, "Goodnight."

"Kyotoro?" and Kyoshiro sighed. "Yes?"

"Can I have a goodnight kiss?" Kyoshiro cringed. "Okay…" and he walked over, kissed her on the cheek and began heading towards the doors. "Goodnight, Kyotoro."

Kyoshiro entered his bedroom and saw Blue and Weed already asleep and had just lain down to sleep when suddenly something tugged on his arm and Kyoshiro jumped and saw two big brown eyes staring at him. "What?" Kyoshiro asked, patiently but tiredly, and she said,

"I have to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, do you?" Kyoshiro said, patiently but tiredly and led her to the bathroom where he waited for a good few minutes because she was afraid to be left alone.

Then he led her back to bed and left for a good few minutes. He was woken again around dawn by crying from Elizabeth's room. He sighed and got up to tend to it and found that she had had a bad dream. Kyoshiro comforted her for a few minutes before he decided, screw it, she was sleeping with them for the night.

When Elizabeth had finally fallen asleep, Kyoshiro finally closed his eyes. And then something bumped against him and he growled and looked down to find Elizabeth curled up against his back. Kyoshiro allowed himself a small smile before he closed his eyes and began to sleep. He had grown up looking after puppies and he had to say, human kids really were no different from puppies.

Kyoshiro was just starting to drift off to sleep when, out of the blue, the phone rang. Kyoshiro snarled and reached for the phone and said, "Listen, jackass, who do you think you are calling at 1:00 in the fucking morning?!"

"This is the police. We found Elizabeth Taylor's family. They want their little girl back."

Kyoshiro nodded, half awake. "Tell me the address."

* * *

Elizabeth was overjoyed to see her parents; Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed however, were exhausted. It was 1: 49 in the morning and all Kyoshiro wanted to do was freaking sleep.

"How can we ever thank you?" Mrs. Taylor said, holding Elizabeth tightly. Kyoshiro wanted to say "You can let me sleep!" but he didn't. He said, "You can answer me truthfully, do you know why your daughter was kidnapped?"

Mr. Taylor frowned, sitting down on the sofa while Mrs. Taylor took her daughter into the kitchen for some food. Blue meanwhile took to staring at the newspaper left on the table; it was from two days ago.

"I got a call the night she disappeared. A woman told me that this was the price I had paid for not keeping my mouth shut. She said she was going to force me to keep my mouth shut and she told me that if I called the police or did anything to reveal what I had discovered, she would kill Elizabeth."

"This sounds an awful lot like blackmail." Blue said, frowning. "Did you know this woman, at all?"

"No, not at all. I didn't even know her voice."

Kyoshiro scowled. "Great, so you have no idea why she kidnapped your daughter?" and before Mr. Taylor could respond Blue said,

"Aaron Roaf." and Weed turned to stare at her and saw Blue staring at the newspaper on the table. "Now I know why his name sounded so familiar to me! He is running for the position of Mayor of Manhattan!" Kyoshiro gave a loud exclamation. "That would explain the letter in his office!"

"We might have that guy working with our city government?" Weed said, repulsed by the idea.

"What did you do to get him mad enough to kidnap your daughter?" Kyoshiro asked. Mr. Taylor responded, "I was originally a supporter of his until my wife received an email from a friend of ours who had been dating Roaf. One night they went out on their usual date. He offered to drive her home but when she agreed, he instead drove her to his house."

"You aren't saying he…?" Blue said, shocked.

"Within the email she included a video she managed to take from her phone showing that when she told him she wasn't ready to take that step in their relationship, he grew violent. He screamed threats at her, tried to hit her and chased her from the house. You bet I was going to say something to that rat! I approached him after a speech he gave and I now realize what a terrible mistake that was. I never should have done it. I suppose he got scared that I might destroy his chances because later that night, Elizabeth disappeared. But what else could I do? The poor woman he assaulted was too scared to speak out. I don't even want to know what will happen to my family if I try again."

"That is repulsive." Kyoshiro said anger in his voice. Weed said, "But _we_ could do something! We can catch him!"

"But then what do we do? The police didn't listen to us!" Kyoshiro argued. "The freaking building has a spotless record and that's why they didn't listen, because they knew that they wouldn't find any dirt on him."

"They will now." Blue said determinedly. "There's plenty of dirt on him now, the abuse of an innocent woman, the kidnapping of a young girl and blackmail. If they won't listen, we'll _make_ them listen."

Kyoshiro grinned at her. "That's more like it."

"Let's go get him!" Weed said and Kyoshiro grinned wider. "Frick yeah!" and Mr. Taylor said, "What can you do? The police will never listen to you."

Blue stopped in the doorway and said, "Yes they will. If you'll be willing to offer that email as evidence then we may have more of a chance. Count on us."

And Blue hurried from the house.

As the three dogs ran up the street, Weed suddenly said, "Where will we find him?" and Kyoshiro thought about this before he said, "I have a hunch."

* * *

The lawyer's office building was dark; the only light that could be seen was from the window at the top of the building. A construction site took place right next to the building, a massive crane stood in the street behind the building, towering above the streets.

"Alright, we need to have a plan." Blue said, looking up at the building. "If we go in now, the alarms will probably sound and—"

"Alright, let's move!" Kyoshiro called and he tore towards the building and Blue yelled out, "Kyoshiro, don't!"

Weed groaned and followed him. The glass doors were broken through and Kyoshiro tore towards the elevator as the alarms sounded. Blue and Weed flung themselves into the elevator after him and Weed punched in the number for the top floor.

The doors opened with a _ding_ and Kyoshiro tore towards the office Weed pointed to. The lights had gone out. Kyoshiro reached the door and found it unlocked. Blue whispered, "Carefully!" and Blue and Weed moved towards the sides as Kyoshiro gripped the doorknob and turned.

He kicked the door open and something was thrown right into their path. A desk. Kyoshiro climbed over it and lunged into the room and someone leapt out from the corner of the room and seized him.

"Kyoshiro!" Blue called and Kyoshiro yelled, "Get it _off_!" and Blue called, "I'm coming, hang on!" and she leapt and slammed her foot—into Kyoshiro's head. "OW!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Blue yelled, panicky, and sent another blind kick into the attacker's head, throwing the attacker off Kyoshiro and into the wall. Weed climbed over the desk and ran for the attacker, slamming his head into the ribs of the attacker.

And when the attacker stepped into the moonlight, Kyoshiro saw the face of a woman staring back at him. And he immediately recognized her.

"_What's your name?" the man asked and Kyoshiro said, "Kyoshiro Shirogane. What's yours?" Kyoshiro asked and the man replied, "Aaron Roaf. Now, about your situation Mr. Kyoshiro—" and suddenly the door was pounded on very fast and the man jumped and said, "What on Earth?" and proceeded towards his door._

_He opened the door and Kyoshiro saw a woman with long, curly, black hair standing there. She took sight of Kyoshiro and said, _

"_I'm sorry, you have a client?" Kyoshiro sniffed once and could immediately tell that she was very nervous, she was also very angry about something._

"_Yes, Matilda."_

"Welcome back Mr. Shirogane." The woman hissed and she drew a knife from her pocket. "And what has he promised you for all of this?" Blue asked, stepping back a few steps, Kyoshiro and Weed beside her, ready for a fight.

"I'm sorry, I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Then we'll just have to make you remember, wont we?! You fucking spineless kidnapper!" Kyoshiro snarled and with a battle cry, he lunged at her.

Kyoshiro seized her throat and before she could attempted to escape, Blue and Weed succeeded in pinning her to the floor. Blue kicked the knife from her hand and Weed stepped forward and said, "Where did he go? Tell us!"

"He…he escaped into the construction site! He told me to stay here and hold you off!"

"And what part have you played in this scheme?" Kyoshiro snarled. "He promised me a position of power if I could kidnap the girl for him, he said he would let me work with him when he went to work for the government—!"

"Well that was a ton of bullshit because he just sent you in as a decoy. That's why he left you here and had you kidnap the girl. He doesn't have a germ phobia, we established that. He just frickin used you." Kyoshiro said, grinning down at her, amused by her foolishness.

"And what are you going to do? Tell the police? They won't believe you. No one will, you foolish little brats!"

"We'll just see about that! Blue, bind her and meet us in the construction site!" Kyoshiro called and he jumped out the window and landed through the torn netting leading into the dusty, dark, building and he heard Weed following him.

And just as they left the dark office, a foot slammed into Blue's face, sending her toppling over the desk. Blue cursed under her breath and as she sat up again to attack she had to dodge the chair thrown at her.

The chair smashed against the wall and Matilda lunged across the desk at Blue. Blue raised both her hands to block the kick sent at her face. Before Matilda could draw her foot away, Blue seized her foot and twisted it, sending Matilda to the floor with a yell of pain.

Blue kicked out at her and Matilda dodged and swung her fist towards Blue's face. Blue smacked the hand away and smashed her palm into Matilda's nose, breaking it. Matilda flew into the wall with a crash and she ran towards Blue with a mad scream of anger, blood flowing freely down her face.

Matilda smashed her elbow into Blue's ribs and Blue countered with a hard kick. Blue's foot struck Matilda in the stomach and Matilda was momentarily stunned.

Blue's second kick was blocked by Matilda's foot and Matilda seized Blue's head and slammed her against the wall. Blue gasped in pain and slid to the floor as Matilda lifted the chair from the ground and prepared to beat her with it.

Blue reacted fast and kicked Matilda's feet out from underneath her, causing Matilda to drop the chair, which fell on her head. Blue sent a hard kick to the side of her head and Matilda was knocked out and Blue proceeded to look for something to bind her hands with.

She could hear commotion in the construction site and frowned. "Hang on. I'm coming." She whispered.

The only light in the half finished building were the small lights hanging from the ceiling. Kyoshiro couldn't make out any scents because of the dust and dirt. "There's no frigging scent."

"There are tracks, look." Weed said, starting to follow them.

And then they heard a loud thud two floors above them and they both tore towards the stairs. "He's heading for the upper floors!" Kyoshiro called. "What the frick is he looking for?"

And as they reached the top of the staircase, something huge came crashing towards them and Kyoshiro and Weed both threw themselves over the side of the staircase, landing on the ground below and barely dodging the massive pipe that fell inches from them with ground breaking force.

"Fucker!" Kyoshiro yelled, tearing up the stairs in time to see a man disappear from sight around the corner. He had run into an elevator and they had just missed it. They hurried to the stairs and continued to climb, hoping he wasn't too far ahead.

Kyoshiro and Weed both took their human forms as they neared the roof and they both saw the man stumble out of the elevator and look around. And they both hurled themselves from the shadows and ran at him.

"You little brats!" he roared, panic turning to rage as he recognized Weed. "You are _not_ about to ruin this for me!" he yelled and he hit a button on the crane and Weed looked up and cried out in shock as massive pipes fell towards them.

The sound was deafening and Kyoshiro could barely dodge any of them but he kept moving running towards the man ahead of him. A pipe fell right in front of him and Kyoshiro leapt on it, running across it and then jumping on the ground as another rolled out right in front of him and Kyoshiro ran right through it.

Everything was spinning but he attempted to keep running. And then he felt himself falling. Panic stricken, Kyoshiro ran up the pipe and jumped out and seized the crane hook and clung on for dear life as the crane was turned towards the edge of the building, leaving him hanging off the hook hundreds of feet off the ground.

Weed froze, momentarily horrified. And then the man leapt from the crane and plowed into him, knocking them both to the ground. "Your just a kid, so I'll make your death quick. I should have known you were trouble the instant you entered my office. But you won't destroy things for me." The man whispered, his hands tightening on Weed's throat.

And Weed couldn't breath, his vision was turning black and spots were popping in front of his eyes, he couldn't push the man off of him! So he did the only thing he could. He kicked both feet in Roaf's stomach, making the man momentarily loosen his grip.

And then Kyoshiro shot forward, using the hook as a swing to launch himself towards the building. He plowed into Roaf, knocking them both to the floor. Roaf's fist smashed into Kyoshiro's face and Kyoshiro winced as his body hit the floor, his jaw felt numb and he was sure some of his teeth were broken…or maybe his jaw.

Weed looked up in time to see Roaf running at Kyoshiro, a small pipe in his hands and Weed flung himself to his feet and caught the pipe in his bare hand as it was about to be brought down on Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro took this opportunity to slam his feet into Roaf's stomach and Roaf sent a blind swipe at him with the pipe and it barely missed Weed's head.

"We need to get him restrained!" Weed yelled at Kyoshiro as Kyoshiro barely dodged some of the punches sent at him by Roaf. "I know! But where's the fun in that?!" Kyoshiro called, grinning as he swung his fist towards Roaf's face. And then Roaf lunged at him at such close distance it took Kyoshiro by surprise.

Roaf seized him around the waist and slammed him to the floor. He raised his foot and almost succeeded in stepping on Kyoshiro's face. Kyoshiro seized his foot and twisted it. A sharp kick hit him in the jaw and Kyoshiro felt the kick connect with his nose and he yelped in pain.

This man was strong, he was bigger than both of them and he clearly knew a thing or two about fighting. Weed attempted to restrain him but knew immediately he had taken on too much. Roaf's elbow slammed into Weed's stomach, making him buckle over in agony and Roaf was about to punch him in the face.

Roaf flung the pipe at Kyoshiro and it struck him hard, making him slump over in pain. Roaf ripped a board from one of the boxes and swiped at Weed and Weed saw a large nail embed in the wood and was glad he missed. Weed received a heavy blow to his ribs and he yelped in pain as the plank of wood smacked his arm, the nail digging into his skin and leaving a long, bloody, wound.

Kyoshiro pushed Weed back as Roaf aimed another swipe at the boy. Kyoshiro caught the wooden board and kicked Roaf in the stomach. And Roaf saw a white dog lunging for his throat. He screamed in horror and aimed a blind swipe at Kyoshiro. He missed. Kyoshiro seized his leg and sent the man crashing to the floor.

Roaf looked up and saw the dog bearing down upon him, its lips pulled back in a snarl, shining fangs inches from his throat. The other dog barked loudly and the white dog's silver eyes glanced over and barked a response before turning his fierce gaze back on Roaf.

And Roaf flung himself to his feet and kicked at Kyoshiro. Weed tore forward and slammed his head into Roaf's ribs, sending him flying into a wall. Kyoshiro lunged and seized his arm, fangs ripping into his skin as Roaf tried desperately to get his attacker off of him. Roaf reached for a pipe and before he could so much as maim Kyoshiro, Weed ran forward and pulled Kyoshiro off of Roaf's arm, causing the man to cry out in pain. Both dogs were on their paws in seconds, waiting for another attack.

"W—what the hell are you, you freaks?!" Roaf gasped, eyes widening when he saw a second dog beside Kyoshiro. And then someone plowed into him and sent him flying to the floor. It was Blue!

She slammed her fist into his face once and prepared for another but he kicked her off and she jumped back, landing beside Kyoshiro and Weed. Roaf simply stared, horrified at the monstrous dog in front of him, black furred, blue eyed and wearing a vicious snarl. He backed away slowly, terrified for his life.

"Took ya long enough!" Kyoshiro said, grinning and hacking for breath at the same time. "I'm sorry. I had to call the police and I had to restrain her."

And then Blue yelled, "Move!" and she dove behind a large set of crates as a series of gunshots resounded through the area. "Fuck!" Kyoshiro spat, looking out from around the crates and he saw Matilda standing by the crane, a gun in her hands, Roaf stood beside her, clearly still recovering from that blow to the head.

"You took your damn time." He spat at her and she said, "That bitch tied me up. And I expect you to go through with our deal." She snarled at him and he said, "Just, fucking _kill _them already and we'll see about your damn deal! They have called the police! If they get here we can make up something, get them to believe us! I have waited for this position for years and nothing and no one is going to destroy it for me! Come out you cowards!" he roared.

Kyoshiro snarled and said, "A rat like you doesn't deserve a position of power like that!" and he turned to glare at Blue and Weed and whispered, "Start creeping along the crates and then attack them. I'll keep 'em busy." And they both hurried off.

"And who are you to decide that?!' Roaf yelled while Matilda pointed her gun every which way, trying to locate him by the sound of his voice. "No one can decide that except for me! I'm a Lawyer! I uphold the law! No one can tell the _law_ what to do, you fool! And who would even believe you in the first place?! Who is going to believe a _kid _that the future _Mayor_ should be put behind bars just because he put some stupid _slut_ in her rightful place? Beneath me and _always_ beneath me!"

Kyoshiro grit his teeth and felt the sudden urge to bite. "You twisted, power-hungry, fuck!"

"Come on out, little boy!" Matilda called, laughing. "And maybe next time you'll think before you challenge the law!"

"Or maybe next time you'll _both_ think before standing behind a crane?" said Blue's voice and without warning, the crane's upper sheave smashed into both of them, pulling them away from the building and out to dangle many, many feet above the ground!

Blue and Weed jumped from the crane and landed on the roof and Kyoshiro hurried out from behind the boxes and ran to them. "Look at those rats." Kyoshiro said, smirking over at Matilda and Roaf who were both yelling at each other and hitting each other's fingers in the hopes of knocking one or the other off the crane.

"Wow, I'd hate to imagine them sharing a prison cell. They make Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's fighting look adorable. And sometimes it is." Weed said, smiling wryly. Blue said, "We should let them dangle over the roof rather than the streets. We need them alive." And she hurried to adjust the crane's angle and position.

Kyoshiro watched both Lawyer's being pulled over towards the roof and he could hear sirens in the distance. The sun was rising over the buildings in the East and Kyoshiro could barely hold off a huge yawn.

Blue hurried over to Kyoshiro and she said, "Well, we did it. We caught them. Another case solved and I'll see if I can get the police to head down to the Taylor house later on to collect the evidence…" Blue yawned into her hand and Kyoshiro chuckled. "Tired?"

"Absolutely." Blue said, tucking her hands into her pockets with a soft sigh. "At least we'll sleep peacefully, knowing he won't ever be allowed a position of Government." She said, sitting down on a crate and Kyoshiro hurried to join her, his legs aching from running all over the place.

"It's…going to be a good day tomorrow…I can tell." Blue murmured and Kyoshiro glanced at her, aware that they were now sitting shoulder to shoulder. "Psychic Blue." He said and Blue laughed softly. "I…think I want to go to the park tomorrow," she murmured. Kyoshiro nodded. "Maybe we could all go, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra too? Playing in the sprinklers sounds tempting…"

Kyoshiro smirked over at her and said, "Maybe we could go together…chase squirrels, look for left over hot dogs, explore…just us?" and to his surprise, Blue whispered, "That…sounds…wonderful…" and Kyoshiro blinked. "Whoa, wait I was just—! Oi!" and he looked over at her just as her head slumped against his shoulder. He poked her cheek curiously and scowled when he realized she was asleep…on him. His eyes softened however and he sighed. "...Okay, fine, but I ain't carrying you home."

He was lying of course. He would carry her to _Paris_ if she asked him to.

Weed had just finished explaining their situation to the officers who had arrived. He also explained that there was a video tape with evidence at Mr. Taylor's house. He told them the address and they all agreed to head down after they got Roaf and Matilda to the police station.

They also agreed to give Kyoshiro, Blue and himself a ride home.

Weed smiled widely. "Thank you for your help." And he turned to Kyoshiro and Blue and said, "Guys, we're getting a ride home, so—!" he broke off and blinked a little.

Kyoshiro and Blue were asleep on the crates, both with their heads resting on each other's shoulders, seemingly very comfortable. Weed allowed himself a wide smile.

"I think we can wait a while." He whispered to the police men and one of the officer's said, "Alright. But only a few minutes, the construction workers start work early."

And Weed nodded sleepily. "Wake me up…when they get here…" Weed murmured, lying down on the crate beside his two friends. Weed closed his eyes and drifted into a comfortable sleep beside Blue and Kyoshiro as the sun rose in the East, its rays turning the streets of New York a bright golden color.

All was well.

* * *

"_Ugh, it's no good. I can't remember for the life of me!"_

Ulquiorra could tell Blue was very annoyed with herself for not remembering where she had heard the name Aaron Roaf from.

"If you do, let us know, even the smallest details are important."

He answered, staring out the window and over the streets of Times Square.

"You done?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra could tell he was annoyed about being interrupted from his video game.

"_Sorry to interrupt your date…or were you both making out?"_

It was Kyoshiro's teasing voice and Ulquiorra rolled his eyes at the perverse implication and tones of his voice.

"Shut up!" Grimmjow barked and he ended the call moodily and said, "Well, sounds like interesting crap is going on over there. They got a kidnapper who is a Lawyer, they got a little brat staying with them…you sure you'd rather be over here?" Grimmjow asked, frowning and Ulquiorra said, "Do you want to be over there?"

"Nah, I left to get a damn break from all that annoying crap."

"Then I'm perfectly fine where I am." Ulquiorra answered, looking around the hotel room. Yes, Grimmjow had rented a _hotel room_. He had taken Ulquiorra to a Broadway show called Phantom of the Opera, two fancy restaurants and then to a hotel with a fantastic view of the city, all when he was supposed to have zero money.

But Ulquiorra couldn't bring himself to be annoyed by the fact that Grimmjow had a secret stash of money he had told no one about. Because he hadn't used it for himself. He had used it to spend a day with Ulquiorra; everything he had done today had been for Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra didn't fight the smile that spread across his face as he stared down below into the city. He wasn't going to lie; he had had a great—

"Oh shit!" Grimmjow yelled, jumping up and Ulquiorra jumped and turned around. And they had both played video games together. Ulquiorra had played Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, watched Grimmjow play Condemned: Criminal Origins, and then they both played Portal 2, which Ulquiorra had enjoyed thoroughly. Truthfully they hadn't gotten much done because Grimmjow kept opening portals underneath Ulquiorra's feet while Ulquiorra kept trying to solve the puzzles. And finally, Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow play Amnesia: Dark Descent and scream in terror while playing, and then in anger while trying to solve the puzzles.

"Do you need me to hold your hand?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow said, "No, fuck you—AH FUCK!" and the monster chased Grimmjow's character down the hall. "Why is he so fast?! _Why_?! Climb the ladder, you bitch! Climb it! Why is he so slow?!" Grimmjow yelled, hiding his panic with anger.

Grimmjow's character escaped and Grimmjow heaved a sigh of relief. "Fucking monster! God dammit…" he breathed, slumping over and Ulquiorra couldn't prevent the soft chuckle that slipped past his lips.

Grimmjow glared at him and he said, "You play it, I dare you." and Ulquiorra said, smiling just slightly at the other man, "No, no, keep going. This is highly amusing."

Grimmjow's glared vanished and he grinned. "You sadistic little shit."

And to Ulquiorra's slight disappointment, Grimmjow stopped playing the game and turned off the TV. Darkness filled the room and the only lights that filled the room were the lights from outside. In the darkness, he saw Grimmjow walk to him, felt an arm encircle his waist and felt a warm hand holding the nape of his neck.

He felt a soft pair of lips press gently against his and he allowed his eyes to close, standing up on his tiptoes just slightly in order to return the kiss, his arms around Grimmjow's neck.

Grimmjow's lips left his and he heard Grimmjow whisper in his ear, "Did I give you good memories of today, Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra felt his breath catch in his throat. He had known what day it was the instant he woke up this morning. He had been absolutely certain that he would have nothing but horrible memories and that he would be miserable all day. But nothing of that sort had happened.

All day, every single thought had been pleasant, he had even smiled. And he was beginning to understand Grimmjow's true reason for taking him out today. Grimmjow had wanted to build good memories of today, instead of bad ones. He had gone to all that effort to make sure Ulquiorra had a good day, so that when this day came around again, Ulquiorra would be visited by memories of their day together, not of Shizaa or of the things she put him through.

But then, even some good had come out of that day. It had brought them both so much closer together; it had made both of them realize that they needed each other. And it had made Ulquiorra realize Grimmjow couldn't imagine losing him. So in a way, they had gotten each other out of that terrible event.

"Ulqui…you're cutting off my air…" Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra realized just how tight he was holding Grimmjow to him. Ulquiorra pressed his face against Grimmjow's shoulder and whispered softly to him, "You did. And I thank you."

Grimmjow ruffled his hair, grinning in relief. "I did? Wow, I'm awesome." And Ulquiorra lightly hit him on the back and Grimmjow chuckled, burying his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder. And then he scowled, annoyed at how nice he was getting and pushed Ulquiorra's jacket from his shoulders. This action jolted Ulquiorra back to his senses and he said, "How forward of you."

"Ulquiorra, I didn't rent this hotel so we could play video games."

Ulquiorra's brain processed this for a moment and then he understood. "_Oh_." and Grimmjow laughed. "Christ, I've wanted to get you out of this freaking suit since lunch." Grimmjow grumbled, and he yanked Ulquiorra forward by his tie for a heated kiss, his hand sliding through Ulquiorra's hair.

Ulquiorra returned the kiss, not objecting the idea at all. His arms slid around Grimmjow's shoulders, pulling him closer than before and he heard Grimmjow let out a pleased growl as their chests made contact, leaving almost no space between them.

Grimmjow's arm left Ulquiorra's waist to slide up his shirt, feeling every muscle shiver under his touch, his lips trailing sensual kisses down Ulquiorra's neck. The hand he held on Ulquiorra's nape wrapped around his shoulders. They were now so close together, Ulquiorra swore he could feel Grimmjow's heart beating against his own chest.

Ulquiorra's head lolled back, feeling his breathing getting heavier as Grimmjow nipped and sucked on his neck, the warm hand on his stomach was leaving goose bumps on his skin and Ulquiorra shuddered, his arms holding Grimmjow tighter to him.

And somehow they had ended up on the bed, in total darkness except for the lights from outside. The moonlight streamed through the window and onto the bed. Ulquiorra was bathed in moonlight beneath him, his eyes lighting up, his pale skin seeming to glow.

Grimmjow's eyes were shining with the light from the moon and Ulquiorra's arms encircled his neck, bringing them close together. Grimmjow pressed his forehead against Ulquiorra's and whispered, "So, how was your day, Ulquiorra?"

"I had a good day. I have to admit, you've surprised me." Ulquiorra answered, his voice soft, his eyes never leaving Grimmjow's. He saw a wide smile spread slowly across Grimmjow's face, saw those intense eyes soften a little.

"And how will your night be?" Grimmjow asked his voice strangely gentle as he waited for a response. Ulquiorra pretended to think and said, "…May I get back to you on that, Grimmjow?" and Grimmjow let out an impatient growl and eagerly claimed Ulquiorra's lips in a deep, sensual, kiss.

And Grimmjow took Ulquiorra's hand, their fingers entwining instantly as if on instinct.

This was turning out to be an amazing night already.


	19. Adventure 19

**Adventure #19**

**Travels with Grimmjow**

It was the month of July, the heat was horrible, the air was muggy, but the sky was clear and cloudless (for now. It would probably rain later). Grimmjow normally would never have gone out today except Blue had wanted to move a crap-ton of stuff from the house and into storage.

He had had a great weekend, a really eventful one but…for the strangest reason he was feeling really, really—

Ulquiorra frowned. "Grimmjow, I am not pushing a cart with you on it."

—Tired.

Grimmjow grunted in response, shifting on the pile of bagged items beneath him and picking one of his sharp canine teeth with a finger.

They were currently at a storage facility and Ulquiorra had just went off to find the large metal "cart" (it looked more like a small sled with wheels) he had left their stuff on, and he had found Grimmjow lying on the pile of stuff.

Lazy blue eyes glared up at Ulquiorra and the man above him said, "Get off. The sooner we get this into storage the sooner we can go home."

And before Grimmjow could grumble a response, freezing water was poured all over his bare chest and he shrieked and jumped off and found Kyoshiro holding a bottle of water in his hand. "It slipped." He said, scowling. Ulquiorra pushed the cart away and Kyoshiro blinked in surprise when Grimmjow simply walked right by him, not even barking an insult at him.

"Did…did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Ulquiorra began to push the cart up the ramp with some difficulty and Grimmjow suddenly smirked, getting an idea. The instant Ulquiorra had pushed the cart up the ramp, Grimmjow jumped on and rode it back down the ramp and Blue shrieked as it almost collided with car. "Damn that was awesome!" Grimmjow said, laughing at Blue's angry expression and Weed said, "I'll bet it was, but please try not to damage anyone's cars!" he said shakily.

"And you could have accidentally driven yourself into the street. And by the way, Ulquiorra isn't pulling that up the ramp again." Blue said coldly and Grimmjow scowled and before he could push it, Weed was pushing it up the ramp.

"Whoa, Weedy!" Grimmjow yelped, rolling off the ramp in order to help the youngest of the group push the extremely heavy cart up the ramp. "No, it's alright, I can do it!" Weed said, eager to prove himself and, with a watchful Kyoshiro by his side, Weed succeeded in pushing it up the ramp, much to his friends surprise. "Wow!" Blue exclaimed.

"Impressive." Ulquiorra said, his eyes wide. Weed slumped, panting. "That was awesome." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow walked by with a scowl on his face.

Grimmjow walked to the elevator and called it and glared at the floor, his eyelids not feeling heavy at all but his body feeling ready to just keel over and sleep.

Ulquiorra, with some difficulty steered the cart into the elevator and Blue and Weed hurried in after him, holding some extra things in their arms. Kyoshiro and Grimmjow were the last in and the elevator took them a few floors up towards their locker.

"Whew! Why do we have all this stuff? Can't we just throw it away?" Weed asked curiously and Blue explained, "But this is all stuff we could benefit from in the future. We may have use of it, but we can't fit it in the house and we aren't about to buy extra lockers or storage containers when we could just come here."

Ulquiorra sneezed and Grimmjow chuckled. "The dust is horrendous." Ulquiorra mumbled, sniffling and Grimmjow grunted. Blue frowned and said, "Are you alright?" and Ulquiorra pushed the cart out of the elevator, glaring at Grimmjow who refused to move himself from it.

"I guess." Grimmjow mumbled, putting his hands behind his head and frowning. Even if today was boring as hell, he didn't think he was up to running around capturing criminals, so as long as he wasn't doing that he assumed he'd be alright.

The hallways in this building were impossibly long and creepy looking. Kyoshiro smirked and said to Weed, "Imagine a horror movie with this! Someone finds a dead body inside the locker!"

"Lovely." Weed said, smiling nervously. Blue pointed to the left and they went left, Ulquiorra bringing up the rear with Grimmjow sitting on his cart. "What about the murderer hunting down the hero in this place?" Grimmjow exclaimed, falling back against the bags of stuff. "He'd have to look around every corner!"

"Hey, run." Grimmjow said, grinning at Ulquiorra. "Start running with the cart. Do it." And Ulquiorra ignored him. "No. This thing is hard enough to—"

"Oh my God, Ulquiorra! Where's your sense of fun?"

"We are not here to play. I wasn't under the impression work is supposed to be vivacious." Ulquiorra said coldly, checking his pockets for the keys to their locker.

Grimmjow, not quite understanding the meaning of the word but understanding the tone, scowled and snatched the keys from Ulquiorra's left pocket and he said, "Oh no! Am I supposed to breath? Oh no! I _am_ breathing! Oh, what do I do? What do—OW!" Ulquiorra poked him in both the eyes.

Kyoshiro snatched the keys from Grimmjow and opened the locker and snapped, "Oh no! Am I supposed to open this—? HOLY FUTS!" and he dove out of the way as an avalanche of junk crashed down on Grimmjow. "Ah, Grimmjow!" Weed exclaimed and Blue face-palmed.

"Ha." Ulquiorra said in a deadpan.

* * *

The blistering sun burned down upon them as Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed sat in Central park, all of them eating some form of ice-cream very fast due to the sun. Ulquiorra had gone off to find a water fountain.

Grimmjow was sitting by himself, staring off into space. _Dammit. I can't shake this stupid feeling of exhaustion! It's driving me crazy! It's been going on all week! Not matter how much I sleep, it doesn't go away! _

It was strange; Grimmjow felt tired but…not the usual kind of tired. It wasn't like he wanted to sleep or anything.

"Maybe I'm sick?" Grimmjow grumbled aloud.

Grimmjow was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt someone lick the vanilla ice cream trail off his fingers. It was Ulquiorra. "And you complain about how _I_ invade _your _personal space."

"It's melting." Ulquiorra said, raising a small hand to point at the vanilla ice cream cone. Grimmjow grumbled. "Oi, is my temperature high?" and Ulquiorra raised a hand to his forehead. "No. Ice cream?" Ulquiorra asked, looking innocently at the ice cream cone and Grimmjow handed it to him and Ulquiorra ate it in a few bites.

Grimmjow smiled slightly at Ulquiorra's strangeness…or just his adorableness.

Kyoshiro suddenly gave a jolt and stopped eating his ice cream sandwich. It was a police communicator in his belt. Kyoshiro had found one lying on the floor and decided it was too sweet not to pick up. Grimmjow growled. He really did not feel up for this crap today.

Then he frowned. _Wait, what the hell? I'm always hyped about capturing some stupid criminal! Now I suddenly don't want to? Oh wait, maybe it's because we did that yesterday? And the day before that! And the day before that!_

"Guys, we got a rapist on the run on west 17th and 11th. I think we should—!" Kyoshiro began and Grimmjow ground out. "No." and Kyoshiro stopped walking. "What?"

"Are you backing out again?" Blue asked incredulously and Weed said, "But you _always_ look forward to capturing bad guys! Maybe once you get out and do it, you'll get your energy back?"

"I'm sick of it." Grimmjow said, casually tossing Weed's unfinished ice cream cone into his mouth. "You're sick of helping people?" Kyoshiro said, apparently disapproving. "Look, every day more people get hurt by these guys! I say we get up and go smash him!"

"And police are chasing him! I don't give a shit about civilians. They can rot for all I care; I just do it for my own enjoyment. But now, it's boring!"

Before Kyoshiro could reply angrily, Weed said,

"That's alright though. We may be a team, but that doesn't mean we have to do every single thing together."

Kyoshiro only nodded and Blue said,

"That sounds good. Ulquiorra, are you in?" and Ulquiorra nodded. Blue turned to Grimmjow and said,

"I can see where you're coming from. Even the most enjoyable activities can become boring if put in a constant cycle. I hope you feel better!" she called and she ran off after the group.

And then, Grimmjow understood everything.

* * *

Grimmjow had a good life. It was never dull.

Here is a quick summary of his every day life!

Wake up, eat, have sex, take a shower and have sex in the shower, chase a criminal, play video games, have sex, have dinner, have sex, go to sleep and then lather, rinse, repeat.

Life was good…life was g…life…was…

Everything except the sex had gotten boring.

And what happened when everything in your life got boring?

Grimmjow moaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Fucking fuckity fuck." He yawned widely and cursed the Gods of boredom.

Ulquiorra was the only one here since Blue and the other two had gone to get groceries.

Ulquiorra glanced over at the use of his language and he said, "Come eat lunch. Boredom at least shouldn't drain you of the energy to eat." Grimmjow glanced over and curled his lip. "Do you know what I did yesterday, Ulquiorra?"

"No." Ulquiorra answered, eating his food.

"I got up, chased a robber, took out the trash and went grocery shopping, all that and with only two hours of sleep! I am beat!"

"Hm. That does sound tiresome." Ulquiorra said, not sounding sympathetic at all. "This isn't boredom, Ulquiorra! This is emotional and physical exhaustion!"

"Then sleep."

"Sleeping doesn't help! I need to do something, something I haven't done before!"

"Alright, go do the dishes." Ulquiorra said, eating some more food and walking over to him with a plate of food. Ulquiorra set it down on his chest, opened his jaw and shoveled some into his mouth and moved his jaw up and down. Grimmjow's tired blue eyes simply stared up at him he saw Ulquiorra's emerald gaze lose some of its hardness.

"You…really are tired, aren't you?" Grimmjow swallowed his food and said, "I am. I'm tired of doing the same thing day after day! I need a break."

"Hm. Maybe you should eat out then?" Ulquiorra asked as Kyoshiro, Blue and Weed entered the house.

Grimmjow growled. "I need something fun! Not eating outside in the blistering hot—!" and Grimmjow froze. Weed walked in and said, "What about eating out?" and he saw Grimmjow's shocked expression and he said, "Um, are you alright?"

"Ulqui…you are a fucking genius!" Grimmjow exclaimed, sitting bolt up right on the couch and seizing Ulquiorra's shoulders.

"I am? Thank you."

"Yes! Because you know what? We're going to eat out every single day for two whole weeks! We're taking a vacation!"

Blue looked around. "A vacation? When and where?"

"Anywhere! We're getting the hell out of New York and going to see the world! Or at least one place in the world." Grimmjow added, flinging himself to his feet and hurrying to the computer to search for good vacation spots.

Kyoshiro however was not enthusiastic. "We can't leave! We have a city to look after! People need us!" and Grimmjow said, "Kyoshiro, New York city isn't Gotham!"

"Actually, Gotham city is—," Ulquiorra began and Grimmjow glared at him. "The city can look after itself! We deserve a vacation!" Kyoshiro was still looking disapproving of the idea however.

Grimmjow could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins as he found a vacation spot that looked interesting. "I personally think this is a good idea," Blue said. "Everyone needs a break every now and then. Kyoshiro, crime actually doesn't happen very often. When you think about it, we are not always hunting down criminals. Sometimes we go for weeks without capturing any."

"But I still don't like this! You can't just take a break from work to go and play!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Grimmjow said, "But what's wrong with play first and then work? Work is a pain in the ass."

"But we've always had fun capturing criminals. It is tiresome though. I am all for a vacation." Weed said and Kyoshiro looked like he had been deserted. "If there was one person whom I expected to agree with me, it would have been you! Great!"

Grimmjow ignored Kyoshiro and Weed's conversation and said, "Who is with me?"

The four others took a moment. Ulquiorra said, "Isn't vacation just more work? First you need to get there and that is always tiresome."

Grimmjow scowled. "Are you coming or not?" Ulquiorra sighed and said impatiently. "Of course I'm going. As long as it isn't a theme park."

Blue nodded enthusiastically. "I'm definitely going. I'm all for a vacation! It _is_ summer after all and that is normally the best time to take vacations—or it is at least the traditional time. Weed?"

"Yup!" Weed said, smiling widely. "I'm going!"

They all looked at Kyoshiro. The white dog sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this…but I'm going. It would suck if I was left here all alone. Anyway, it does sound fun, I'll admit."

Blue smiled. "That's great."

"Alright! We're going on _vacation_!" Grimmjow exclaimed, punching the air. And then he saw Ulquiorra. The man was frowning more-so than usual and Grimmjow walked over and ruffled his hair. "And when we get there, we're going to have fun."

"Hm." Ulquiorra said doubtfully. "It just sounds bothersome."

Grimmjow only grinned. "Then let me prove you wrong."

* * *

Blue had wanted to go somewhere with a beach. Kyoshiro had wanted some place adventurous. Weed had said he was fine with anything, as long as it wasn't rainy. Ulquiorra didn't care and Grimmjow had wanted danger.

They got…Captiva Island, a resort in sunny southern Florida. Grimmjow didn't know what the hell to expect, but it better be good!

Grimmjow climbed into the front seat and waited for his friends to finish packing the fucking kitchen sink! "Get your asses over here! You only need a couple changes of clothes, your fucking toothbrush, and a swimsuit!" Grimmjow yelled, banging his head against the wheel.

Weed hurried from the house, carrying a little suitcase and his miniature beach ball. Blue and Ulquiorra followed and Kyoshiro was the last out, bringing with him a huge suitcase and two other bags! Grimmjow scowled. "Oh. You're finally living up to your title, Kyoshiro. You're a pack mule."

Kyoshiro snapped, "Oh yeah and when did I deserve that title?"

"He's calling you an ass." Ulquiorra said, hopping into the front seat beside Grimmjow and beginning to go, through directions. Blue and Weed scrambled in the backseat and waited for Kyoshiro. The car was too tiny already.

Ulquiorra's car was a black Nissan and it was clearly not big enough for all of them. Grimmjow had wanted to rent a car, preferably a jeep, but Ulquiorra had dismissed the idea as stupid. It would be a waste since he already had a car. However, Ulquiorra wasn't driving his own car. It was Grimmjow who was driving because he couldn't read directions. More like he didn't want to.

"This is just going to be troublesome. I can tell. Isn't a vacation just more work? How can you call "relaxing" if you're going around sight-seeing?" Ulquiorra inquired and Grimmjow answered grumpily, "You're relaxing because you aren't doing any work apparently, you're just doing what you enjoy. HURRY UP!" He bellowed at Kyoshiro and Kyoshiro threw his luggage into the car and hurried in back with Blue and Weed.

"Guys," Blue said imploringly, "let's try and relax okay? We're going to be stuck in a car for three days. Let's just relax."

Weed said, "How come we aren't flying?" and Kyoshiro answered, "No idea." And then Grimmjow started the engine and Grimmjow said, "Alright! Let's go on vacation!" and he turned on the radio and the song "Highway to Hell" started playing. Ulquiorra frowned. Somehow he could tell this would be a very fitting song.

"Grimmjow, crash this car and I will have no choice but to mutilate you." Ulquiorra said, finding page one of the directions. "Yeah, yeah, got it. Hey, get out of the way you cunt!" Grimmjow yelled, narrowly missing a collision with another car.

Blue groaned. "Please get us to our first hotel in one piece…" she mumbled and she looked to her left and saw Kyoshiro head-banging to the song and she called over the loud music, "Grimmjow! We also have a GPS!"

"Screw it!" Grimmjow called and he made a very violent turn and was encountered with traffic. "What? Oh come on! Can't I leave the city? Move it!" and Grimmjow punched the horn and Ulquiorra sighed.

After getting out of traffic they started driving out of the city, going on the destined route as the directions read. It started out alright, with Ulquiorra reading the directions, Grimmjow taking them and Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed relaxing in the back of the car.

And then, once they left the city, Grimmjow took a wrong turn. Weed frowned, poking his head out from behind his seat. Grimmjow was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white. There was a roadblock in front of them and two signs above them saying that they were heading to destinations other than Florida.

Ulquiorra frowned, checking the directions. "Hm…I think we were supposed to take a right at that sign two miles back. Grimmjow growled and Weed said, "Oh well, we'll just have to turn around!"

"Fuck the directions." Grimmjow said and he started driving backwards up the road and then he continued driving the right way. Ulquiorra said, "I assume you aren't using them then, correct?"

"Bad idea," Kyoshiro said, "Use the directions."

"They've gotten us lost, twice!"

"Because you aren't following them." Kyoshiro snapped and Grimmjow yelled, "I'm driving, I know where I'm going!"

Blue handed him the GPS. "Use this then." And Grimmjow decided to give it a try out of curiosity. Ulquiorra's glare hardened.

This went alright for a few minutes until Grimmjow almost crashed Ulquiorra's car. They both got into a fight about the directions and finally Ulquiorra had enough and kicked Grimmjow out of the car, locked all the doors and windows and proceeded to drive away up the road.

Grimmjow scrambled to his feet and tore after him. He seized the car handle and yelled, "Let me in!"

"No."

"Let me in!"

"No. No idiots allowed."

"But Kyoshiro's allowed in! Let me in!" Grimmjow yelled, looking freaked out as cars drove by him, nearly missing him.

"Are you going to crash my car?"

"No!"

"Are you going to read the directions?"

"Yes, let me in!"

"Good boy." And Ulquiorra stopped the car and let him in and Grimmjow let Ulquiorra drive before busying himself with the directions.

They drove through the heat, the sunlight shining off the car's black paint and reflecting in the windows. Ulquiorra drove and Grimmjow read him the directions while Blue and he others were bored to death in the back seat. Blue read a book and Kyoshiro started to kick Grimmjow's seat out of boredom. He and Weed started an argument and Grimmjow started yelling at them.

Ulquiorra groaned and Weed said, "But Kyoshiro, you shouldn't kick his seat!"

"Stop being a goody-two shoe!"

"I'm not a goody-two-shoe!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"You both are!" Grimmjow yelled

"No I'm not, Weed is!"

"No I'm not, stop it!"

"Don't make me stop this car!" Ulquiorra called and Grimmjow, Kyoshiro and Weed stopped yelling at each other.

And then of course there were pit-stops. The longest of which was Ulquiorra because he became fascinated by a mushroom. "I swear!" Grimmjow growled, pulling Ulquiorra away by the shirt. "Everyone here has fucking ADD!"

Weed hopped into the car, looked down and screamed bloody-murder! "THERE'S A BUMBLBEE IN THE CAR!" And everyone ran from the car as if someone had thrown a pipe bomb inside. Blue poked her head out from around a tree and slowly approached the car. A massive, fat, bumblebee was standing lazily in the back seat, simply staring at the seats in front of it.

"What's he doing?" Kyoshiro asked, peering out from around the tree. Blue said, "He's…just staring."

And, slowly, the bee turned to look right at her!

Blue's eyes widened.

He wouldn't look away, those tiny eyes continued to stare!

Blue forced a death glare onto her face.

The bee's eyes narrowed.

Blue's eyes narrowed and she stared back.

The bee's little black eyes narrowed into slits!

Blue's eyes widened and she began stammering!

The bee's eyes widened, her reflection caught in its death black stare!

Blue began gasping and stammering in terror!

Fire blazed in its eyes!

Grimmjow smirked and grabbed a rock. "Ah, he's just a bug, what's the worse that could happen?" and he walked towards the car. "Grimmjow, no!" Ulquiorra began and the next second Grimmjow was running away from the car with a massive bee flying after him!

The battle between Grimmjow and the bee lasted an hour, in which Grimmjow gave chase, _was_ chased, and then ran almost two miles into the trees before he was brutally stung. Grimmjow, in an act of revenge, threw a large stone at the bumblebee as it flew away victoriously. It was crushed and the battle was won!

After Ulquiorra removed the stinger from Grimmjow's cheek, they continued their drive with many arguments, complaints and death threats from the slightly shaken Blue. And then, _finally_, they reached their _first _hotel…their _first_ hotel!

Their hotel looked more like a house though. The house had several other rooms in it, inhabited by other people, and it looked creepy as hell at night. Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed left the house to explore and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra collapsed inside.

Grimmjow was in the bathroom, staring at his reflection. The bee-sting was very obvious and his cheek was swollen. "Fuck you." he said moodily.

There were two bedrooms in this house. One had a big bed, one had two little beds. Then there was a couch—where Ulquiorra was now sitting watching Law and Order on the TV—and a small kitchen.

Grimmjow was still pissed at Ulquiorra so therefore he was definitely not sharing a bed with him. The guy had been so difficult today it was astounding!

_Then again, I'm guessing I wasn't that easy to live with either. Ah fuck it. So what if I almost crashed his stupid car? I told him we should get a bigger car and that is the reason we all had such a difficult time today! Because we were crushed together!_

Grimmjow stomped over to him and walked out in front of him, blocking the TV from sight. Grimmjow turned it off anyway and he, "Alright, listen up. Don't you ever, ever, toss me out onto the road again, got me? And next time I say were getting a bigger car, fuck you, we're getting a bigger, fucking, car!"

Ulquiorra simply nodded. "And next time I read you directions, _you're_ following them. Listen to orders for once. You idiot."

"I'm the idiot? Who took the longest to take a piss because he was staring at a fucking _mushroom_! Not me!"

"Who got us lost five times because he wouldn't follow the directions? You did. And it isn't my fault that mushroom was there. I've never seen one before."

Grimmjow snorted. "You're shitting me. Never?"

"Never."

"But you still could have walked away! It's not like that mushroom was dancing a fucking jig!"

"Can they?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Can they what?" Grimmjow snapped, fists clenching.

"Dance a jig?" Ulquiorra asked and he was completely serious. And Grimmjow gaped, eyebrow twitching. "I have never seen one before, so can they do that?"

And despite his anger, Grimmjow couldn't suppress the wide grin that spread across his face. Grimmjow tackled him, burying his face in his shoulder. "You little idiot." Grimmjow mumbled, kissing him on the cheek, his hand combing gently through soft locks of black hair.

Ulquiorra simply stared. "I thought you were mad."

Grimmjow nodded. "I am mad, dumbass."

"Then why—?"

Grimmjow groaned and kissed him to shut him up. Grimmjow felt all his tension leaving him and he allowed himself to relax just for a moment, pressing Ulquiorra gently against the couch, his elbows keeping his body propped up and his chest hovering off Ulquiorra's by a few inches.

He felt Ulquiorra relax and kiss him back, his hand skimming across Grimmjow's uninjured cheek to tangle in the locks of hair on the nape of his neck. Grimmjow moaned softly, Ulquiorra's slight touch making him shiver. Grimmjow moved his arm underneath Ulquiorra's head, his fingers sliding through his hair. He felt Ulquiorra sigh and pull him closer; their eyes were half open, staring into each others. This somehow turned into a staring contest. They both separated from their kiss to stare into each other's eyes with utmost concentration.

"You'll lose in an instant. My cornea is dry. Don't even try."

Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you just rhyme?"

"I'll win this contest, just you see. I'll get you on bended knee." Ulquiorra said and he poked Grimmjow's injured cheek, making him blink. "Ow, _fuck_, Ulquiorra! Did…did you just propose?"

"Why would you think that? Don't be a prat."

"God, this is stupid. Shit, what rhymes with stupid?"

"Cupid. But that isn't quite you. Tell me, would you like some bamboo?"

"Bamboo? Ew I'd rather spew."

"Chicken stew?" Ulquiorra asked.

"No thanks, I'd rather screw." Grimmjow said perversely.

"These are getting rather short. I think I might need integrated logistic support."

"You whelp. Try self-help. But yeah, that's true. Hey, do you like chocolate fondue?"

"If it appeals to you." Ulquiorra said, shrugging.

"This rhyming thing ain't my shtick. Did anyone ever tell you, you look like a chick? Ow!" Grimmjow winced as Ulquiorra poked his injured cheek. "Ow! _Dammit_!"

"So delicate." Ulquiorra said, poking his cheek again. Grimmjow conked him on the head. "You sadistic asshole." Grimmjow grumbled, smiling widely despite his harsh words and pressing his face against Ulquiorra's neck, kissing gently at his skin. "You can talk." Ulquiorra said, pulling him closer.

They both heard a loud click and Ulquiorra looked out the window. It was Kyoshiro and he was holding a camera, a large grin on his face. Grimmjow swore. "You little—!" and Grimmjow tore after Kyoshiro. Ulquiorra could hear Kyoshiro laughing as Grimmjow chased him around outside. "No, no, Grimmjow! Don't—don't break it!" Kyoshiro was laughing very hard however so he probably wasn't very unhappy about the destruction of his camera.

Ulquiorra put his arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes softened and he couldn't stop the small smile. And then he frowned. They would definitely have a busy day tomorrow. They only had one more hotel to stop at before they arrived in Florida.

* * *

After feasting on a breakfast of small cereal and a few muffins, they hit the road and had arrived at their second hotel late around noon. It was in Georgia, which was very close to Florida. After sleeping in the hotel and watching a movie together called Miss Congeniality starring Sandra Bullock, they went to sleep.

The journey had been easy, except for the fact that the GPS was acting really, really, weird. So weird in fact, that Kyoshiro was comparing it to HAL from that Space Odyssey movie. The GPS got even weirder after they left Georgia and proceeded towards Florida.

They stopped at a restroom and just as Grimmjow stopped the car; it informed them that they were now in Italy, Paris, Jamaica and Japan. Finally, Grimmjow got sick of it and turned it off.

They drove for a good few miles more and then Grimmjow got them lost. Blue sat with Grimmjow now because Ulquiorra had grown sick of trying to reason with him. Blue was attempting to read him directions but Grimmjow insisted that he get them un-lost. This resulted in them being lost in the dark for hours.

And then, finally, Grimmjow got them back on their destined route and drove them in the dark to Captiva Island.

An hour later, 12:59 to be precise, they parked Ulquiorra's car behind a curvy tree and saw a cottage waiting for them. "You are now in Antarctica." The GPS informed them and Grimmjow slammed his head against the wheel.

Weed was asleep in the back and Kyoshiro carried him out of the car. Blue climbed out and glared at Grimmjow. Ulquiorra said, "We would have been here hours ago if you hadn't insisted that you knew where you were going." and Grimmjow snapped, "Shut up, we're here aren't we?"

"Next time, I'm driving. It's what I should have done." Ulquiorra said coldly and Blue shushed them loudly and said, "But we are here now, aren't we? Let that count for something."

"But yeah, Grimmjow _is_ a major dumbass." Kyoshiro said unhelpfully and Grimmjow made to respond but instead uttered a low snarl and asked, "Which one of you morons has the key?"

Blue sighed and plucked the key from a hanger next to the door. She let them in and turned on the lights. Weed blinked sleepily and he said, "Wow!"

There was a couch to the left, a TV to the right and a small table to the left ahead of the couch. There was a small kitchen and next to the kitchen was a bathroom. Grimmjow hastened to explore. There was no bathtub, simply a shower with a drain to get rid of the water. There was a door to the right, leading into a bedroom with a single bed. Grimmjow exited the bedroom and hurried to the next bedroom which had a larger bed and a larger bathroom, complete with a bath this time.

"The couch has a bed in it, so if needed someone could sleep out here. So, we just need to figure out where we're sleeping and then one of us has to go get some food." Blue said, relaxing against the couch with a sigh.

Kyoshiro said, "I'll take the room with the smaller bed, Grimm and Ulqui can take the king-sized bed, or we could sleep out here and—?"

"I am not sharing a bed with him! He can take the sofa!" Grimmjow snapped, glaring over at Ulquiorra and the man replied, "I'll do what I want. _You_ can sleep on the sofa."

Blue groaned and said, "_I'll_ sleep on the sofa then!" and Kyoshiro frowned along with Weed. "Okay…" Weed mumbled, shuffling his paws. Grimmjow said, "I'll go get a pizza." And he left his four friends in the cottage to explore.

* * *

When Blue awoke the following day she found golden light streaming from the blinds in front of the door. She suddenly caught another scent in the room with her and she looked to her left and found Kyoshiro sleeping beside her. She blinked.

_He slept out here with me? Since when?_

The wolf dog sniffed his face curiously. His nose twitched and a loud yawn escaped the Kishu Inu next to her. She smiled slightly before she stood to her paws and walked to the window and nosed the blinds out of her way.

She could see a road a few feet away from their cottage and across the road she could make out sand. She could also hear the distant roar of the ocean and hear the cry of gulls. It was so peaceful. The black wolf dog smiled to herself.

She heard a very loud yawn that ended in a squeak as Kyoshiro woke up. She looked around and saw him attempt to sneak away from her bed. "You don't have to pretend that you shared a bed with me because you felt guilty about me sleeping out here alone." She said with a doggy smile.

Kyoshiro raised a paw to rub his face, blinking his gray eyes. "Hey, you would have been scared sleeping alone in the dark, especially after Grimmjow played Amnesia. God, how can he stand that?"

"And I thank you for keeping me company." Blue said her tone chipper. Kyoshiro's furry face turned red. "It was either you or share a bed with Grimmjow. He refused to sleep with Ulquiorra and the bed was crowded so Weed went to sleep with Ulqui."

"They are still angry?" Blue said, blinking. "Why?"

"Ah, probably something stupid, it always is. Oi, um…you wanna walk or something? It's boring in here." and Kyoshiro padded to the door, unlocked it and stepped outside with Blue behind him.

The two dogs walked in the sandy path, sniffing occasionally and eagerly exploring the area. Suddenly Kyoshiro jumped as something tore by behind him. He looked behind him and he saw something disappear in the plants. "What the hell? Oi, Blue!" he called.

The large dog ahead of him was sniffing some plants. "What?" she asked, trotting over to him. "I saw something." Kyoshiro said, staring into the bushes. "Hm. It was probably a mouse or a bird." She said, starting to walk towards the beach. She saw a sign that read that it was a good idea to turn off lights at night so as not to disturbed the turtles on the beach.

And then Kyoshiro gave a loud exclamation and Blue jumped and saw the white haired dog jump away from the bush. Blue raised an eyebrow. Kyoshiro's tail wagged and he pressed himself to the ground and swatted the bush like a cat.

Then Blue saw something dart out onto the path. It was a lizard! Kyoshiro grinned and lunged at it and the lizard hurried away. Kyoshiro laughed. "Come on!" he called and he tore after the lizard. The lizard was very fast however and it climbed up a tree. Kyoshiro growled and began jumping up to get it.

The lizard looked bored. Blue padded over and then jumped up, her jaws nearly missing the lizard. The little lizard leapt from the tree and tore across the road. And Kyoshiro was after it in a second with Blue running behind him. The sand was very hot, but they continued to chase the lizard across the sand.

Blue was now in the lead, running very fast after the lizard. She darted out in front of it and went into a play bow and the lizard ran to her left and Kyoshiro tore after it, grinning like an idiot and laughing his head off. "Don't hurt him!" Blue barked, smiling.

Kyoshiro didn't respond, he was already too far ahead. The lizard dove under a pile of sand and Kyoshiro eagerly dug him out and lifted him up by the tail. Blue momentarily panicked, wondering if Kyoshiro would hurt it. Kyoshiro instead set the lizard down and watched him hurry away back to the cottages. "Man those things are fun!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. Blue nodded.

"While we're out here we should get some breakfast for everyone else." She said and Kyoshiro grunted in response and both dogs hastily took their human forms and proceeded towards the nearest place for breakfast.

* * *

Ulquiorra was sitting on the couch, reading a book. Grimmjow was glaring at him. "Ulquiorra."

"Hm?"

"Is that all your gonna do the entire time? Read. Like back home?"

"Yes."

Grimmjow said, "You honestly find that fun?"

"Not fun, but enjoyable. I see no point in fun."

Grimmjow suddenly had had enough. "We went on vacation so we could enjoy ourselves and have fun, Ulquiorra!"

"Fun is pointless. It doesn't get work done, it doesn't help you live longer—" Ulquiorra said.

"Are you serious, Ulquiorra? There is no work to be done here! And if you're serious all the freaking time, you're prone to mental breakdowns! Get up, get out and live! And people ask me why I'm with you…"

This caused Ulquiorra to glance up from his book. "People don't agree with our union?"

"Not everyone. I just think we're dynamic, I tell them never a dull moment. Boy was I wrong. You can't be dynamic sitting around!"

Weed bounced into the room wearing swimming trunks of a bright blue. "I'm going to the swimming pool. Blue and Kyoshiro called and said to meet them there. They have food. Come when your ready!" he called and he ran off after hastily squirting too much sunscreen on his shoulders.

Grimmjow grinned over at Ulquiorra. "Wanna get wet?"

"Not necessarily."

"Ulquiorra, come on!" Grimmjow growled. "Come out and have fun with me, just for a second—no, a few minutes! Then you can go back to your boring life!"

"In a way, Mr. Jaegerjaques you remind me of Sherlock Holmes." Grimmjow stopped dead, astounded. "What?" he said shocked.

"Despite the fact that he is a genius and you a blithering idiot, you both are dynamic. You both are bursting with positive attitude, new ideas and energy. You are a bit of a genius when it comes to catching enemies, your ideas being so strange and completely you, that they actually work. Your attitude varies depending on your mood, but almost most of the time you are happy about something, be it something humans would consider evil or something we all can relate to." Ulquiorra said, glancing up form his book momentarily before hiding his eyes from sight.

Grimmjow gaped at him. "That…might be the biggest compliment you have ever given me. But your still always gonna be Sherlock to me." Grimmjow said, a wide grin stretching across his face. Ulquiorra glanced up and said, apparently taking Grimmjow's compliment to heart for a very small smile lit up his eyes, "And I suppose since I haven't anything to do, I shall accompany you to the pool and possibly the beach afterwards. I know everyone will want to go."

Grimmjow sighed and said, "Oh my God, thank you! Oh what a life saver!" Ulquiorra fought the urge to roll his eyes and he instead went to change into something more fitting with Grimmjow hurrying after him to invade his privacy. Ulquiorra didn't protest however.

Both hastily changed into swimming trunks and Ulquiorra threw on a very thin green shirt for modesty's sake while Grimmjow slipped on a pair of jogging pants over his dark blue swimming trunks. They left their cottage and proceeded towards the pool.

When they got there they found Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. Blue was stretched out in a chair and Kyoshiro and Weed were splashing about in the pool. Blue was wearing a modest blue bathing suit (because dogs weren't allowed in the pool) and Kyoshiro had bright red swimming trunks on. Blue waved and Grimmjow raised a hand and she said, "I see you got Ulquiorra out of the house."

Grimmjow nodded and Ulquiorra sat down in a chair beside Blue while Grimmjow removed the jogging pants and his sandals. Grimmjow winced as his bare feet came in contact with the blistering floor and he hastily walked towards the pool only to realize he was forgetting something.

Ulquiorra had just relaxed in his chair when Grimmjow walked over to him, lifted him up and carried him sideways to the pool. Blue started to laugh and Kyoshiro stopped splashing Weed and joined in as well when he saw that Ulquiorra was being carried sideways.

"Don't you dare drop me." Ulquiorra warned, green eyes glaring up at Grimmjow. Grimmjow said, "Wait, what did you say? Drop me? You sure? Okay." And he dropped him into the water. Ulquiorra however saw this coming and wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him under.

Kyoshiro was roaring with laughter and Weed was laughing too. Blue hurried over to the pool and walked slowly into the water, wincing at the sudden coldness. "It'll warm up the longer you're in." Kyoshiro informed her, hurrying over to insure she didn't slip and accidentally sinking Weed, whom he had been holding up.

Blue frowned and stuck her head under water.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were squatting under water and glaring at each other, both seemed to be holding their breath. Blue surfaced, laughing. "They are seeing who can hold their breath the longest!" Kyoshiro poked his head under water and Blue knew that if he was in his dog form his tail would have been wagging.

Weed was playing with his beach ball. The ball was of a hard material, like a volley ball, so it differed from a normal beach ball. It was his favorite toy and he was deeply attached to it. Weed suddenly spotted something. "Hey, they have a hot tub!"

Kyoshiro swam over curiously, wiping his wet white hair from his scarred face. "Hey, your right. I'm gonna check it out!" he said excitedly and he was distracted by a lizard that tore by.

The pool was all theirs, no one else was here yet since it was so early in the day.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra surfaced at the same time with loud gasps for air and water immediately got in their eyes. Grimmjow wiped his hair out of his face and saw Ulquiorra wiping his eyes. His ebony hair was all over his face. Grimmjow grinned and put his hand on his head and shoved him back under.

The other man's arms flailed violently for a moment and then Grimmjow let him back up and Ulquiorra pushed his hair out of his face. He placed a hand on Grimmjow's head and attempted to sink him. Their height difference made it difficult. "I _will _find a way to sink you." he said. Grimmjow started to laugh. "Even you know you can't sink me? I'm too tall!"

Ulquiorra kicked his feet out and Grimmjow fell on his butt underwater. Blue watched from the sides, highly amused by their antics. "There is a hot tub, if you guys are interested!" she called, climbing out of the pool and hurrying away.

Kyoshiro however ran by and splashed Grimmjow and Ulquiorra violently and Grimmjow swam after him. Weed swam over to Ulquiorra and said, "Are you going to the hot tub?" and Ulquiorra said, "I think so—would you stop that?" he asked impatiently as Grimmjow and Kyoshiro tore by, laughing loudly and spraying water all over them. Ulquiorra placed a hand on the smiling boy's head and shoved him under. Weed came up sputtering. "Hey, that felt good!" and Ulquiorra's lips twitched in amusement.

Grimmjow relaxed against the edge of the pool and Ulquiorra suddenly noticed how long his hair was. When Grimmjow's hair was flattened down, it went down a little past his shoulders. Weed noticed too for he swam over to Grimmjow, a blue and white swim ring under his arms. "Your hair is really long." He noted and Grimmjow looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, your point?" he asked, putting his arms on either side of the pool behind him. Before Weed could float away Grimmjow copied Ulquiorra and playfully shoved the boy under water.

Ulquiorra really tried hard not to notice how good Grimmjow looked. He failed. The water almost seemed to make his blue eyes brighter and his skin shinier. He also looked good when his hair was down.

Grimmjow's brilliant blue eyes found Ulquiorra's a smirk appeared on his handsome face. "Enjoying me?" and Ulquiorra turned his gaze down to a bug which was floating in the water. He then noticed another bed attached at the rear of the bug. "Strange." He said, watching them both float.

Weed floated over and said, "Those are love bugs. I don't remember why they are attached though…Kyoshiro, why are they attached?" Weed called and Kyoshiro walked over, hopping from one foot to the other due to the ground's heat.

"Either they are mating or they just mated. They stay attached for several days."

"That must be annoying." Ulquiorra said, watching one of the bugs try to go the other way while the other one tried to go another way. Grimmjow made a face. "That's nasty."

Kyoshiro and Weed walked off to the hot tub and Ulquiorra lifted the two connected bugs onto his finger tip. Grimmjow walked over, pushing some water gently against Ulquiorra in his process. He held out a pinky finger until it connected with Ulquiorra's. One of the little bugs now rested on each of their fingers, still connected.

"That's so freaking weird looking." Grimmjow said, "I can't imagine being stuck together like that. It would be such a pain in the ass."

Ulquiorra nodded, his hair shining slightly in the sunlight, his bright green eyes intent upon the bugs.

The little insects took flight and the pair vanished into the blue sky. "But they still stick together, despite the fact that it must be bothersome." Ulquiorra noted, noticing that neither of the bugs parted. Grimmjow nodded, not noticing that his hand had instinctively taken Ulquiorra's.

"…It's still freaking creepy." He added and he stood and proceeded to the hot tub with Ulquiorra on his heels, Ulquiorra's hand still in his. When they rested themselves in the comfortingly warm water, they noticed that Blue and Kyoshiro had found two connected love bugs and she and Kyoshiro were staring at them.

Grimmjow pressed a button that caused bubbles to erupt in the water and he jumped and hastily switched it off. Weed sat down in the water beside them and the five friends all relaxed, sitting in a little circle.

It was so quiet and peaceful.

A breeze blew by and the two love-bugs were blown out of Blue's hands and she sighed and lolled her head back, staring up at the sky. Kyoshiro suddenly grinned and said, "You blue them away!" and for a moment, Grimmjow didn't get the joke and then Ulquiorra said, "I see what you did there."

Grimmjow started to laugh, not at the pun but at the choice of words Ulquiorra used. Blue and Weed joined in and Kyoshiro did as well and the morning went by in bliss.

* * *

Their first day on Captiva Island went by wonderfully. They left the pool and headed down to the beach where they spent their day playing in the sand and jumping in the waves.

As the sun began to disappear, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed lay on the sand, watching one of the most picturesque sunsets they had ever witnessed.

They could hear the distance cry of gulls and the roar of the waves and they all felt more at peace than they had before. Grimmjow watched the sun disappear, his head resting in Ulquiorra's lap while Blue knelt on Ulquiorra's left and Kyoshiro and Weed sat to the right just behind Grimmjow's legs.

The wind blew by gently and Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's hand slide softly through his hair. He closed his eyes.

Their journey really had been worth it.

* * *

The following morning Kyoshiro found the name of a Mexican restaurant to take them to for breakfast. Blue was a little doubtful but they went anyway.

Of course, they all ordered burritos for breakfast. And then Kyoshiro thought it would be funny to prank Grimmjow when the man left to use the bathroom. Kyoshiro reached across the table, snatched the burrito, opened it and spread a nice thick layer of hot sauce into the stuffing of his burrito and then rolled the burrito back up.

Weed gasped and Kyoshiro cackled excitedly as Grimmjow came walking back. Grimmjow seated himself and took a bite of his burrito and said, "Oi, Ulquiorra, I think they put salsa in m—!" and Grimmjow swallowed and gagged.

Grimmjow began to twitch and Ulquiorra swore he could feel the heat from the sauce all the way across the table. Grimmjow sucked in a deep breath and then lunged across the table for the water and chugged it down. "Don't drink water, water makes it worse." Ulquiorra said while Kyoshiro laughed. "Oh now you tell me!" Grimmjow yelled, jumping up and down on the spot and looking around desperately for anything that might help.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Grimmjow saw a lady walking by with a whole pitcher of ice cold water and he charged at her.

He seized the pitcher and emptied the entire thing into his mouth. Nothing helped! "Okay, fight fire with fire…" and Grimmjow grabbed a pepper lying on a man's plate and bit into it. "Bad idea!" Grimmjow yelped as his mouth burned so much it almost hurt and he suddenly saw a man handing a glass of milk to his son and Grimmjow snatched it and drained it in a single gulp and his mouth cooled just slightly and he demanded another glass.

"Kyoshiro!" Weed said, glaring at him but Kyoshiro was laughing so hard he was close to tears. "Oh my God! Ha! I've never seen someone so—so des-desperate! _HA_!"

Ulquiorra frowned and said, "It can't be that bad." And he poured hot sauce onto a spoon and ate it. Blue saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen and Weed said, "Want some milk?" and Ulquiorra said, "No. I'll take it like a man." and Grimmjow sputtered angrily at him and drained his fifth glass of milk and let out a deep sigh as his mouth finally began to cool.

Kyoshiro was laughing so hard he was crying and Grimmjow stomped over, forced his mouth open and shoved the bottle of hot sauce into his mouth and Kyoshiro's whole face turned red.

"Laugh now, I dare you!" and Kyoshiro spat the hot sauce onto the table and called for a glass of milk, tears coming out of his eyes. He continued to laugh however. "Oh my God, I got you so good! Oh, you should have seen your face! Ha! Score one for me!" and Grimmjow snarled, "And y_ou're_ crying and I'm _not_, who's the better of the both of us?"

And then he noticed that Ulquiorra wasn't in a panic about the hot sauce. Grimmjow sneered, his eyes very red, "Aw, your so tough." and Ulquiorra nodded before starting to eat his burrito and Grimmjow saw him stop chewing. "Salsa." he said, his eyes red.

And they all were ushered eagerly from the restaurant by the very annoyed staff and they made their way towards the beach, Ulquiorra's poor mouth still on fire.

* * *

The five friends arrived at the beach and Blue immediately set up a chair and lay back, completely relaxed. Weed and Kyoshiro were off splashing in the water and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were strolling along the beach.

"But seriously Ulquiorra! A water park! How could you say no to that?" Grimmjow exclaimed and Ulquiorra said, "There is plenty water here. I don't see the point in going to a water park when we have a whole ocean to swim in."

"Okay, maybe your right, but it's the experience that counts!" Grimmjow exclaimed and he scowled when he saw Ulquiorra reach into his bag and pull out a book before seating himself.

"Oh give the fucking books a rest and live in the moment!" Grimmjow exclaimed exasperatedly. "I believe that couples are supposed to respect each others choices and decisions." The man replied and Grimmjow said irritably, "I know! But seriously! Make the most out of this vacation! Other wise you'll regret it!"

Ulquiorra said, "How about _you_ try reading a book for once in your life?" Grimmjow said, "How about _you_ try doing something more than reading?"

"If the word "fun" means to do something you enjoy, then reading is my form of fun. Yours often involves someone breaking a limb."

Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair, scowling. They really were both very different people. Grimmjow was very fast paced while Ulquiorra was slower paced. Grimmjow lived in the moment while Ulquiorra was more comfortable living in a repetitive pattern. Grimmjow didn't know why it was so important to him that Ulquiorra had a good time—well, he did know.

When it came to Ulquiorra, Grimmjow saw most things as a challenge. Either a challenge to prove himself and what he was capable of, or a challenge to get behind the man's mask and find something new that he hadn't seen before. It had been that way even when they despised each other back in Heuco Mundo.

That was one thing that hadn't changed. So, in a way, getting Ulquiorra to have fun and admit to having fun was a personal challenge to Grimmjow. And he could never back out of a challenge.

He still prided himself on being the first person to make Ulquiorra Schiffer feel. He had always had a special effect on him and sometimes that worked to his advantage when it came to getting Ulquiorra to live his life to the fullest.

The crash of the waves jolted Grimmjow away from his thoughts and he turned towards the waves. The waves were excellent and surfers could be seen running towards the waves.

Grimmjow suddenly got an idea. He grinned and said, "You wanna surf?" he asked. Ulquiorra lowered his book. "What is that?"

"It's a sport I think. Humans stand on some piece of wood and float on the water. It sounds dumb but it looks cool."

"Hm. I don't think so. It would involve getting wet and I'm not in a hurry to do that." But before he could continue talking, Grimmjow walked over with a growl. Grimmjow picked him up and carried him like one would hold a battering ram. Grimmjow carried him to the water and set him down on his feet. Ulquiorra jumped as cold water went up to his hips. They were in a deeper section of the water and it was a little hard to keep balance.

Ulquiorra bumped against Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow pulled him close. "Afraid of the water?" Ulquiorra splashed him.

Kyoshiro ran over, in his dog form, and he said, panting, "Did you see them?" and Grimmjow said, "See what?" and Kyoshiro pointed down into the water and Ulquiorra blinked.

Rays floated gracefully through the water, their bodies rippling. They were a brown color. Grimmjow jumped back and he said, "Don't those things sting?" and Kyoshiro said, "Not if you don't step on them." And he grabbed Weed's scruff as Weed paddled over. Weed gasped and lowered his nose closer to the water. "Wow, I've never seen Rays this close before!"

They heard more splashing and Blue walked over, her fur floating at her sides. The water just barely came up to her neck while Kyoshiro and Weed had to paddle to stay afloat.

"What is it boys?" she inquired and Grimmjow said, "Rays." Blue saw another few swim by and she said, "Wow…I think there are dolphins nearby." She said, turning her blue eyes another few miles down the beach. Grimmjow could see large fish jumping up from the water in the distance.

Weed gulped and spat some water out of his mouth and he paddle beside Kyoshiro, jumping slightly as another wave gently plowed them, pushing water over his head. Kyoshiro chuckled and allowed Weed to sit on his back.

A comfortable silence fell and Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow?"

"Hm?" Grimmjow grunted.

"Are people generally allowed to go far into the water?"

"Define far." Grimmjow said and he began to walk and Kyoshiro yelled, "Look out!" and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both jumped and Kyoshiro started laughing. Blue bumped her head against his ribs.

Kyoshiro suddenly hurried out of the water to perch himself on a high dune of sand. Weed cocked his head. "Wow, I can see really far out!"

"Yeah? So can I!" Grimmjow called, wading out into the water and then he jumped and looked down.

Grimmjow reached into the water and pulled out a huge shell. "Wow, this thing is heavy." And as he spoke, legs popped out of the shell and Grimmjow dropped it and watched the shell scuttle away.

Ulquiorra and Weed began to follow it with interest and Blue said, "That was a hermit crab I believe. But I've never seen one that big!"

"Hey, what's that?" Weed asked, looking around as yells started up on the beach. And then Kyoshiro called, "What the hell is that?" and Grimmjow looked out towards the waves where the surfers were and gasped. A monstrous wave was heading towards the beach, growing larger and larger.

"Get out of the water! It's Nothing!" a surfer screamed, running from the water. "Heh, that wave couldn't possibly reach the beach." Grimmjow said but then he saw something. Something gray and scaled whipped out of the water and sent another huge wave hurtling towards the beach.

"What was that?" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue yelled, "Who cares? Run!" and Grimmjow looked at the waves and gasped. The waves were even bigger, towering above the surfer's waves and were moving at high speed towards the beach! They must have been at least 100 feet high! Grimmjow freaked and began to run, only to have the violent water plow him and pull him away from the group. Salt water burning in his eyes, Grimmjow surfaced with a gasp and found he was being pulled away from the beach!

Grimmjow attempted to start swimming but found he was caught in a rip-tide. Grimmjow never had liked water very much.

Meanwhile, Blue and Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra were trying to figure out what to do and then Ulquiorra took his Espada form and flew up and blasted a huge hole in the sand and called, "Get in!" and Weed dove in along with Blue and Kyoshiro but then Kyoshiro yelled, "Where's Grimmjow?" and Ulquiorra looked around and his eyes widened and he flew back towards the water.

Grimmjow meanwhile was riding on a surfboard and allowing the water to push him towards shore. And then suddenly something scaly brushed his hand and he looked down in surprise and his eyes widened. Red eyes were glaring at him from within the wave! "What the—?" and something smacked him, knocking the breath from his lungs as he flew towards the beach.

Ulquiorra caught him and flew back towards the beach and dove into the deep hole and called, "Hold on!" and the waves hit the beach, flooding the hole and flooding half the town in seconds before the wave swept away and another wave hit, almost pulling Grimmjow and the others from the hole as it was pulled back into the water.

Grimmjow swam for the surface seconds later and another wave hit and pulled him a good few miles down the beach. Ulquiorra heaved him to his feet and both attempted to run, only to have their feet knocked out from underneath them by the third wave.

Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed were there to grab them and held them tightly as another wave hit the beach. Seconds after the wave was sucked back into the water, they tore from the beach and ran to meet the lifeguards and staff members who were handing out towels and offering to help with injuries.

Ulquiorra was back in his gigai within seconds and already shuddering violently and wrapping himself in a towel. He glared at Grimmjow and said, "When we say get out of the water—!"

"Oh shut up! I was caught in a freaking rip-tide you think I was having fun?" Grimmjow snapped through chattering teeth.

Weed gasped and said, "Grimmjow! What happened to your back?" and Ulquiorra looked around and felt his blood go cold. There was a deep gash stretching across Grimmjow's bare back. It was bleeding heavily and the salt water couldn't possibly have made things better.

Another wave washed up at their feet and Grimmjow jumped away from it and yelled, "Fuck you, water!" and he scurried away to sit somewhere and hastily took the first-aid from one of the staff nearest him and began to attempt to fix his back.

Blue hurried over and said, "Let me help." Grimmjow refused and attempted to try and reach his back and Ulquiorra scowled and snatched the first aid from him and started to apply some wipes that would kill any germs. Grimmjow yelped and moved away from Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra wrenched him back and said coldly, "Sit down and be quiet. I could have drowned saving you as well because you were too stupid to get out of the water."

"Then why are you helping me?" Grimmjow snapped, not seeing the sense in Ulquiorra's actions. Kyoshiro was drying his hair and his hair was all frizzy when he removed it from the towel. "What the hell was that massive wave? What caused it?"

"The same thing that hurt Grimmjow's back." Weed said, looking troubled. "I saw red eyes. It was in the wave with me." Grimmjow said, wincing as Ulquiorra used a third cloth to continue cleaning the injury. "I'm surprised your back isn't broken." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow snarled, "If I'd been in my Espada form at the time this wound wouldn't even be there! Humans are so weak."

Ulquiorra began to bandage the wound while Weed said, "I heard someone say something about nothing…do you think he was playing a joke?"

"A joke?" said a voice and Weed and his friends looked around. A man was standing in front of them, slightly overweight and wearing a red shirt and cargo pants. A man stood next to him, a very skinny man with glasses and dirty blonde hair. To Grimmjow they looked like two guys out of a bad cartoon.

"This has happened more than once my little friend. No one ever sees it when it attacks, but the same thing always happens. Massive waves. It's known to the locals here…as the Nothing!"

"Well, then it shouldn't be a problem. Just get more life-guards." Kyoshiro said and Blue said, "A _wave_ couldn't do that to Grimmjow's back. There were no storm clouds or anything. And your saying nothing did it?" she growled and the fat man said, "Yes, it is called Nothing."

"Sir, you aren't being funny. If it was nothing than explain those giant waves and Grimmjow's back." Ulquiorra said coldly.

"It was Nothing!" the man snapped.

Grimmjow's eyebrow twitched. "Stop joking around you twat and answer our questions! What was that? I saw red eyes and I swear I saw a tail!"

"It's called Nothing!" the man exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

Weed said, looking tired of the whole thing, "Maybe we should ask someone else."

Kyoshiro turned to a woman and asked, "What was that thing that attacked the beach?"

"He's called Nothing. He's been a problem for ages. We've tried to catch him but it never, ever, ever—!"

"Fucking stop it!" Grimmjow and Kyoshiro yelled almost comically.

And then the fat man growled and said, "Follow me…" and he walked off and Grimmjow and the others followed him to the local library.

Once inside the library, the man handed them a book called Well Known Sea Monsters and he turned to page 394 and he said, "There!" Grimmjow snatched the book and read aloud, "The Nothing. Wait, this book is being sarcastic too! There isn't even a picture of the thing!"

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and read, "The Nothing is a sea monster that seems to reside just a few miles from Captiva Island, Florida. It has never been seen by man or beast. It is called The Nothing because it has never been seen but when it appears; it leaves the beach in ruins. It uses its tail to create massive waves that have been shown to flood half the island. A reward for the monster was issued in 2011 for the killing of the beast after it flooded Captiva Island and drowned millions but no one has gone off to find it and come back successful. Few have come back at all."

Ulquiorra finished reading and saw all of his friends exchanging glances. Blue said, "A sea monster? Really?"

"This is ridiculous. There is no proof anywhere that sea monsters exist."

"What is even more ridiculous is that people haven't closed this island down for others safety!" Kyoshiro said, looking angry.

"There is no proof except _this_!" Grimmjow snapped, pointing to his bandaged back. "I saw red eyes and a tail. The thing exists and I'm gonna find it and I'm gonna fucking drown it! No one gets away with almost drowning me!" Grimmjow snapped feeling excitement bubbling in his stomach.

_Seems like this vacation is about to get a little more interesting._

The fat man said, "No you are not looking for it! I'm looking for—I mean…you could get hurt." He said and Blue cast him a strange glance. Weed said, "Maybe you could come with us if you're looking for it?"

"I never said I was." the man snapped and Weed blinked. "Huh?"

Grimmjow turned to Ulquiorra and he said, "You guys coming?" and Blue shuffled her feet. "Uh…I thought we were supposed to relax? Oh alright. How could I say no?" and Kyoshiro said, "We could drown, get eaten by it, get killed by sharks…hey, I'm game." Kyoshiro said, grinning.

Weed considered it and he said, "I do think that people will be safe if we catch it. And besides, I really think we can do it if we're properly prepared…I'm going of course."

Ulquiorra however looked unimpressed. "Sea monsters don't exist. This will be a huge waste of time for all of us."

Grimmjow hid his disappointment behind a scowl. "Come on, it'll be fun! Trust me." And he grinned at Ulquiorra. "Come on." And Ulquiorra glanced at him and Grimmjow saw that his charming grin had momentarily made Ulquiorra reconsider. "I guess I'll have to be there to save you from drowning." The man said, sighing.

Grimmjow ruffled his hair. "Good boy."

* * *

And so, minutes later, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed found themselves in a motorboat speeding out towards the place where the waves had come from. Ulquiorra was watching Blue read more about sea monsters.

To their surprise, two other people had joined them. Why? Because no one in Grimmjow's group knew how to drive a boat.

Brian—the fat man— and his friend Leroy—the skinny silent one— had loaned them some hunting equipment and accompanied them out to sea for whatever reason and Grimmjow wasn't sure he liked them at all. They had also directed Grimmjow and the others to a place where they could rent diving suits. Brian was also giving Grimmjow hints on how to drive a motorboat.

Kyoshiro heard Brian say, "Alright, stop here." And they stopped the boat and floated in the water and waited for a bit.

Blue said, "So you think the sea monster is here?" and Brian said, "Of course! People have always reported unusual sightings 100 miles out to sea, westward and that it where we are."

"Why'd you have to come with us?" Grimmjow asked suspiciously.

"We're Captiva Island staff members! We couldn't just let you leave to hunt a sea monster! So I figured we'd make sure you were safe." He said smiling pleasantly.

"Yeah." Leroy said with bored eyes.

Blue smiled. "That was nice of you." and Grimmjow said, pulling on his diving suit, "Alright, your job is to stay here in the boat. Be alert. Do not space of or do anything, got it? Keep your mind on the mission." Grimmjow said threateningly and Brain raised both his hands. "Whoa, got it."

Kyoshiro glared at Brian as he smiled back at Blue and he said, "What were you saying about nice? Do you think I'm nice? That's a great compliment, Miss…?"

And Kyoshiro grabbed Blue by the diving suit and pulled her towards the water and they both dove under. Ulquiorra stared into the dark water and he suddenly had misgivings. He looked over at Brian and Leroy and held that gaze with them. Brian said, "Scared of the water?" and Ulquiorra was the last one in after his friends.

Grimmjow had expected a lot of things. He had expected decay under the sea, isolation and darkness. But what he hadn't expected…was life.

Things were growing under water, brightly colored plants grew almost everywhere. There was even stuff growing on the shells and rocks. There were fish, many of them, all many different kinds, shapes and colors.

It was beautiful as it was strange.

Weed swam over to a crab and stared at it, the crab scuttled away into the water and Weed watched a school of fish swim by. Kyoshiro saw a huge sting ray float by and he gave it a wide berth but watched in awe. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, while alert, were also in deep surprise. Grimmjow saw a large turtle swim by slowly with a few others behind it.

Blue and Ulquiorra meanwhile were both staring at the plants. They almost seemed to be alive as well. They were so deep underwater that they could hardly see the sunlight.

The reason for the scuba diving was to pinpoint the exact location of the monster without doing damage to the boat and possibly stranding them. Even with the darkness ahead it would be almost impossible to _not_ see the monster since it was supposed to be huge.

If things got bad, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra would leave their gigai and fire ceros at the monster, but hopefully things wouldn't go wrong.

Kyoshiro had also brought his precious camera with them. He had it in a glass jar and he was filming their adventure right now. Grimmjow swore he could hear the dog humming "Under the Sea" from that Disney film.

They swam straight ahead, passing many different plants and fish. And then, Grimmjow saw something. There were lines in the sand, huge lines, like something had dragged itself across the floor. And whatever it was, it had to have been recent or it was certainly heavy enough to leave a lasting imprint.

They followed the trail, going further and further, silence echoing in their ears.

Something moved to the left very fast and disappeared from sight. Grimmjow stopped swimming and glanced at Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly as something swam to the left and disappeared behind some rocks.

They stayed close together, eyes alert, knowing full well that they were in plain sight for predators. There were no plants to shield them from sight or rocks to hide them. While that was good because they would be able to spot predators, it was also a disadvantage for them.

Weed swam closer to his friends and then something swam right by them, so fast it was a blur. Blue glanced nervously at her friends and then beckoned up and Grimmjow nodded in agreement.

The thing swam by again and this time it took sight of them and for a moment they all remained perfectly still. And then the creature swam towards them.

And Grimmjow turned around and began to swim back the way they'd came with Kyoshiro, Weed, Blue and Ulquiorra right behind him. The thing swam after them in full pursuit.

They could see the place where they had parked their boat and they swam furiously towards it.

Blue began to swim towards the surface as fish began to swim by them in order to get away. Grimmjow and the others followed her, looking over their shoulders to see the thing lose them in a swarm of fish.

It broke through the swarm and swam furiously after them and Grimmjow and the others moved faster towards the surface with the thing right behind them.

Grimmjow's head broke the surface and he looked around and saw Brian look up from the boat. "There's something in the water, it's after us!" Kyoshiro called, paddling towards the boat.

Ulquiorra appeared next to him with Weed and Blue and they began to swim towards the boat.

"Did you find anything?" Brian called, not making an effort to move the boat closer to them. "Yeah!" Weed called and Grimmjow beckoned at him to move the boat towards them.

"Which way was it going?" Brain asked and Blue yelled, "East, get over here!" and Brian nodded and he moved the boat towards them. And then he put on a full burst of speed and drove the boat right past them. "Thanks!" he called.

"No! No, what are you doing?" Kyoshiro yelled, horrified.

Grimmjow's mouth fell open in shock as Brian and Leroy drove away and he yelled, "Oi! Get back here! Come back!" Blue gasped and Weed both let out exclamations of shock. Ulquiorra scowled. Grimmjow looked around, eyes wide. There were no other boats in sight. They were a hundred miles out at sea in the middle of nowhere.

And then something surfaced to their right and began to circle them, its fin protruding from the water. Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and said, his tone cold, "Is this still fun?" and Grimmjow said, "Oh shut up."

"You shut up. This was your idea and look where it got us."

"Well I didn't see you protesting to the idea!" Grimmjow snarled, splashing him.

"Someone think of something!" Kyoshiro hissed, watching the thing circling them and Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow, you and I will take our Espada forms and fly Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed out of here."

"Sounds good." Grimmjow said and they both left their gigais. Grimmjow seized Blue and Weed who grabbed his gigai and Ulquiorra picked up Kyoshiro who in turn, carried Ulquiorra's gigai.

They flew off within seconds and then the thing in the water surfaced. The dolphin stared up at the sky, watching them fly off and then it dove under water and began to swim away, surfacing every few seconds before diving back under.

* * *

"Oh yeah, because I was supposed to know that that fatass was going to betray us and leave us to drown and get eaten alive by sharks!" Grimmjow snapped applying an overly large amount of shampoo to his hair and wincing as the hot shower water stung the injury on his back.

"You had absolutely no suspicion towards them? At all?" Ulquiorra asked impatiently.

"And you did? And you said nothing!" Grimmjow snapped, moving out of the way so that Ulquiorra could clean himself. "I had my suspicions and I did tell them to you. When we were getting diving gear I kept trying to tell you but you wouldn't listen."

"And did you tell Blue or Kyoshiro or even Weed? No! You didn't! This was your fault!" Grimmjow snapped.

"This was both our faults if you ask me. But it was mostly yours because you decided to go." Ulquiorra retorted.

"Then next time I want to go, say no and stay behind!" Grimmjow said impatiently. "But you aren't stopping me from going places! If you want to live a dull life, fine, fucking, fine! But don't make me live it with you!"

"I've never wanted to make you live my "boring" life. Nor could I ever attempt to tame you into living my life style. You'd never do it." There was something admiring in Ulquiorra's tone and Grimmjow glanced at him. "Why do you feel the urge to live such an exciting life?"

Grimmjow didn't need to think about it when he responded, "I don't see a point in living if I can't feel alive. Get out more, you'll find tons of others feel the same way. It's better than your boring way of living that's for sure."

"Why is it so important to you that I enjoy myself?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow wondered momentarily if the man was even angry anymore. "Because…alright, let me be honest, Ulquiorra. You're boring as fuck."

Ulquiorra blinked, that stung a little. "I'm boring?"

"Yes, you're boring! And if it weren't for me, you'd spend every single day doing the same damn thing! I can't live everyday with someone who does the same thing every single day! If it weren't for me, you'd sit around and read!"

"And it isn't like your perfect. All of your ideas of fun either get us into trouble or get us hurt." Ulquiorra retorted and Grimmjow said, "Not always!"

"Oh and you snore." Ulquiorra added and Grimmjow opened his mouth and shut it. "No I don't."

"Yeah, you do. It's monstrous." Ulquiorra said quickly.

"Alright, since you're so perfect—!" Grimmjow began angrily but Ulquiorra said, "After I put everything away you come in and destroy my hours worth of work."

"You're a boring neat-freak! You always talk to me like I an idiot, you hog the bed half the time I'm in it and that's saying a lot because you're smaller than me!" Grimmjow snarled.

"I am not smaller than you."

"Yeah you are!"

"Well you are inconsiderate of my feelings and what I like."

"So are you!" Grimmjow yelled, outraged. "You're a fucking hypocrite! You talk like I'm the worst guy in the world, but you aren't that far off!"

"You're embarrassing to be around."

"How do you think I feel? Huh? You hog the shower—!"

"You blast your music." Ulquiorra said, interrupting him.

"You always talk down to me! You either criticize my ideas, what I like, what I want or what I do! It's like you think your some kind of fucking important guy who is above every one else, when your actually full of shit! It fucking pisses me off!"

"You disrespect my personal space and assault me."

"Ha! I assault you? _You_? It's not rape if you don't say no!" Grimmjow yelled exasperatedly, laughing.

"My point still stands. Sometimes I don't know what I see in you."

"Oh yeah? Now do something for me. If you are gonna insult me that bad, raise your damn voice and get angry at me! Stop pretending like you're too good to feel and rage at me for once!"

"I'm not too good to feel. I'm too good to feel anything for _you_ and next time we go on vacation, I'm driving. You refused to follow my directions; you refused to follow Blue's directions and even the GPS. If you ask me, the _broken_ GPS would have done a better job getting us here than you. Next time I _will _leave you on the side of the road."

"Good! I'd rather starve to death in the blistering heat than be stuck in a car with you ever again!" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra stomped from the shower and moodily wrapped a towel around his waist. "The feeling is mutual." Ulquiorra growled, throwing open the door.

"I forgot to mention one thing, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow raged, stomping to the door, a towel wrapped clumsily around his waist, "You don't know how you ended up with me of all people; well don't think that the feeling isn't fucking mutual! I also didn't mention you're the worst partner in—!"

"ENOUGH!" Blue bellowed and Grimmjow went silent and immediately felt his heart sink when he saw that Blue was holding a frying pan. "Alright you both are going to stop this ridiculous fight right now or I will make you! Alright, you both are very fond of each other even though at times you drive each other up the wall, admit it!"

For a moment, the anger in Ulquiorra's eyes flickered but then he said, "I'd rather burn alive." with such coldness in his voice it momentarily surprised Grimmjow. Even he had never heard that kind of anger in his voice before. "Aw, did I touch a nerve?" Grimmjow sneered. "Be quiet." Ulquiorra snapped and then he caught sight of the frying pan in Blue's hand and looked at his feet.

Weed heaved a deep sigh and he said a little shakily, "The Nothing's trail was last seen heading east. People are starting to hunt for it; I think they want the reward offered. If we want to find it, we should move now. Are you up for it?" he asked and Grimmjow immediately said, "As long as _he_ has nothing to do with it."

"Gladly." Ulquiorra spat.

"I didn't ask you!" Grimmjow snapped and Blue growled and both men went silent.

"Alright, Ulquiorra stays at the cabin, we go and find that over-grown eel." Kyoshiro said and he looked outside towards the west where the sun was beginning to set. "And we better move fast. What are we going to do with the thing when we find it?" he asked.

"That monster doesn't exist." Ulquiorra said impatiently, "It seems to me that the Nothing is exactly as its name implies. Nothing."

"Why should you care, your staying home! Let's go!" Grimmjow said icily, heading into his room to find a change of clothes.

Weed said, "I don't want him getting hurt by those hunters. We should try to move him."

"I don't give a crap about that monster anymore! I've got a score to settle with those rats that abandoned us!" Grimmjow called.

"Here, here!" Kyoshiro agreed eagerly, snarling.

"I don't care what we do, I want to give those men a piece of my mind as well." Blue said coldly. "In the least we should hand them into the authorities. Those men were staff members! We can't let them get away with that!" Blue exclaimed and Weed nodded in agreement.

* * *

Kyoshiro sat beside Grimmjow, who was attempting to drive the motorboat as they drove out to sea, heading east. Kyoshiro had his precious video/photo camera with him and was filming the surroundings. Blue and Weed sat in the back, keeping a look out for any other boats as well as monsters.

Grimmjow said, "Alright, Ulquiorra are we still on course?"

Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. "It's _Kyoshiro_, not Ulquiorra! He's at home remember? And yes, we are on course." Grimmjow scowled and said, "Yeah, whatever."

Despite the fact that he was still angry at Ulquiorra, it felt strange not having him around…

The clouds were getting gray and Kyoshiro frowned. "I think we might run into a storm if we keep going."

A deep growl was suddenly heard, a growl that vibrated the boat and Weed jumped and said, "What was _that_?" and Kyoshiro looked uneasy as he put his camera in a glass jar to shield it from the rain. "I hope it was thunder."

And then Grimmjow heard Blue call, "Look!" and he turned around and saw many boats sailing behind them, all of them armed and ready to attack. They were clearly hunters.

And then Grimmjow saw them. Leroy and Brian were sitting in a large boat, a boat that clearly wouldn't be very useful when it came to catching huge sea creatures; harpoon guns were clearly visible from the sides of the boat however. Grimmjow snarled. "Slow the boat." And Kyoshiro hastened to do so with a little difficulty due to his inexperience.

And then as Leroy and Brian's boat zoomed close enough, Grimmjow flung himself from the boat and ended up half submerged in the water. Leroy jumped and yelled, "Brian! It's that guy with the blue hair!"

Brian turned around just as Grimmjow pulled himself from the cold water and punched Leroy in the face, throwing him to the floor. Brian seized a weapon from the floor and he said, "Hello, Grimmjow. Come back for revenge?"

"You got it, fatass!" Grimmjow said, grinning widely and advancing on him. Just before Grimmjow could attack however, Leroy kicked Grimmjow in the legs, knocking him to the floor. "Well too bad, no one is going to stop me from getting that reward, not even you!"

"I don't give a shit about the reward!" Grimmjow roared, the rain now pelting down around them. "I care that you think you can get away with drowning my friends—I mean me!" Grimmjow added to sound less cheesy.

And then Brian turned and Grimmjow could see massive waves in the distance and another deep growl came from beneath them. "Sorry, Grimmjow but I don't have time to deal with you, man! Hey, boys, come take care of this guy for me and Leroy!"

And men came from beneath the deck, many and many of them, all of them armed. And then Blue landed on the deck of the boat and kicked one of the men in the face, throwing them into two others. Kyoshiro was yelling into his camera about every little detail as he tore forward and attacked two of the men, leaving Weed alone in the motorboat.

Weed was thrown out as a wave crashed into the boat, making the boat buck into the air. Weed hastily climbed out of the water and joined the fray on board the boat.

Grimmjow pounced, pinning one of the men and punched him in the face before lifting him off his feet and hurling him into a man running towards Weed. The boat was being rocked back and forth and Brian was thrown away from the wheel and tumbled across the deck.

Grimmjow ran at him and Brian couldn't dodge the kick to his stomach that made him double over in agony. Grimmjow pulled Brian towards him and punched him twice in the face. Brian made to punch him but missed and Grimmjow kicked him, sending him flying backwards and Brian steered the harpoon gun in his direction and fired. Grimmjow jumped to the left and the harpoon fell in the water to float some feet behind them.

A man tore towards Grimmjow and Weed ran forward and tripped him and the man crashed into several barrels and sent them flying over into the water. The man fell overboard and Kyoshiro ran by and, holding his camera and a plank of wood in his hand, he smacked a hand in the head with the plank of wood, causing the nail on the wood to slash the man's head badly.

Kyoshiro kicked him in the stomach but was pulled back and slammed into a railing by a man whose muscles were bigger than his head. He drew back his fist and slammed it into Kyoshiro's face hard enough to break his jaw. Kyoshiro kicked him in the stomach but it was almost as if the man didn't feel it! The man's hand latched around Kyoshiro's neck.

Blue hurried by and kicked him, sending the man sliding across the deck. The boat lurched a little and sent everyone sliding across the floor and crashing into the railings, some even broke through them and fell in the water!

Weed almost fell overboard but Kyoshiro grabbed him at the last second and threw him towards a man running towards them. Weed pinned him to the ground and threw him into the wall hard enough to knock him unconscious. Kyoshiro grinned. "Nice one, Sunshine!"

Grimmjow grabbed Brian by the back of the neck and repeatedly slammed his head against the rail of the boat. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Brian yelled and Grimmjow kicked him, sending him flying over the side of the boat. Brian fell in the water with a crash and just as Grimmjow turned around; Leroy lunged at him and sent them both flying over the edge of the boat.

Blue gasped as she saw this and she hurried forward and peered into the water, only to be wrenched away from the railing by a man whom she punched in the face.

Grimmjow surfaced in the cold water and Leroy pulled him under while Brian helped restrained Grimmjow. Grimmjow thrashed, trying to leave his gigai but to no avail. Grimmjow managed to free his wrist from Brian's hand and immediately slammed his fist into his face. Brian attempted to surface but Grimmjow kicked him and sent him flying back under water.

Leroy meanwhile had surfaced for air and abandoned his "friend" like a true jerk. Grimmjow leapt from the water and immediately shoved him back under before crawling aboard the boat. Several barrels had fallen into the water and Brian immediately used one of them to swim towards the violently rocking boat.

Grimmjow kicked another barrel at him and Brian was sunk by it.

"We need them alive!" Weed yelled and Grimmjow groaned and Kyoshiro dove into the water to rescue them. Kyoshiro flung Brian aboard the boat along with Leroy and Blue pulled them aboard.

Brian looked stunned and Weed said, "Don't misunderstand our actions. We need you alive so that we can hand you over to the police."

"How about them? Do they need to live?" Grimmjow asked, glaring at Brian's men as they advanced on them. Weed said, "Uh…if we kill them we'll be marked as killers by the police!" he said, kicking a man in the stomach and Blue hastily tied him up.

"Fine, we take hostages!" Grimmjow snapped, unhappy about the idea of not killing them. "Yay." Kyoshiro said unenthusiastically waving a tiny rainbow flag that read 'Make love, not war!' with a big smiley face on it.

And then Blue yelled, "Grimmjow _move_!" and Grimmjow turned around in time to see a giant harpoon, courteous of Brian, flying right at him! Due to the rain, Blue hadn't seen it coming until it was a few feet from him.

Grimmjow felt the cold metal poke hard at his stomach but it never impaled him. A pale hand had latched onto the harpoon just before it could impale him. Grimmjow grinned. "Took your time." And Ulquiorra hurled the harpoon at the men running towards them. They all hurried out of the way.

"You can see this storm all the way back on Captiva. It's all over the news too. I'll be mad at you later." Ulquiorra called, kicking a man in the face. The man didn't even scream, he simply looked around fearfully, unable to see his attacker. Ulquiorra had taken his Espada form for the occasion.

"Thanks for turning up, Ulqui." Grimmjow gratefully and Ulquiorra nodded. "My pleasure." Grimmjow momentarily considered apologizing, but was interrupted when the group of men charged towards them.

The five friends formed a circle as the men came from all sides, Brian and Leroy included. Blue seized a man's head and slammed her head against his, throwing him to the floor. Kyoshiro slammed his glass jar into a man's face, causing glass to break into his skin. Weed tore forward and head-butted a man in the stomach and Ulquiorra kicked the man all the way into the mast.

Grimmjow seized a man by the head as he ran towards Blue and Ulquiorra kicked him, sending him flying backwards into a large set of crates. Grimmjow climbed up onto the sail and swung himself forward, his feet slamming into a man's abdomen.

Brian looked around, trying to find the thing that was hurting his men. "What do they have with them? A ghost?" he heard Leroy exclaim.

Kyoshiro let out a battle cry and lunged at Leroy, taking his dog form as he did so, the camera wrapped around his neck. Kyoshiro seized Leroy's throat and threw him. The man crashed through the deck and didn't emerge. "Oops."

Ulquiorra stuck out his foot and ended up flipping a man that ran at Grimmjow with a knife. The man fell flat on his back with a yell of pain and Ulquiorra seized his foot and threw him into the mast, knocking down the men that attempted to climb up to get away.

And then Weed yelled, "Look out!" and something whipped out of the water and snapped the boat clean in two. The boat broke into halves and began to tip over as the waves smashed into the boat, splintering the wood.

And then the waves came, two huge massive waves, one bigger than the other. Grimmjow only had time to yell, "Hold on!" and then the waves crashed into them and everyone was pulled from the ship and into the freezing ocean, unable to hold onto anything or anyone and unable to control where they were going.

Grimmjow didn't know how long he floated there in the water but it felt like forever. He couldn't see anyone or hear anyone; all he could hear was the screaming wind and the roar of the waves.

And then, he could feel wet sand against his cheek and he used his remaining strength to crawl upon the beach and then he collapsed, coughing and hacking into the sand.

* * *

"Grimmjow! Grimmjow, wake up!"

And Grimmjow's eyes opened and he found Blue staring down at him. She gave a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness! We thought—!"

And then Grimmjow felt something rising from his stomach and he lurched away from her and coughed up what seemed to be half the ocean. Grimmjow thumped himself on the chest, taking in deep breaths and then he relaxed with a groan.

Grimmjow could see Kyoshiro sitting next to Blue with Leroy and Brian passed out and tied against a tree behind them. Kyoshiro grinned, "Yo, you took your time. That storm actually washed up back on Captiva, believe it or not. That's…pretty convenient…" but Kyoshiro's tone wasn't happy, the grin was completely forced and Weed seemed to be searching the beach for something.

"You lost your camera?" Grimmjow said, cracking a grin. Kyoshiro shook his head and heaved in a shaky sigh and Grimmjow felt a strange feeling sink into his stomach. Kyoshiro looked close to tears.

And then, Grimmjow realized what was missing and his heart sunk. "Where's Ulquiorra?" and Blue looked away, her lower lip trembling. "Grimmjow…we…we don't know." Blue said, sobs in her voice and Grimmjow felt a cold shiver run down his back.

"We think…" Kyoshiro murmured, attempting to make his voice strong and failing, "We thing he's…" but Kyoshiro couldn't continue and he broke off in a strangled sob. "We've searched the entire beach and…I'm sorry…"

And then he looked out towards the ocean and he felt his stomach turn over, a feeling of dread seized his heart and held it in a tight grasp and suddenly he couldn't breath.

_Oh God, no…_

Weed's voice could be heard, sobs audible in his voice as he called out desperately.

_No…_

And Grimmjow left his body and flew out over the ocean. The truth was too terrible to imagine and the mere thought made him sick with fear. All he could do was search, calling out Ulquiorra's name until his throat hurt.

_Please, no…_

He was nowhere to be seen. The only sound that answered Grimmjow's desperate calls was the roar of the ocean. He didn't want to think about what could have happened, he didn't want to even picture it.

_Please…_

Soon his calls turned to gasps and Grimmjow simply stood there, fighting back tears as he was forced to accept the truth that either somewhere out there, Ulquiorra was dying or that he was already dead.

_No…_

The ocean stretched on forever, he could be anywhere and Grimmjow would never know.

And it was his fault. If he hadn't been so stupid and wanted to get back at those men, this never would have happened. He didn't try to defend himself even though he would have given anything to avoid admitting to himself that he had killed Ulquiorra.

But he had. And if he hadn't been so foolish, his Ulquiorra would still be here. And the fact that he had yelled such harsh, cruel untrue words at him only hours ago made it all so much worse.

And finally, around sundown, Grimmjow admitted defeat. He returned to the beach with an ache in his chest, his whole body drained of energy.

He didn't look at his friends, all he did was stare out over the ocean, the distant cry of gulls could be heard and the waves lapped gently against the shore.

"I forgot to mention one more thing, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow whispered, "Your loyal to the core. No matter how many times I got angry at you for the stupidest reasons; whenever I needed help you were there. Despite all the stupid crap I said to you, you—!"

"Grimmjow—!" Blue began gently and Grimmjow ignored her, "You never thought anything less of me. And I know that sometimes I make it out like you're the worst person I could possibly be stuck with, but you know what? I—I couldn't get anyone better than you. Nothing I ever did in my life was better than when I was with you, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow's voice failed him and he gave up trying to speak as anguished sobs choked him.

"Grimmjow." Blue's voice was gentle.

"Blue, I don't want to talk right now, okay? I don't!" Grimmjow said imploringly, hiding his face away from her.

"Grimmjow." And the voice wasn't Blue's. Grimmjow felt his breath catch and he looked over his shoulder, unwilling to believe it.

Ulquiorra was standing behind him, a wide smile on his face. And Grimmjow felt a smile break across his face. And Grimmjow ran to him and within seconds they were holding each other in a desperate embrace. Grimmjow buried his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder and he felt Ulquiorra pull him close.

"I'm sorry, Grimmjow." Ulquiorra whispered a tremor in his voice and Grimmjow shook his head, kissing Ulquiorra on the cheek. "Me too, Ulqui…" Grimmjow said smiling, not sure if he was laughing or crying. He felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around his neck and he felt himself melt into his arms.

"I wasn't here earlier because when I woke up on land, you weren't there. I searched everywhere but I—I thought you had—"

Grimmjow ran his hand through Ulquiorra's damp hair and he heard the smaller man release a shaky sigh. "You should have seen me, I was so fucking scared." Grimmjow said, laughing softly into Ulquiorra's shoulder.

"Ulquiorra, you can read from now until the end of your life, and I'll even join you. Hell, I'll even get you a freaking library to read from. You can give me all the directions you want, you can hog the shower from morning to night, you can be as boring or as empathetic as you want, I don't care anymore. Just don't ever, _ever,_ go dying on me." Grimmjow murmured, resting his forehead against Ulquiorra's.

"I don't want to do that. I was just realizing that I really should be more willing to expand my idea of enjoyment. I'll give yours a try."

Grimmjow's eyes lit up. "You serious?"

"Very much so. And if you still want to, you can blast your music as loud as you want and I won't object to it. You can also—"

Grimmjow said, "Really?" and Ulquiorra felt his heart soar at the sight of that goofy grin that slid easily across the man's face. "Yes. I'll tolerate some of things you do, if you'll tolerate some of the things that I do."

"Done, deal." Grimmjow said quickly and Ulquiorra added after some thought, "And then we could always attempt to change some of our bad habits…then again, that might not—"

And Grimmjow murmured with a wide smile, "Done." And Grimmjow kissed him deeply, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days. Ulquiorra pulled him closer, responding gently to the soft kiss, their eyes staring into each other's.

Grimmjow moved away from him, staring into those eyes he had grown to love before he kissed him again, his arms tightening around Ulquiorra's small shoulders, loving the way Ulquiorra fit in his arms. Ulquiorra's arms wrapped around his neck and Grimmjow felt a soft happy laugh escape him.

Grimmjow took advantage of Ulquiorra's height and lifted him off his feet and made them both topple over in the sand. They both lay in the sand for a moment, Grimmjow chuckling and Ulquiorra with a small smile on his face.

And then they both heard a click and Ulquiorra said, "Kyoshiro, are you serious?" and Grimmjow snapped, "Kyoshiro, cut it out!" and Kyoshiro smiled widely and took another picture with his camera that somehow hadn't been damaged by the water.

Blue hugged both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and so did Weed. "You two goofs!" Blue exclaimed joyfully and Weed nuzzled Ulquiorra's chest. "Goofs?" Ulquiorra mumbled, glancing at Grimmjow as if asking why she chose that certain word. Grimmjow grinned. "I'm not a goof you're a goof."

"You're a goof." Ulquiorra replied and Kyoshiro said, "Your both goofs, you goofs!" and Kyoshiro raised his camera to take another picture and he froze. "Whoa…what the hell? Guys, guys move!" Kyoshiro yelled and all of them turned around in time to see something huge moving through the water towards them.

Kyoshiro switched his camera to record and watched with wide eyes as the water slowly stilled. "The Nothing doesn't exist. Can we go back to our cottage?" Ulquiorra asked tiredly.

Grimmjow said, "I have to agree. I'm sick of that stupid monster." Weed said happily and with a positive voice, "Well now we know why it is called the Nothing! Because it doesn't exist—!" and then Weed's voice stopped with a scream as something huge and scaly burst from the water in front of them.

It towered above them, a massive 90 feet tall, dark gray and scaly with burning red eyes and a forked tongue and a face that was dragon like in appearance. Its tail was missing, clearly lost in the wreckage of the boats and if Grimmjow and the others hadn't been so shocked, they would have noted to themselves that waves could no longer be created by the monster before them.

And then the thing lunged towards them, ate Kyoshiro's camera and dove back into the water with a huge splash. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed all stood there side by side, eyes bugged out and each of their faces frozen into different shocked expressions.

"Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow croaked.

"Yeah?" Ulquiorra said, his eye twitching.

"That was the—?" Grimmjow said, eyes widening.

"Yeah…" Ulquiorra said numbly.

"So he really does—?" Grimmjow said, his eyes growing wider.

"Yeah…" Ulquiorra breathed.

Weed's smile twitched and Kyoshiro simply stared at his paws where his camera used to be, an expression of shock on his face. Blue continued to gape and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra simply stared at the ocean.

And then slowly, all the friends turned to look at each other. They all smiled pleasantly at each other. Weed said, "Let's go home, everyone." And Blue nodded, smiling, "Lovely idea, Weed."

And together, they all ran off screaming.

* * *

Yay, this chapter is done~!

This chapter was actually rewritten. The first time I wrote it was too short. I like this version much better.

Captiva Island is gorgeous. I really wanted to make these characters go there ever since I first visited there. Most of the stuff they did in this chapter was based on true events but I exagerated them to make things more interesting. There are lizards there of course, we really did get lsot a few times, we really did go to two hotels becasue we can't fly with three dogs...and I had my first ever burrito there. I also saw rays in the water with my dad, but I never actually saw dolphins. The sunsets there are gorgeous. And there was a pool and a few hot-springs. There were no sea monsters though, lol. I got the idea for the Nothing while going through old stories about sea monsters and I thought "wow, this is cool!" and then I thought it was stupid how some people will see some odly shaped rocks and be all like "zomg a sea munster!" and then i came up with the name the Nothing to parody those kinds of situations. I seriously do think that there is a possibility of sea monsters though, because species are always evolving. Anything is possible, maybe not probable, but possible.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed it. It mad me feel like I was visiting memories from my vacation. One memory I love though is one day it was raining. I went outside in the rain with my Grimmjow and Ulquiorra figures and I put a big leaf over their heads and just sat in the rain with them and I made Grimmjow's arm go around Ulquiorra's shoulders. x3 I should have written something like that in this chapter. silly me.

Thanks for reading~! Next chapter will be about how the characters fist met each other. That should be fun!


	20. Aventure 20

**Adventure #20**

**Back to the Past part 1**

_4 years ago_

When someone full of evil dies, they become monsters known as Hollows who pray on the innocent wondering souls to quench their thirst. Sometimes however, Hollows have stronger thirsts and, rather than eat human souls, will eat their fellow Hollow. Once they have consumed enough Hollows, they merge together to create the lower form of another fellow hollow know as Menos Grande. They do not become Menos Grande however. They became the dimwitted, weak, Gillian, gaining vast amounts of spiritual power. But if one of those hollows has power or an ego superior than the ones it merged with then, rarely, it will become a Gillian while retaining its consciousness.

It will eat its fellow Gillian and continue to evolve.

Eventually it will change into what is known as an Adjuchas.

Those who have become Adjuchas face something much more terrifying than simply being eaten—regression. If they do not continue to consume other Adjuchas, they will regress back into Gillian and lose their individuality, making it impossible to evolve.

And, somewhere within the vast desert of Heuco Mundo, a creature burst from beneath the sand. The creature was animal like, resembling a Panther except the armor coating his body was white.

The only color on his body was his pure blue eyes.

_Consume._

And he tore off through the desert. He had something akin to feet for the first time in a long time, but the sand was almost without texture, he couldn't feel it. There was no wind, there was almost no air.

The only thing he felt was an urge. An urge to consume. It was instinct he felt—the instinct to kill or be killed.

_Move forward._

And he consumed every Adjuchas he came across. He was the smallest Adjuchas, every creature he came across taunted his size and believed him to be weak. He killed them and ate them. He would prove them all wrong.

And then one day, a shadow approached him. A monstrous Adjuchas stood behind him, a leer on its masked face. "Ha! Guys, look at this pip-squeak! You're the tiniest Adjuchas I've seen yet! Sorry, but I'm going to have to eat you!"

And the panther-like creature lunged and within seconds he had taken a bite out of two others and the huge creature before him. Everyone in the group gasped and one of them said, "He got D-roy in one hit! Just like that!"

And before the panther could attack again, one of the masked creatures stepped forward and said, "You're strong. What is your name, Adjuchas?" And the panther sneered, the voice echoing in his ears. He had lived with silence for so long, every sound he heard echoed and rang in his ears.

He moved his jaw to speak, his own voice feeling strange as he said, "Grimmjow."

"I'm Shawlong." The tall creature said, his voice calm and Grimmjow turned, uninterested in conversation and eager to proceed on his journey. "Join us, Grimmjow." Said Shawlong and Grimmjow stopped walking and turned a cold gaze in Shawlong's direction.

"You won't go unrewarded." And every one of them knelt before him. "What's the idea?" Grimmjow asked coldly, not liking this very much. "We do not plan on living our lives as Gillian or Adjuchas. We will climb to the top and become Vasto Lorde. But we need power for that to happen, a strong power to guide us. You are worthy of that role. Come with us, Grimmjow. You will be our King, Grimmjow."

And Grimmjow led them. He led them for many nights, consuming other Adjuchas for a long period of time. It was always night, but many days must have gone by, possibly years. This must be what it is like to have companions. They were not particularly important to him, but being able to talk to someone was refreshing.

And then, one day as Grimmjow finished his meal, he said, "What did you say?"

And Shawlong said, "I said we're giving up, Grimmjow. Do you realize how much time has passed since we began traveling together?"

"Dunno." Grimmjow replied.

And Elforte said, "We've acknowledge that we will never become Vasto Lorde."

Another one said, "We could no longer feel our powers growing after we ate our thousandth Hollow. Today's meal was the three thousandth. It is all meaningless now."

Grimmjow stared at them and then he sneered and turned away from them. "Worthless." He grumbled. "If you wanna give up, you're free to go die in a ditch somewhere. I'm moving on."

"Very well," said Shawlong, "But if you're leaving, eat us before you go."

And Grimmjow stopped walking. He had had no intention of eating them, he had had no thoughts about eating them. Somehow, the thought seemed foreign to him. Shawlong said, "When a hollow has a part of it eaten by a hollow of the same level, its evolution stops. D-roy is unable to become a Vasto Lorde. We already knew that. And our evolution will come to an end here." He said, looking towards the hollow Grimmjow had first taken a bite out of when he met them.

"Damn cowards." Grimmjow snarled.

"We've already accepted it, as I have said. Those who can become Vasto Lordes, or something greater, were most likely determined when we were just Hollows. No, perhaps even before that. All of us realize that now." And he turned to Grimmjow and said, "From the moment we began our existence, it was already determined that we would become Adjuchas, and you would continue to progress. Eat us, Grimmjow!"

And Grimmjow simply stared at them, not moving. And then he moved. He devoured part of their bodies one by one.

_All of you are damn cowards. Fine. I'll eat you, every single one of you! You'll see what the next level is like, as part of my flesh!_

"I am…" he whispered, "I am the King."

And for the next few days he walked alone, the silence ringing in his ears, and his paw-steps almost mute without the sounds of others walking behind him.

Every now and then he would wonder if he was really evolving and paranoia would hit him. And then, every now and then, he would look up at the moon. He wasn't a King. He had no one to rule over. The only thing he could do was devour more and more Hollows, his would-be subjects.

What was a King if he had no one to rule?

What was he then?

He didn't know for the longest time.

And still, nothing had changed. The eyes of his fellow Adjuchas still mocked him, still looked at him like he was beneath them, like he was weak. Oh, but he showed them. He devoured them more viciously than he had the others, relishing the crunch of their bones and skin under his teeth.

And then, one day, something did change.

Grimmjow found him lying in the desert.

He could remember feeling shocked at finding someone so different looking out here, he wasn't a Hollow, he wasn't an Adjuchas nor a Menos. What was he?

And slowly that face turned to look up at him through the brightest eyes Grimmjow had seen yet. They were a bright green and they were the only color on him.

Both stared at each other and then Grimmjow said, "What the hell are you?" and the creature lying at his paws didn't respond. Cold emerald eyes turned to stare up at him and the human-like creature didn't respond. Grimmjow raised a paw and pressed it gently against his pale skin. And instantly he was thrown backwards as the man sat up so fast it was alarming.

And that emerald gaze met with Grimmjow's and stared right through him.

That gaze was cold, even though the man lay at his feet, unable to move, that gaze stared right through him, as if he were standing high above Grimmjow.

Grimmjow would have killed him if he hadn't vanished the instant Grimmjow blinked. Grimmjow waited for an attack and then turned his head towards the distance where he could see a huge palace in the middle of this desolate wasteland. He could practically feel the power radiating from that palace. And he began to walk, unable to shake the image of those eyes from his head.

No one could look down on Kings. Kings were perched high above everyone else, more powerful than everyone else. And he didn't care what happened as long as he evolved, and evolved fast. He'd show them. He'd show all of them. No one looked down on him.

But what he chose to ignore was the fact that being a King, was also a very lonely position as well.

Grimmjow became human-like and shortly after his transformation,

a Shinigami found him and offered him a position of power if he agreed to be his soldier. Grimmjow accepted it.

_Fine, I'll become a soldier for this stupid Shinigami._

The Hougyoku gave him the powers of a Shinigami, he was given a sword and a rank of 12th Espada. And then Grimmjow saw him shortly after his birth as an Espada. That same cold face, those hate-filled emerald eyes.

Blue and green eyes met and Grimmjow sneered.

_I'll work for him, so long as I am given the strength to crush my enemies. I'll tolerate being under his reign as long as nobody _ever _looks at me that way again! _

And Aizen Sousuke asked their new-comer, "Tell me, new brother of ours. What is your name?"

And the pale man whispered, "Ulquiorra, sir. Ulquiorra Schiffer."

_I will crush you, Ulquiorra Schiffer._

And Ulquiorra turned towards Grimmjow and their gazes met and Grimmjow felt a thrill shoot through his stomach as his skin crawled with utter dislike. It had been a long time since he had felt this kind of dislike before.

_I am the King._

* * *

According to Aizen's calendar, five months had passed since Grimmjow joined the Espada. During those five months Grimmjow worked his way up and got the rank of Sixth Espada, a rank he was very proud of.

Schiffer had gotten a position as well. His rank was that of the Fourth Espada. He was a level stronger than him. However Grimmjow wasn't too upset, their ranks were close enough that if they fought each other, they would probably destroy each other.

Schiffer however would never engage in combat with him. He would never draw his sword; he wouldn't even acknowledge he existed! The guy himself was just strange and as far as Grimmjow was concerned, he was absolutely emotionless.

He showed no emotion, ever. His facial expression never changed but it was always unreadable. His eyes despite their size were completely unreadable and no emotion ever showed in his eyes either. There was never any emotion in his voice. Why?

Normally Grimmjow wouldn't have cared and just killed the guy but in this case it was different. He had never met someone like his enemy before and that was saying something because he had met a _lot_ of Hollows.

When Grimmjow watched him fight off enemies his attacks were unreadable too. He never removed his hands from his pockets, he never drew his sword and Grimmjow knew it was because Ulquiorra deemed himself too good to draw his sword against an enemy.

Grimmjow would make him change his mind about that one.

And then there was something else that intrigued him too. There were tear-tracks sliding down Ulquiorra's cheeks. They were the same color as his eyes. Why were they there? What was the purpose? Grimmjow himself had markings under his eyes, but nothing like those.

And all the time Grimmjow observed his superior it was always with that spike of hatred. Every little thing Schiffer did, Grimmjow despised. He hated the way he walked, the way he fought, the way he believed he was better than others and he despised looking into his face and seeing how Ulquiorra seemed to look right through him.

And yet, Grimmjow loved hating him. Hating Schiffer sent a thrill down his spine and put a spike of adrenaline in his stomach. There was a strange exhilaration about loathing him and Grimmjow savored every second of it.

And finally, Grimmjow decided to make a move.

* * *

Ulquiorra had been born into this world feeling nothing.

He knew nothing of emotions; he only knew that they were useless in every possible way. He had been born unable to feel, only able to see. Anything that he couldn't see with his eyes did not exist.

Emotions were not substantial, you couldn't see them and you couldn't touch them. So therefore, they did not exist.

So…what was _this_? His skin was crawling, his hands felt like fisting, every time he found that pair of bright blue eyes, he felt the urge to behead him. And he had absolutely no control over it. It was like instinct. Was Jaegerjaques bewitching him?

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques stood for everything Ulquiorra Schiffer hated. He was loud, obnoxious; he acted on his emotions and _that_ was utter weakness in Ulquiorra's eyes, he was full of himself, disrespectful towards their master, he acted on everything that came to his mind and as far as Ulquiorra was concerned, he could not be trusted.

Was this hatred? Did hatred make one want to kill another, was it everything he felt in Jaegerjaques presence?

Overall Jaegerjaques was bothersome. He wasn't even worth hating and yet Ulquiorra despised him when he should have felt nothing towards him. He was born into this world feeling nothing and suddenly this one person was able to make him feel loathing just by looking at him.

But he relished it. He relished every despicable feeling Jaegerjaques sent his way because he had never felt this way before. He had been wondering in the desert for days, unable to even feel the sand beneath his feet and suddenly someone whom he deemed trash was able to make him feel utter dislike the instant their eyes met.

And he had to wonder…why?

He watched Jaegerjaques carefully, wondering if the stupid man had somehow cast a spell on him the day they met in the desert. He showed no signs of having any powers Ulquiorra didn't know about so Ulquiorra watched him more.

He studied him.

Jaegerjaques seemed to relish any type of emotion he felt and it seemed fighting was his way of life. His movements were all too predictable however and tiresome to watch. But he was fast on his feet and quick about finding any opening his opponent revealed. Ulquiorra couldn't understand his lust for battle. Grimmjow himself was a mystery to Ulquiorra.

Jaegerjaques also seemed eager to prove himself and his strength. He was still determined—no, driven to prove himself and to always, always, get stronger. Why?

And Jaegerjaques frequently challenged Ulquiorra as if he believed he had something to prove to him as well.

As much as it annoyed Ulquiorra to admit it, Jaegerjaques was on his mind most of the time. He still tried to figure out why he behaved the way he did, why he lived the way he did and why, above all, he challenged Ulquiorra so often.

And then one day, Ulquiorra decided to confront him and get an answer once and for all.

* * *

The meeting room cleared until only two members of the Espada remained in the room. Grimmjow stared across the table at Ulquiorra and saw the man staring at the floor.

And then Ulquiorra's gaze landed on him and the air grew colder.

And then Ulquiorra said, "You are pathetic."

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and a spike of annoyance fluttered through his stomach. He scowled and said, "And how am _I _so pathetic when _you_ are too scared to draw your sword against me?"

"Don't flatter yourself. You are pathetic because you act purely on emotions. Said emotions even give you the ridiculous idea that I am too afraid to fight you. We all know what would happen if I did fight you. I would kill you within a second."

Grimmjow's jaw clenched. How he would _love_ to knock this man off his high horse. And he was going to do that now.

And Grimmjow leapt across the table at him, his sword drawn within seconds! Ulquiorra raised his hand and blocked Grimmjow's sword.

Grimmjow's sword swung every which way, but no matter what he did, he could not find an opening. Grimmjow growled deep in his chest and used sonido to appear behind Ulquiorra. "I will make you draw your sword! What's wrong? Are you so afraid to engage in combat because you're afraid I'll destroy you? Draw your sword, Ulquiorra!"

As he spoke, Grimmjow prepared a cero at point blank range and fired right at him. Grimmjow smirked when he realized Ulquiorra had no time to react. Ulquiorra raised his hand, pushing the cero away from him and into the opposite wall.

Grimmjow lunged while Ulquiorra was distracted by the cero and flung his sword towards his throat. Ulquiorra smacked his sword away and appeared behind Grimmjow and kicked him in the ribs. The kick nearly shattered his ribs and Grimmjow was thrown into the wall, leaving a crater in the stone wall.

Grimmjow felt enraged when he noticed Ulquiorra _still_ had his hands in his pockets and his sword _still_ in its sheath and Grimmjow snarled and fired a cero into the floor and Ulquiorra dodged and Grimmjow used sonido to move away from the wall and appeared right next to him.

Grimmjow raised his foot and almost kicked him when Ulquiorra vanished and then Grimmjow dodged the oncoming attack and kicked him as Ulquiorra got close enough. Ulquiorra flew backwards into the wall and Grimmjow laughed loudly.

As Ulquiorra fell away from the wall, Grimmjow shot forward and fired a cero at him. Ulquiorra dodged it and appeared inches from him, his foot flying towards Grimmjow's stomach. Grimmjow prepared a cero when the man was inches from him and he saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen.

And then Ulquiorra felt a hand seize his wrist and Ulquiorra realized he couldn't move. Ulquiorra reacted and prepared a cero from the tip of his finger; Grimmjow had made a mistake and grabbed his hand that he fired ceros from.

Both men stared into each other's eyes. "Go on. Fire it." Grimmjow dared and Ulquiorra said, "Fire yours first." And they were both silent. Neither of them made a move to end the others life.

And then Ulquiorra said, "Why do you challenge me?"

"Because I fucking hate you." Grimmjow spat and Ulquiorra said, "Why me? I have never seen you challenge Nnoitra or anyone else that bothers you. It has only ever been me that you seek out to do battle with. Why?"

"Because no one looks down on me in the way that you do! I fucking despise you! I hate how you think you're better than me; I hate the way you look at me, I hate the way you talk to me! I hate the way you won't even draw your sword against me because you have got it in your head that you're too good for me! Anyone that looks down on me, I will crush!"

There was pure rage in Grimmjow's voice, his eyes were narrowed into slits and there was pure disgust on his face. Ulquiorra said, "Tell me then. What does it feel like to hate me?"

"It makes me feel alive."

Ulquiorra seemed to think about this and then he said, "I see. Then perhaps I hate you too." Grimmjow gaped. That whole thing, this whole fight and Ulquiorra's provocation—! It had all been a test to see if Ulquiorra hated him or not! That fucking _bastard_!

Grimmjow prepared his cero and Ulquiorra kicked him in the chest, throwing him into the wall. Grimmjow's stomach felt hot with rage and he yelled, "You fucking piece of shit!" and Ulquiorra said, "And yet, for all your talk of hating me, you didn't even bother to try and kill me when you had the chance. Is it really hate, Jaegerjaques? Or a fascination?"

"You didn't try either!" Grimmjow roared, infuriated that Ulquiorra was making it sound like he was actually fascinated in him. The nerve of this little—!

Ulquiorra just said, "Aizen-sama would not appreciate it if I killed one of his soldiers, as useless as you are."

"Then I'll get stronger! I _will_ destroy you, Ulquiorra! And when I do, you'll regret that you _ever_ had the guts to look down on me!"

Ulquiorra didn't say a word as he left the meeting room, leaving Grimmjow in silence.

* * *

"_Is it really hate, Jaegerjaques? Or a fascination?"_

Those words kept bouncing about in his skull, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. No, it fucking _wasn't _some stupid fascination!

_Dumb shit. Hatred is not fascination! If I was fascinated by that schmuck, I'd be intrigued by him, not want to blow his head off! _

Grimmjow was bored, despite the fact that he had only recently been reunited with Shawlong and the rest of the gang, now Arrancars, he didn't feel like hanging out with them.

_Don't you dare, fucking imply that I am fascinated with you, Ulquiorra! Don't you freaking dare! There's nothing to be interested in! _

And Grimmjow's brain immediately decided to prove him wrong.

_Okay, apart from the fact that he always looks like he's crying. Makes him look stupid. But why does he have them? Why is his skin so pale? Why is his upper lip black? And why the hell does he always act the way he does? What's the reason? _

Grimmjow stopped walking outside the library and scowled.

_Shut up._

And then Grimmjow heard something from inside the library and he pushed open the door and entered the room. He stood behind a bookshelf and then he spotted the very person who had been plaguing his thoughts seconds ago.

Ulquiorra was sitting at a table, an open book set down on the table in front of him, his emerald eyes intent upon the pages. Every now and then, Grimmjow saw something cross his face, like a hint of mild surprise or his eyebrows would crease.

Grimmjow watched, intrigued just slightly.

As much as Grimmjow loathed admitting it, there was something about Ulquiorra that was fascinating, be it his pale skin and green tear-tracks or his emotionless personality or his air of grace. He carried himself gracefully, he fought gracefully, even his voice was cold and yet velvety, sometimes it made Grimmjow shiver, though he passed this off as disgust.

_He has a sword but he'd rather spend his time reading than fighting? Why? _

_What kind of books would he be interested in? Something depressing or something happy…probably the former. He even makes reading look freaking graceful…stupid prick._

_Are you really emotionless or are you just really good at hiding emotions? What's the point? And if emotions really are useless to you, then why did you admit to hating me? And above all, why do I have so many freaking questions to ask you? Shit, am I really—?_

And then Ulquiorra's gaze looked up at him, emerald eyes finding Grimmjow's blue eyes and Grimmjow hastily looked away, scowling.

_No, I'm not fascinated. I'm not fascinated at all!_

* * *

"Ah, you got Gin's message. Thank you for joining us, Grimmjow." said Aizen Sousuke as Grimmjow entered the throne room. Grimmjow didn't remove the glare from his face as he stared up at his master. He hated this man.

He hated the authority he placed over Grimmjow and he despised living beneath a Shinigami, their enemy for crying out loud! And then there was the bullshit he spewed every time he opened his stupid mouth!

He liked to pretend that they were his children, his beloved subjects when really he didn't give two shits and how anyone was dumb enough to believe that he _did _care, Grimmjow had no idea. He was using them, every one of them, for his stupid plan. Grimmjow loathed him, almost as much as he did Ulquiorra. Except he was quite certain he loathed this man more. If he thought the way _Ulquiorra_ looked at him was bad, Sousuke's stare was even worse. He was stronger than Grimmjow and, though Grimmjow would rather die than admit it, Aizen could kill him with a single swipe.

And Aizen knew he was stronger. And he loved to shove that fact in Grimmjow's face by looking at him like he was inferior; talking to him like he was inferior, and Grimmjow would have to sit there and bite his tongue because if wanted, Aizen could kill him and replace him easily.

_Apparently I got Gin's fucking message you idiot. Other wise I wouldn't be here wasting my time!_

Grimmjow looked to his left and scowled when he saw Ulquiorra standing beside him. "Alright, now I have an important mission for you both."

_You both? He better mean separately!_

"Ichigo Kurosaki recently moved to Tokyo city. I need both of you to monitor his progress and report back to me."

Grimmjow was getting a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach and he looked over at Ulquiorra and felt his temper rise when the man's expression hadn't changed.

And then, Ulquiorra said, "Excuse me, Aizen-sama, but when you say that you need us both to monitor Kurosaki Ichigo's progress, do you mean that the both of us must do the mission together? Wouldn't I be enough? Grimmjow has no skill for observation and I alone could do the mission."

"And what the hell makes you think that I have low observation skills?" Grimmjow snarled over at him and Aizen said, "Yes, Ulquiorra has excellent observation skills, but I have seen Grimmjow show very good observation skills too."

_Since when you creep?_ Grimmjow thought furiously.

"You both will leave—,"

And Grimmjow said, "I refuse." And Aizen went quiet and Ulquiorra sent a cold glare in Grimmjow's direction that made Grimmjow want to pulverize him. "Excuse me?" Aizen said.

"I said I refuse to work with him! In case you haven't noticed, I can't even stand to look at him! I refuse to do this mission—Sir." Grimmjow added venomously to sound a little less rude when Aizen's stare got colder.

"Aizen-sama, for once I must agree with him. Grimmjow and I have never been on good terms and I must object to the idea of our joining." Ulquiorra said.

"Ulquiorra, are you questioning me?"

Ulquiorra went silent, bowing his head. "Forgive me."

Grimmjow snorted.

"You both will leave in fifteen minutes. Go to Szayel Apollo and collect your Gigais in case you should need them. Thank you."

And Grimmjow left the room, feeling as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs. Both men stood next to each other in silence and then Grimmjow turned a furious glare in Ulquiorra's direction and spat, "Like hell I'll ever work with you! Screw this shit!"

_Fuck Aizen, fuck his stupid idea and fuck you, Ulquiorra! God damn it! _Grimmjow thought furiously and he stomped away up the hall. _I am not doing this retarded mission! How the hell could he even think to pair me up with him? How the hell did that happen? Well forget it! I don't care if he punishes me; I am not doing this shit!_

"Where are you going, Jaegerjaques?" said Ulquiorra's monotone voice. Grimmjow barked over his shoulder, "Away from you! Go tell your precious Aizen-sama I'm not doing this shit!"

"Our orders were—,"

"I fucking know what our damn orders were!" Grimmjow roared, infuriated. "And I'm not doing it!"

And then he was being pulled back by the Cuatro Espada and being dragged towards Szayel Apollo's laboratory. "You are doing it, do you think I like it? Be quiet and stop your tantrum and let us get this over with." Ulquiorra said coldly and Grimmjow smacked his hand away and said, "Get off me and don't ever drag me around, you dipshit!"

Grimmjow reached for his sword and Ulquiorra said, his tone ice cold and Grimmjow had a feeling that his refusal to cooperate was starting to get to him, "Start walking. Now."

Grimmjow didn't budge.

"Jaegerjaques." Ulquiorra's voice was a warning. Grimmjow couldn't care less. If anything he was happy to realize that he was finally starting to piss Ulquiorra off and he kept standing, waiting for a reaction.

"If you do not stop this foolishness—,"

"Fucking shut up. I know. I don't have a freaking choice!" and Grimmjow stomped by him to make his way towards Szayel's laboratory.

_I guess the little shit isn't as emotionally imperfect as he pretends to be!_

* * *

Within a few minutes, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were walking through the dark passage between the world of the living and Las Noches.

They had their Gigais in a bag. In Grimmjow's opinion, they didn't need Gigais at all! They were just going down to monitor Kurosaki Ichigo, not have a vacation!

"The Gigais are pointless." Grimmjow grumbled.

"I think the reason for the Gigais are so that we can hide our reiatsu without problem."

"But we can do that already!" Grimmjow snapped.

"I think he chose a Gigai for you especially because you spew your reiatsu everywhere carelessly." Grimmjow aimed a punch at his head and Ulquiorra smacked his fist away and continued walking.

Grimmjow stomped ahead, not wanting to walk behind Ulquiorra because it felt like he was following Ulquiorra, when he really didn't want to.

Grimmjow reached the exit of their little portal and peered down below. "What the…?"

They were not floating above Tokyo! They were standing above a vast forest, however the trees were bare and the air was cold. Below them, the ground was covered in white.

"Oi, Ulquiorra! I think you fucked up the Garganta!"

Ulquiorra peered out and said, "Unlikely. Maybe it's a bug in the system?"

"This isn't some stupid computer!" Grimmjow grumbled.

While Ulquiorra was pondering over what to do, Grimmjow jumped down below and Ulquiorra scowled and followed him. Grimmjow's feet crunched gently in the white, cold, substance and Grimmjow reached out a hand and scooped up a handful of it and dropped it. It was very cold.

"The hell is this stuff?" Grimmjow asked.

"Humans call it snow." Ulquiorra replied, trying to open another Garganta but to no avail. "I think something is wrong. It could be that Shinigami knew we were coming and sealed it off. We're stuck. Which means…"

Grimmjow's eyes widened in horror.

_Oh fuck. I'm going to be stuck down here with the little shit for…for God knows how long! No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no, no! NO! This whole situation has NO written all over it! Fuck no! _

"_Hell no_." Grimmjow growled and he began to trudge away through the snow. "Fuck this shit! You're the one who opened up the stinking thing! How the hell did you lead us into the middle of the forest?" Grimmjow yelled.

"I just said that the Shinigami found a way to intercept our journey to Tokyo. They must have switched locations."

"It doesn't work that way!" Grimmjow exclaimed exasperatedly.

"It must be something new they have done. Somehow our travel didn't go undetected by them." Ulquiorra said, still infuriatingly calm.

"Well what the fuck are we going to do then?"

"I have no idea."

"Some fucking Cuatro Espada you are. I guess you really aren't as strong as you claim to be! Big surprise!" Grimmjow said, sitting down on a rock and watching Ulquiorra carefully, waiting for a sign that he might attack. Grimmjow _still _didn't trust him and he wasn't _going _to trust him.

"Don't get your hopes up. You will be strongly disappointed." Grimmjow ignored him and stood and stomped away through the cold snow and down the mountain.

* * *

That night, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra set up a fire and pitched the tent that Aizen had sent with them just in case they might need it.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both got into an argument about who was going to sleep in the tent and Ulquiorra chose to sleep outside, claiming he was manly enough to withstand the cold and Grimmjow almost ceroed him.

Grimmjow woke and peered outside the tent and felt complete surprise when he looked up and found that the sky was a light shade of blue with mixtures of gray and pink. Gray clouds also scattered themselves across the sky. There was also a golden light all around him from the sun's rays.

It was dawn. The sunlight was real, not like the fake sunlight in Heuco Mundo that Aizen had given them. In awe for a moment, Grimmjow watched with wide-eyes. This was the first time he had been down to the World of the Living and actually seen a real sunrise.

Grimmjow stood to his feet and began to walk, his feet crunching in the snow on the ground, his breath misting in the air. Grimmjow attempted to open a Garganta but sighed when nothing happened. It really was broken.

He glared over at his "companion" who was now wide-awake. Grimmjow sneered. _He's gonna wish he had said no to this mission before tonight!_

"So, smartass, you know where the hell we're going?" Grimmjow barked.

Ulquiorra answered, "To Tokyo."

"Oh? And where exactly _is _Tokyo?" Grimmjow asked with scorn.

"I don't know." Ulquiorra said coldly, starting to walk away down the trail. Grimmjow scowled and ran ahead of him, not wanting to follow him but rather lead. Even if he himself had no idea where Tokyo was, his pride would never forgive him for letting Ulquiorra lead.

"Tch, some Cuatro Espada you are."

Ulquiorra said, with no change of tone, "You do realize you are insulting yourself as well. You _also_ have no idea where we are going, though this is not surprising. I would have expected as much from someone as weak as you."

"Okay, that _does_ it! I've had it with you!" Grimmjow reached for his sword and as he did, his reiatsu pitched violently and they both heard a loud yelp from within the trees and they both froze.

Grimmjow turned towards the trees and Ulquiorra glanced over. A bird landed at their feet and Ulquiorra scowled and kicked the bird, killing it. "If anything we should roast this so we don't starve."

And before Grimmjow could pick it up, something tore from the trees with a howl and lunged towards them! Grimmjow hastily snatched up the bird only to have something small attempt to pull it away from him.

He looked down and saw a small animal with silver fur (a dark silver to the point it was almost a shade of blue) and bright blue eyes glaring up at him. Grimmjow stared; raising an eyebrow at the small animal which he assumed was a type of dog.

The dog was staggering slightly and appeared dazed, and Grimmjow wondered if his reiatsu had done that. In fact, he wondered if the dog could see him. Grimmjow raised an arm as if to smack the dog and the dog blinked, narrowing his eyes as if trying to see better.

The dog's whimpers and growls were becoming strangely distorted and Grimmjow swore he heard the dog say something almost human. Ulquiorra however was already walking away, the bird clutched in his hand. "Come. We have better things to do than stare at a dog."

"Wait!" and the voice wasn't Grimmjow's. Ulquiorra turned around just as the dog leapt up and attempted to snatch the bird from his hand. Grimmjow frowned. "Did that dog just talk? What the—?"

Ulquiorra held the bird away from the small dog and watched his fruitless attempts to get their prey from him. "Please give it back! I saw it first!" the dog barked. Ulquiorra said, "Can you see us?"

The dog responded, "Please give it back!"

"You may have seen it first but it was still ours, brat. Let's go, he's annoying." Grimmjow grumbled, walking away. "How can he see us?" Ulquiorra murmured and Grimmjow snapped, "I don't know! Are we going to sit here and—?" and without warning the bird was snatched from Ulquiorra's hand and Grimmjow yelled, "Oi, give that back you little brat!" and Grimmjow out-ran the dog in seconds and blocked his path, causing the dog to crash into his foot.

Grimmjow snatched the bird from him but the dog held onto it desperately and finally, growing angry, Grimmjow swiped the bird to the side, causing the dog to fly against a tree. The dog landed on the tree however and bounced back, snatched the bird and tore off.

This time, Grimmjow pinned him, holding him so hard that the dog yelped in pain and dropped the bird. "Next time you better think before you charge in, stupid kid!" Grimmjow said, preparing a cero in his hand.

The young dog whimpered, tears springing to his eyes as he struggled desperately. "No…just let me take this bird back to her and—and then you can do whatever you want with me! But…please…"

Grimmjow frowned. That stupid thing would take death willingly as long as he got this bird to…whoever she was? That was…different. He wasn't even begging for his life but rather the life of another.

Of course he was probably lying but—

Grimmjow shook his head. _Screw it, _he thought, _just freaking kill him…even though there is no point in killing such a weak little shit. Tch, what the freaking ever. No one's going to think I'm strong if I go around killing stupid dogs. It's _him_ I want to kill, _he thought, glaring at Ulquiorra, _kill or be killed…there's no way this dog could kill me. Besides, he ain't coming back after this._

And then Grimmjow scowled and released him and the dog panted heavily from lack of air and turned towards Grimmjow, his big blue eyes wide with shock.

"Take the stupid thing and leave. Don't follow me; if you do you're dead meat. Piss off."

And the dog smiled widely and said gratefully, "Thank you, mister! Thank you!" and he stood and hurried off, tail wagging. Grimmjow suddenly wished he'd killed him.

Ulquiorra frowned. "What was that?"

"Shut up, Schiffer. I just don't see the point in killing weak shits unless they pose a threat, get it? He isn't even worth killing. If he shows up again however I _will _kill him. There, you happy?"

Ulquiorra didn't respond, he turned and began walking away. "Oi, dipshit! You even know where you're going?" Grimmjow snapped. "I suppose _you_ do?" Ulquiorra said coldly.

Before Grimmjow could respond, he saw a huge flock of crows in the distance. "We can get another bird from there." Ulquiorra said, heading towards the crows and Grimmjow scowled and followed him, wondering if he should have killed the dumb puppy anyway. This wasn't good for his image…at all.

Ulquiorra heard a voice call out from somewhere ahead.

"No! Get away from her! Get away!" and both men preceded towards the birds and found the same puppy from only minutes ago jumping up and trying to chase the crows away from either his prey or the white thing lying behind him. Possibly both.

Grimmjow scowled as the cawing got too loud and fired a cero and the birds either were fried or flew off. Ulquiorra hastened to get his own bird and Grimmjow snapped at the puppy, "Don't misunderstand me. I wasn't doing it for you. The cawing was getting annoying."

The puppy nodded and he said, "Thanks anyway!" and he hurried to a white dog lying on the floor. She was very thin and at first Grimmjow thought she was dead until she lifted her head just slightly as her son dropped his prey in front of her. "Here, mother, I got you some food. Please eat."

Grimmjow heard the dog whimpering and frowned when he realized he couldn't understand her. Ulquiorra suddenly flared his reiatsu and the dog almost died on the spot. When she opened her mouth, this time they could both make out words.

"Who…who are…they?" she asked in such a weak voice Grimmjow had to strain to hear it.

"Come. Let's go." Ulquiorra said, turning to leave and the puppy said, "That man with the blue hair gave me this bird." Grimmjow scowled. _Great, he's making me sound like a weakling!_

She began hacking and gasping and the puppy immediately panicked and said, "Mother! Are you alright?"

She stood shakily and attempted to eat her meal but instead collapsed with a gasp and the puppy pressed his nose to her fur in an act of comfort.

He began to gently help her back to her paws. "Mother its alright…just eat something, please." His voice was gentle, almost pleading. She collapsed and her son looked at her with wide eyes, worry on his face. "Mother? You're alright…please get up."

She only whispered, "I…I don't think I can, my son."

"Yes you can." He said, his voice shaking. "Please…"

She only whispered, her face almost twisted in pain and exhaustion, "My son, do you…do you remember the way to Tokyo?"

Grimmjow stopped walking and looked around, staring at the two dogs. Her son was starting to cry. "Yes," he choked. "But you're coming too. I'm going to take care of you! You're going to be fine and we'll go there together, like you said we would…"

"Grimmjow." It was Ulquiorra, he was impatient. "If you want a dog so much you can adopt one when we get to Tokyo. Come. We're leaving."

"Please…" she was staring right at him and Grimmjow frowned. "Please…take my son to Tokyo…his father is there…please...I know I have no right to ask anything of you but…"

Grimmjow's mouth felt dry. He scowled and looked away. This was all too awkward for his tastes.

"Please…take care of him…" she begged.

And the young dog asked, his voice shaking, "Why would they need to take care of me if you're going to be with me? Mother?" and he went silent when he realized that he could no longer hear her raspy breathing.

"Mother? Mother?" his voice was desperate and scared and within seconds he was sobbing and gasping her name desperately as if he hoped that, through some miracle, that would bring her back. Grimmjow wondered if he even knew that she wouldn't wake up.

Grimmjow began to walk away. He didn't owe those stupid animals a favor. And then he remembered that they had no idea where they were going and he scowled.

He heard a desperate cry and turned and saw the little dog staring at him. "Please…please don't leave me alone…" Grimmjow scowled. "What am I, your babysitter?"

And then a thought occurred to him and he said, "Tell me the way to the nearest town, if you know one, if not then let me continue on my way."

"I…I don't…"

"Do you know where Tokyo is then?" Grimmjow asked snappishly. And as the dog stumbled to reply, Grimmjow grew impatient.

"Ah fuck it."

And the puppy yelped in shock as Grimmjow picked him up and started to trudge away moodily. "Alright, you lead us, with your nose, to the nearest town and in exchange you get to tag along. But don't piss me off or delay us, or I'll change my mind."

And the puppy looked up at him in disbelief. He sniffled and tears filled his eyes and Grimmjow snapped, "And stop, fucking crying already!" and they both headed down the mountain trail to meet Ulquiorra at the bottom of the path.

* * *

"Kid, if you don't stop your damn crying, I'm going to toss you over the edge!" Grimmjow said fiercely, glaring at their new "companion" as he walked slowly behind them, sniffling.

"I am at a loss to understand why you brought him along, Jaegerjaques. Are you going soft? I'd expect that much." Grimmjow said, "Don't worry kid I changed my mind; I'll throw _him_ over the edge!"

They were walking along a mountain side, several feet off the ground and the trail was rocky and it was easy to slip. Grimmjow wasn't worried however, if needed he could fly to safety if he fell.

The puppy was supposed to be leading them, but right now he was lagging behind, his head hung low and his eyes down cast. "I should have given her a proper burial…" he whimpered.

Grimmjow glared over at him and raised his foot and gently nudged the puppy ahead of them. The puppy gave a jolt and he slipped and tumbled down the rocks. Grimmjow jumped, thinking for a moment that he would die from the fall but instead landed on a ledge and Grimmjow relaxed. He scowled. Why was he so concerned that the dumb dog would die?

Well, he would kind of feel strange if the dog just died on them. Grimmjow knelt down in front of the puppy and he said, "Get your ass up. You have to lead."

"I…I can't." the dog whimpered. Grimmjow only felt irritated. Ulquiorra called, "Leave him. He's only slowing us." The dog looked scared at the idea of being left behind.

"Then walk faster!" Grimmjow snapped, shoving Ulquiorra ahead and Ulquiorra glared at him before starting to walk.

Grimmjow scowled and looked down at the shaking puppy and he said, "Look, suck it up. She isn't coming back." The young dog only sobbed, his face anguished. "It's all my fault. I should have taken better care of her… if—if I had, she would still be here." He sobbed.

Grimmjow scratched the back of his head, looking awkwardly at the floor. "Shut up, that's stupid. No matter how much care you gave her, she still would have died. Crying isn't going to bring her back to life. She would probably want you to find your father in Tokyo, so suck it up and get us to the next town and then we'll be one step closer."

The young dog tried to do what he said and attempted to control his crying. He stood and climbed back up the rocks and began to walk after Ulquiorra. Grimmjow however had gotten his foot tangled in some weeds and he scowled and tore at them until they broke. Stupid plants.

Grimmjow hurried to catch up with them and saw the puppy now walking with his head held high, still sniffling but attempting to do as he was told. Strange kid.

If only the stupid crying would stop! Grimmjow couldn't stand crying. And then he had an idea. Grimmjow walked over to the puppy and he said, "Do you have a name, kid?"

"No. My mother was sick from the moment after I was born. She didn't name me and—,"

"Okay, okay…your name is…uh…your name is…Weed."

The puppy stopped walking and looked up in surprise, his blue eyes wide. "Weeds are a type of plant—," Grimmjow explained. _Oh, yeah and the drug is called weed…_Grimmjow thought.

"Anyway, basically weeds are annoying and hard to break. Like you. Now fucking walk."

The puppy stared up at him with wide eyes and he said, "Weed?"

"Yeah."

And then the widest smile stretched across the puppy's face and he said, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" and Grimmjow winced and said, "Okay, okay, I get it!" and Weed ran around in circles before running ahead past Ulquiorra.

"What's your name?" Weed asked and Grimmjow said, "Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." And Weed said, "Grimmjow…that's a nice name!" and Grimmjow blinked, surprised. "You think?"

"Yeah it's a really strong name—like you— almost like it sort of demands power. And your hair is really cool, by the way. And that mask on your face is cool, too! Your name fits you."

Grimmjow grinned. "You know what, I like this kid!" And Ulquiorra scoffed. Grimmjow and Weed chatted into nightfall, Weed still showing very deep signs of sadness every now and then but he kept walking despite it, until Weed finally brought up Ulquiorra.

"Who is he?" Weed asked, looking towards Ulquiorra who was still walking ahead. "He's a dick, that's what he is." Grimmjow growled, glaring at Ulquiorra's back.

"What's a dick?" Weed asked and Grimmjow said, not hearing him, "I was forced by my stupid leader to go on a mission with him. We were supposed to find Tokyo, but somehow we didn't come here unnoticed and our enemies messed around with our Garganta and sent us to this crap heap. And now, I'm stuck with him."

"He's kind of quiet." Weed noted.

"Be grateful, because when he starts talking you'll wish he was quiet again, he's such a fucking prick."

Weed gasped and Grimmjow glared at him. "What?"

"You said the F word." He said, wide eyed.

"Yeah, your point?" Grimmjow snapped, glaring at Ulquiorra who was leading them, following Weed's directions. Weed's directions were to find out where the scent from the town was coming from, he would call out which way to go and Ulquiorra would go.

Ulquiorra stopped walking and Grimmjow almost bumped into him. Ulquiorra was staring at a dead-end. Grimmjow spat, "Oh great! Now look where you've lead us! Another dead-end!"

Ulquiorra said coldly, "That dog's nose is the one at fault."

"Sorry it's just that the rain is confusing me." said Weed, sniffing around for a bit.

Grimmjow shoved Ulquiorra out of the way and he said, "That isn't a proper excuse for having a shitty—another gasp from Weed—sense of direction!" Grimmjow flew up into the air and scanned the dark trees. It was cloudy and rain was falling hard, there was a thick fog in the area and Grimmjow could see nothing except trees, trees, and _more _trees!

Grimmjow landed back on the ground and continued walking, a scowl on his face. "I have no idea where the hell we are!"

"Then stop walking. If you wonder around aimlessly you will get us even more lost." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow turned a glare at him and he snarled, "And do you have a _better_ idea? If we stand here we'll get nowhere and in case you haven't noticed, we're plenty lost already, thanks to you!"

"And if you lead I see no greater outcome."

"You don't know that!" Grimmjow yelled almost savagely, moving out in front of Ulquiorra's path.

"Move aside or I will make you." Ulquiorra threatened. Grimmjow's lip curled in a sneer and he said, "_Fuck_ you."

"Move aside." Ulquiorra ordered, his voice dropping an octave lower, those piercing green eyes narrowing.

"Make me." Grimmjow said, a smirk crossing his face to let Ulquiorra know he had no fear of consequences.

The tension was building and Weed was looking nervously from one to the other. "Wait, we can't afford to fight! It won't solve anything. We need to come up with a solution. Aren't you guys on the same side? You shouldn't be—!"

And Ulquiorra moved. He appeared right next to Grimmjow and kicked him off the cliff. Grimmjow felt the breath leave his lungs and he crashed down the rocks which despise his hierro, still hurt like hell. And then he felt the back of his head smash into a rock with so much force, white filled his vision and spots popped before his eyes.

He opened an eye and saw just how far he had fallen and he scowled and attempted to sit up. The pain was too much and his head felt ready to burst.

_Why, why does it always end like this? I can never see or predict his movements or his fighting style, I can never read him…how the hell can I defeat someone like that? _

And before he knew it, Grimmjow was passing out.

_How do you defeat an enemy whose movements you can't read or understand?_

* * *

He could hear the screaming of the wind and there was a cold chill in the air. He opened his eyes and found that he was lying on the stone floor of a cave and outside it was snowing hard. Two people were sitting in the cave. A dog and a man dressed in a white hakama.

"Grimmjow-san!" the puppy exclaimed running to him and staring up at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright?" and Grimmjow didn't respond. He simply stared at the puppy and he said, "Who the hell are you?"

The puppy's eyes widened and he said, "Grimmjow-san? Don't you remember me?"

"Why the hell would I remember you? And who the fuck is this Grimmjow you're talking about?" he snapped, falling back against the rocks. The man at the cave entrance looked up and stared at him and he saw a hint of surprise in those eyes.

"Do you remember me?" he asked in a cold yet soft voice.

"No, why the fuck would I? What the hell are you anyway, with your sword and everything! Then again…" he looked down and found he wore the same uniform as the man in front of him, he even had a sword as well.

"Then again, I don't even know what the hell _I _am anyway…" he mumbled.

"Do you still hate me?" asked the man, his eyes searching.

"No. Why the hell would I?" he asked, draping an elbow over his knee. "Emo freak." He added. And the man walked right up to him and stared at him, a noticeable crease in his forehead. He tensed, ready to attack. This man had a sword for a reason. He placed his hand on his blade and watched him closely.

The man said, "Do you remember me? I am Ulquiorra Schiffer; I hold the rank of Cuatro Espada."

"Listen, I don't give a crap about who you are or what the hell you are, okay? So just shut up." he replied. He saw those emerald eyes widen for a moment and then Ulquiorra said, "He has amnesia. He doesn't remember a thing about how he got here or who he is. And that will take more explaining than I am willing to waste my time on."

The puppy's eyes widened and a sad look came into his eyes. "We can't just leave him here." He tuned out their conversation and stared out into the storm. What the hell was happening? Who were these people? Who was _he_? And…were they planning on leaving him here? He supposed he didn't really care about whether or not he was left alone. He did have a sword for whatever reason so he could defend himself but he wanted at least a _flipping_ explanation!

"Well, we should probably introduce ourselves…" the puppy said awkwardly. "My name is Weed. You named me, so thank you. He's Ulquiorra-san. He introduced himself to me while you were passed out and—,"

"Do not refer to me as you would a human. My name is Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra cut in and Weed nodded hastily, looking embarrassed. Grimmjow—that was his name… right?—scowled and said, "You think I care what your names are?" before either of them could say anything he said, "Well, what the hell am I doing out here?"

Ulquiorra didn't answer for a moment and then he said, "You were sent here on a mission to find Tokyo. We are currently lost in the mountains and you brought him along so that he could lead us to the next town. So far we have found nothing."

Grimmjow frowned. "Why am I looking for Tokyo?"

"Let's just say you and I are hit-men. Let's go." And he hastily walked out into the storm. Grimmjow sat there for a moment, unsure of whether to follow or not. He didn't trust this _at all_. But at the same time he was so curious it was going to kill him.

"Oi, wait up!" he called, hurrying from the cave as he heard Weed ask Ulquiorra, "What are you anyway?" and Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder, saw Grimmjow and said, "I'm not about to tell you that."

Grimmjow's eyes widened and he slowly slunk back into the cave, an expression of shock on his face. Silence fell except for the screaming wind and Grimmjow stood there, eyes wide for whatever reason imaginable.

And then he grinned so hard it hurt and broke down in a fit of hysterical laughter.

_Really Ulquiorra? For _all _your big talk, for _all_ your talk that you're better than me, you couldn't see through an act like _that_? HA!_

_Well, whatever, it works to my advantage. You see, Ulquiorra, even I know when to resort to desperate measures. Drawing my sword against you only works for a good few minutes, even when you never draw yours. So, I'm not going to use my sword. I'm going to use _you_. You don't have any weaknesses? _I'll _become your weakness. I'll work my way into your black little heart and get you to trust me. Yeah, its' disgusting, but I'll do it. I'll get to know you, find out your openings, how you work, ect. And then, when you least expect it, I'll _slit your throat_. I'm going to show you, Ulquiorra…no one, _no one_, looks down on Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and gets away with it! I'll make you regret every single _stupid_ word you said to me._

_I'll prove to you which one of us is stronger, you just, _fucking_, wait._

And Grimmjow left the cave and followed the two others ahead of him, quietly planning his next move.

* * *

Neither Weed nor Ulquiorra questioned why he followed them for a while until Ulquiorra felt the urge to say, "Is there any particular reason why you are following us?" to which Grimmjow replied, "Yeah, there is. I got nothing better to do."

Weed said, "I think I smell something…it smells like…" he sniffed again and began to walk.

Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra, thinking. _Alright, I have to be careful. If I come across as suspicious he may see through me. I'm not me anymore. I'm a completely different person. I am not a King, I'm some guy who doesn't remember a thing about his past or his present. Find something to talk about, but don't force it. He doesn't suspect a thing, that's why he isn't suspicious. I have to keep it that way._

"So, uh, do either of you know where the hell your going?" Grimmjow asked. Weed said, "Not really, we're kind of lost. I just caught a scent on the wind, it smelled like smoke. I'm hoping it is from a chimney."

Grimmjow ignored him and hurried up to Ulquiorra. The man's piercing eyes glared at him. "Yes?"

"Uh…" Grimmjow thought about what to say. "Uh…" _shit, stop being nervous! Just talk about anything, make yourself look like a total idiot. It'll hurt my pride, but still._

"Why's your skin so pale?"

"I was born with it. Now keep walking."

"Damn, your cold. What's the reason for it?"

Silence. Grimmjow looked at the ground, scratching the back of his head. He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"Why are you asking so many pointless questions?"

That gave Grimmjow an idea. "Because I'm curious, why else? What wouldn't be a pointless question?"

"There is no such thing as a question that isn't pointless."

Grimmjow blinked, irritated but careful to not let his irritation show too much. _Wow, what a douche. Talk about close-minded._

Deciding to stop asking questions, Grimmjow continued to walk, thinking. _If words don't work, I'll need to find another way to get him to trust me. Words are doing nothing. We have nothing in common, he's a great, fat, prick and he makes everything difficult! Damn, this is gonna be fucking annoying. _

Within an hour they finally reached a town and they all hastily descended into the town. Something interesting happened upon their arrival. Well, first they got lost in town for hours and Grimmjow bit back the urge to scream at Ulquiorra. But then Weed spotted a group of wolves and he gasped. "Wow, wolves!" he whispered, shying away as they passed through the streets. "How is it that nobody can see them?"

"Where? I just see a bunch of humans." Grimmjow said, for instead of seeing wolves walking through the streets, he saw four humans rather than wolves. Weed cautiously approached them and he said, "Ex—excuse me? Are you heading to the exit of town?"

A tan wolf with a black collar around his neck turned to look at him. He smiled a friendly smile. "Yeah, we are. Need some help?" a gray, scarred, wolf only growled in annoyance. A brown wolf wagged his tail and a white wolf simply stared off into the distance.

And then Weed took notice of a girl standing beside them. She had very light pink hair, she wore a cloak and she smelled very sweet, almost like a flower. But it was a strange kind of flower, one Weed had never smelt before.

"Porky, we're in a hurry, don't get all buddy-buddy with them." The gray wolf growled and Weed sensed an unfriendly air about him. "Relax, will ya Tsume? We're heading to the exit, so I guess you can follow us."

Tsume cast a very suspicious look at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra before he started to walk. "Oi, Kiba, are you just going to let two guys with swords—?" Tsume began and Kiba ignored him and kept walking. Grimmjow sneered at Tsume. "Scared?" and Tsume shot a fierce glare at him.

Weed chatted with the wolves. Kiba, the white wolf, it turned out was leading them to Tokyo as well but they refused to travel with anyone except wolves, Hige was the chubby wolf with the collar, and Toboe was the brown wolf with the bracelets around his right paw. The girl traveling with them was called Cheza.

"—And that place," Hige said, pointing to a restaurant, "Is really great! I think you guys should check it out—Oh and that one is pretty nice, too—oh and that—!" Tsume was twitching and Grimmjow wanted to smack Hige so badly he wouldn't be able to feel his face.

Ulquiorra had been quiet the whole time, probably trying to figure out what they were going to do once they left the city. And then Cheza stopped walking and turned towards a bar in surprise. Grimmjow scowled and said, "Oi, your woman just left." And Kiba hurried towards Cheza.

Ulquiorra stopped walking out of curiosity and turned towards the bar. A black wolf-dog was tied up outside the bar, her head down and her eyes closed. "Not her again!" Tsume snarled. "She's, fucking, everywhere!" Hige only smirked and said, "Well, she's hot. Can't complain." And Tsume clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Grimmjow didn't care for why they knew her, he just wanted to keep walking. The black wolf-dog suddenly opened startlingly blue eyes and turned a fierce glare towards the wolves, a deep snarl ripping from her throat. Cheza still approached her however and knelt down in front of the wolf-dog.

"Cheza," Kiba began gently but Cheza said, her voice gentle, "It is alright, Kiba." She turned towards the wolf-dog again and said, "You've been alone all this time, haven't you? You've never known what you really are. Yes, there is some wolf in you."

And the wolf-dog's eyes widened and Grimmjow could see pure, utter, shock in those eyes. Cheza made to pet her but instead the wolf-dog shied away, mouth slightly agape and looking shaken.

And then the doors opened and a man stepped out. He took one look at the wolves and whipped out a shot-gun, yelling, "Blue, get them!" but his dog, Blue, didn't move, she simply stood there.

The wolves all raced away, Kiba dragging Cheza by the hand. Grimmjow watched, slightly amused as the old man attempted to get Blue to run after the wolves and finally gave up and ran after them, firing his gun every which way and scaring the crap out of every single civilian that saw the gun.

Grimmjow wanted to laugh. And then he realized that Ulquiorra was no longer with them and he glared at Weed and said, "Where'd the hell he go?" and Weed said, "Up ahead." He was watching Blue and Grimmjow snapped, "Oi, start walking!"

"I just kind of feel bad for Blue. She looked so shocked and everything."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Why are you calling her by her name?" and Weed said, "Why shouldn't I?" and Grimmjow made to retort but stopped himself. _Alright, what would New-Grimmjow say in this situation? Ah, I fucking hate this…_

"Yeah, she did look kind of sad." Grimmjow said, pretending to look as sympathetic as he could, all the while wanting to kill himself. "Imagine getting a shock like that, poor, poor, Blue!" Grimmjow said dramatically not afraid to overact around Weed since he seemed to be as smart as a guy on...well, weed.

Weed said, "How's your head by the way?" and his expression suggested he didn't like Grimmjow's tone. Grimmjow frowned. _Hm, never mind what I said about him being a dumbass._

"Ah, it's fine. What happened by the way?" and before Weed could respond, Ulquiorra appeared in front of them and said, "I've found a place we can stay the night. In the morning we shall proceed to Tokyo. I want to get there as soon as possible."

* * *

Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Weed spent the night in a barn on the outskirts of town. They had eaten their first full meal in days and Grimmjow couldn't help but feel the tension leaving his body. Hunger made him more irritable than usual.

There was a hole in the barn roof and Ulquiorra lay in the moonlight, staring up at the cloudy sky. Grimmjow's trademark scowl depended. "What are you looking at?" he asked and Ulquiorra said, "I don't see why I should bother telling you." Grimmjow bit his tongue.

"Oh come on, you can tell me!" he said, forcing a grin onto his face. What he really wanted was to fucking pound his face in. God, he wanted to hurt him. If he wasn't so fucking difficult to kill, Grimmjow wouldn't have to lower himself to such a level in order to kill him!

Ulquiorra glanced at him and he said, "Tell me, have you ever—? No, you wouldn't remember."

Grimmjow felt irked. "C'mon, tell me."

"No."

"Fucking talk to me!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra said, "Have you ever seen stars?"

_No, except when you cracked my head against that rock you fucker, _Grimmjow thought angrily. "No. Have you?"

"I've heard Aizen-sama, my leader, talk of them. They are supposed to be up in the sky but I have seen none, the clouds block them from sight. It has been cloudy ever since I landed here."

"What's the attraction?" Grimmjow asked, not really caring but attempting to make some form of conversation with him.

"There is none. Just simple curiosity. After tonight I will stop looking. Unless they hold some sort of power, there is no need to try and find them. It is useless."

_Well, I have to agree with that, _he thought.

"Stop talking to me. Unless you have an idea of how to get us where we are going do not speak to me."

"What the fuck is your problem? You always act like you're better than everyone. It pisses me off!"

But Ulquiorra stood and walked to the end of the barn and lay down on an old bail of hay, staring up at the dusty ceiling. Weed, who had been watching from a lonely corner of the barn suddenly frowned and walked over to him.

Grimmjow let out a soft, "Tch!" and rolled over onto his side, tired of attempting to talk to him.

Weed jumped up beside Ulquiorra and said, "Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra sent him a cold glare. "Um…since Grimmjow's forgotten why he hates you, don't you think you should try and take advantage of that?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, why _wouldn't_ you? You could straighten things out between the both of you and possibly befriend him; you both are on the same side after all so shouldn't you be working together rather than against each other? Besides, Grimmjow seems to want to make conversation with you. Won't you let him? Perhaps you could benefit from it?"

Ulquiorra stared at Weed, thinking over what he said and for a moment the only sounds that could be heard was the howling of the wind, it was quite serene. Ulquiorra said, "There is nothing I could benefit from by befriending him. He and I have never been on good terms and that is how I prefer it. He has nothing that I want and he wants nothing to do with me."

"Maybe the old Grimmjow wanted nothing to do with you, but not this one." Weed said and Ulquiorra glanced at Grimmjow who was sleeping on a bail of hay across the room.

"Go to sleep." And Weed nodded before curling up beside him. Ulquiorra got up and moved away from him and Weed sighed, trying not to look as lonely as he felt.

* * *

The following morning the three travelers left the town to continue on their journey. Three weeks later they stumbled upon a second town and by that time both Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were growing sick of traveling. Grimmjow had attempted to strike up conversation with Ulquiorra several times only to be coldly dismissed and he was growing sick of that too.

Conversing with him was impossible! The guy was too, fucking stuck up to talk to anyone! Fucker.

Ulquiorra stopped walking and said, "I need to find a map of some sort." And walked off and Grimmjow called, "Yeah, but don't wonder off, it'll be a pain trying to find you!"

Ulquiorra grunted in response.

Despite the fact that Ulquiorra was a douche, Grimmjow's fascination and questions for him had only grown during the past few weeks they'd been traveling together. It sucked to even admit that, but it was somewhat true. Somewhat.

"I'm getting food." Grimmjow said, looking over at Weed who nodded. "Oi, kid? Do you know how to make conversation with someone?" and Weed looked up, surprised that Grimmjow was asking him for advice. And then he remembered that this was the new Grimmjow, not the old one and he said, "Well…if you are talking about Ulquiorra…I think it is always best to at least have one thing in common that you can talk about. Or you can talk about something he likes."

"Tch, never mind. We have nothing in common, it'll never work." Grimmjow said, walking off towards a grocery store. And then he ran off behind a corner and hastily opened up his large bag and pulled out his Gigai. Grimmjow bent over it, merged into its body and then stood up.

Grimmjow was wearing a coat with a thick fur collar, gray jeans, and a periwinkle shirt. He also had several rings on his fingers and no mask on the side of his face. He trudged through the snow towards the grocery store, pulling out a wallet and trying to figure out how to handle money when he heard a call down the street behind them.

Weed's ears perked and he gasped. "Sounds like someone is in trouble!" and before Grimmjow could stop him, Weed was running away up the street. "Oi, get back here!" Grimmjow barked. He scowled but headed after him. Anyway, he could finally have an excuse to vent his frustration if it was a fight.

Weed meanwhile had just rounded the corner into a dark and murky alleyway when he saw the four men surrounding her. She was a woman with spiky, messy, black hair, olive skin and pure, beautiful blue eyes. She wore an indigo trench coat with a pinkish-red scarf and she also wore dark blue go-go boots.

Weed could see through that disguise however. He saw a black wolf-dog with a spike-collar around her neck. The same one they had met back in that last town!

One of the men said, "It's alright, beautiful, now come with us. We paid that guy good money for you. So let's go."

"Like I'd ever get a job to please some perverted human!" she spat.

"Oh, come one! Grab her!" and one of them moved towards her and she lunged, her teeth sinking deep into his hand. The man cried out and another man moved closer to her. Weed took notice of the large lead pipe in his hand and before he could charge in to help her, the man was flying backwards.

Grimmjow had run out from behind Weed and slammed his elbow into the guy's ribs, the man crumpled, dropping his pipe to the floor. Everyone was staring at him and they could all sense the power radiating off of him just by being close to him.

Grimmjow looked around, mildly surveying his surroundings. "Which one of you?" he asked and all the men looked confused. And then a twisted grin broke across Grimmjow's face. "Which one of you humans is the strongest?"

The three men all looked scared but the man on the floor chuckled and said, "Whistle." And one of the men gasped and said, "No way! You mean—?" and the man on the ground nodded.

The man he had addressed lifted two shaking fingers to his lips and whistled. The sound echoed. Grimmjow scowled. "What the fuck—?" and then the ground began shaking. Grimmjow turned towards the entrance to the alleyway and his eyes widened. A massive man was standing in the entrance to the alleyway; he was very tall and extremely muscular.

Weed gasped. "Grimmjow, are you still going to—?" and then one of the men said, "Alright, Tommy, you take care of the blue haired freak. We'll take this girl back to our boss."

Tommy cracked his knuckles and his neck and he said, "_Oui_." And he began walking towards Grimmjow, his footfalls shaking the ground. Grimmjow only looked bored.

And Tommy's fist was inches from Grimmjow in seconds and Grimmjow simply turned his neck to the side in order to avoid it. Really? Humans were so boring.

Grimmjow raised his foot and slammed it into Tommy's stomach and Tommy let out a wheeze. And then he seized Grimmjow foot and lifted him from the ground and hurled him into the wall. Grimmjow smashed into the wall and hit the floor.

Tommy advanced on him and Grimmjow sat up in an instant and slammed his head into Tommy's jaw, throwing his neck back and Grimmjow grinned when he heard the cracking sound in the man's neck.

Tommy raised his fist and Grimmjow caught it and threw him into the wall before throwing in a hard kick to the man's back, hitting him in the back of the ribs. Grimmjow slammed his elbow into the back of the massive man's head.

Meanwhile, three of the men ran at Blue and Weed called out, "Three against one is unfair you bunch of jerks!" and leapt in to intervene and bit one of the men in the foot. The man cried out and fell on his back, smacking his head against the concrete. Blue slammed her foot into the second man's stomach and he doubled over and Blue seized him by the jacket and threw him into a large set of heavy boxes.

The last man standing gasped and Weed lunged and slammed his head into the man's stomach, knocking him over. The man grabbed Weed by the tail and threw him against the wall. Weed yelped in pain and Blue shot forward and kicked the man in the groin and then in the chin, knocking him out in seconds.

Blue and Weed both turned to watch Grimmjow take down Tommy. Grimmjow was lifted off his feet with a yelp of shock and then thrown backwards a set of garbage cans, knocking them over and spilling their contents all over him.

Grimmjow snarled and sat up but was rammed by the massive man. Grimmjow punched him in the face and grinned when he saw blood beginning to drip from the man's nose. Grimmjow slammed his fist in Tommy's face again and again, relishing in feeling something solid against his fist. Grimmjow slammed both his feet into Tommy's stomach and then rammed his shoulder into Tommy's side, throwing him to the floor.

Tommy raised his fist and Grimmjow raised both his wrists to block the punch and winced. Humans were so weak; if he were in his Espada form he wouldn't have even felt that! Grimmjow ran behind him and raised his foot and slammed a very hard kick into the man's back. And then the man turned around, seized him by the front of his coat and raised his fist only to freeze as someone leapt into the alley behind him. Ulquiorra, in his Gigai, sent a fierce glare at Tommy and easily blocked the punch the man sent at him and then punched him hard in the face. Grimmjow snarled, "Don't steal my prey, you bitch!" and Ulquiorra dodged a kick from Tommy and kicked the man's feet out from underneath him.

Tommy sat up and lunged at Ulquiorra, easily lifting him from the ground before preparing to throw him. Grimmjow moved fast and head-butted Tommy right in the stomach and while Tommy was stunned Ulquiorra attempted to twist his neck only to scowl when he realized how thick the man's neck was and hastily jumped off.

And then the man suddenly gasped and went limp and fell to the floor. Blue had kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him out. Grimmjow glared at her, very angry. "What the fuck—?"

"I figured I should do that before either of you boys got hurt." She said, her voice was very laid-back, though her tense shoulders suggested otherwise. Weed padded over to Grimmjow and he said, "Are you alright?" and Grimmjow glared at Blue and snarled, "No I am not! You interrupted a good fight and I'm not letting you walk away unscathed!" and he lunged at her only to have her jump over him and land on the floor.

"Sorry, but I have places to be." She said, tucking her hands into her pockets before starting to walk away. Weed however had questions and he said, "What are you doing here? Where's your owner?" and she said, "Things happened and we kind of got split up."

"Do you need help finding him?" Weed asked and Blue shook her head. "No. Its probably best I don't find him anyway." And Grimmjow stood and advanced on her with a leer on his face. "Your so fucking dead." And Blue only grunted. "Nice hair color by the way." She remarked and Grimmjow bit his tongue, suddenly remembering he was not the old Grimmjow, he was supposed to be the new Grimmjow and he punched the wall.

"Thanks for the help." Blue said and Grimmjow said coldly, "We didn't do it for you. We all just happened to be in a foul mood when we ran into them." Blue nodded.

Weed was already starting to walk away when he called, "Come on, let's keep going." And Grimmjow said, "Your head is bleeding, idiot."

"I don't care. I have to keep going…for my mother's sake…" Weed blinked as his vision started spinning and Grimmjow stomped over and picked him up. "Stubborn as a damn mule."

Blue said, "Just out of curiosity, where are you going?" and Weed said, "Tokyo. My father is there…I have to find him…" his voice was slurred however. Blue seemed to take pity on him for she said, "If it helps, I have heard of a guy who knows Japan like the back of his hand."

Ulquiorra looked over out of interest and he said, "Do you, woman?" and Blue said, "My name is Blue, not woman." And Ulquiorra didn't respond. "He lives in Shiga, if you want you can find him there. His name is Kyoshiro the Silver but from what I heard he's not the nicest guy in the world."

Grimmjow grinned. "I'll just kick his ass and he wouldn't dare refuse to tell us!" and Weed said, "Kyoshiro, huh? I want to meet him as soon as possible." Weed wiggled out from Grimmjow's arms and began to walk ahead. Grimmjow suddenly realized that he had no idea where the hell Shiga was!

"Where is Shiga, woman?" Ulquiorra asked, seeming to have the same thoughts and Blue glared at him but said, "If you'd like I could lead you there. I don't have anything better to do or anywhere to go." There was a hint of sadness in her voice and Grimmjow looked over at her. "And what the hell makes you think we'd let you come with us?"

Blue said, "I'd assume you'd have some sense but I guess not. You don't know where you are going. You need a guide. I have been to Shiga before."

"And why are you offering to be our guide?" Grimmjow asked coldly and Blue said, "I can't go back to the way I was before."

"So you want to move forward?" Ulquiorra said and Blue nodded. "You all seem like a group of jerks but an interesting group of jerks. I also have some curiosity over who or what Kyoshiro the Silver is, so I will endure your brutish attitudes in order to see what lies ahead for me. I need to know what I am or who I am, I can't go back so yes, I must go forward."

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and said, "I don't care what we do, we have to press forward." Grimmjow glared at Blue and he said, "We don't need a _woman_ to find our way to Shiga! Women are useless and—!" Grimmjow's feet were kicked out from underneath him by Blue and he fell flat on his back. Ulquiorra smirked slightly.

"Why would you help us?" Ulquiorra asked and Blue said, "I have lost myself. I want to find myself. I don't know how helping you get to Shiga will do that, but I have nowhere to go and besides, I do owe you something for helping me with those jerks from before. If you'll accept my offer, I would like to help you get to Shiga."

Grimmjow only glared at her Weed said quickly, "She should come. None of us know the way to Shiga but she does. She has to come."

Ulquiorra said, "Weed has more sense than you do, Grimmjow. Get up, the wolf…human…" he paused and looked at her. "What are you?"

Blue said, "I'm a…a wolf who can deceive humans into believing I am one of them."

Weed said, "Like those other wolves we saw!" and Blue nodded, frowning when he used the word "wolf".

Grimmjow stood moodily to his feet and began to walk, annoyed that she was coming with them. "Just don't slow us down and stay out of my way." He snapped and Blue said, "Gladly."

"My name is Weed by the way and that is Grimmjow and Ulquiorra." Weed said, smiling pleasantly at her. "Grimmjow? That's a strange name." Blue said and Grimmjow growled at her before pressing forward. "Lead on!" Weed called, hurrying after Blue. "I'm Blue, by the way." She said; though she had a feeling they already knew.

Ulquiorra fell into step beside Grimmjow and Grimmjow said, "I don't like this one bit." And Ulquiorra said, "Deal with it. And try not to chase her off. As annoying as it is, she is our only guide." And Ulquiorra shoved past him, his shoulder rubbing against Grimmjow's as he walked by and Grimmjow felt a spark travel through his body.

He stared after Ulquiorra.

_A lot of things in this world piss me off, but there are a few things that stand out on that list. Women and kids. So somehow, of course, we have two of them traveling with us. But if there is one thing I hate most in this world, it's him._

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at Grimmjow and Grimmjow felt his skin crawl as their eyes made contact.

_I will kill you, Ulquiorra. _

And Grimmjow began to walk after his strange group of travelers, falling into step beside them as, with Blue in the lead, they followed the road out of the city to begin their search for Kyoshiro the Silver.

_To be Continued_


	21. Adventure 21

**Adventure #21**

**Back to the Past part 2**

Blue was not the worst traveling companion, contrary to Grimmjow's idea that she would have been. She was silent for the most part, only talking when it was necessary. She rarely spoke to him and instead often made conversation with Weed, who seemed to enjoy having someone to talk to.

Ulquiorra didn't pay her any attention and instead focused on following her directions. Grimmjow was a little wary of her due to the fact that she had joined them so willingly. In his opinion they were all the worst group of travelers ever.

Speaking of Ulquiorra, Grimmjow was starting to think his plan was going to fail. He was nowhere nearer to making "friends" with him than they were to finding Tokyo, and he was starting to get really sick of acting like an oblivious, friendly, idiot. Truth be told, he didn't act friendly, just not blood-thirsty or psychotic and he also had to pretend he didn't live by his rule of kill or be killed.

If you had amnesia, it didn't affect your personality, but it made you forget your past and your present, which meant that Grimmjow had to forget that he was a King of hollows and that he even was a hollow. That basically meant that he felt no need to kill anything in order to get to the top, instead he just killed nothing. What a bunch of shit.

He hated pretending to be something he wasn't.

On another note, Grimmjow had to question why the hell Blue stuck with them. It wasn't like there was anything she could benefit from by traveling with them. This intrigued Grimmjow so he decided to ask her.

Blue was sitting by the fire, she sent him a look and said, "I'm not going to do all the cooking just because I'm a woman. You have to help out too."

"Like hell." Grimmjow said, leaning against a tree and then he said, "What do you attempt to gain by leading us to this Kyoshiro-guy?" and Blue thought about it. "I have nothing left to lose, no one is waiting for me, I have no home and no master…I have no reason to _not_ go with you…despite the fact that only decent person in the group is him." she looked over at Weed who was whimpering in his sleep.

"Where did you find him?" she asked and Grimmjow said, "Don't remember…hell, I don't know why I'm going with them either! I got nothing else to do…"

"What happened to you?" she asked and Grimmjow said, "Apparently I was traveling with them and something happened. I guess I'm trying to find myself too." He said, forcing a bitter smile onto his face. Blue said, "You don't remember a thing?" and Grimmjow shook his head and was surprised when she looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry."

_Wow, she really ate it all up. That was so easy it's fucking sad._

"Uh," he got an idea, "You know how I could get on better terms with him?" he asked her, looking over at Ulquiorra who was standing off in the trees by himself.

"Him? Why would you? He looks like a jerk, to me."

"He's…interesting."

_As interesting as a rock. _

"Well…find something you have in common. Or you could try keeping him company, he's all alone out there." She went back to roasting the rabbit she had caught earlier and Grimmjow glared at the snow covered floor.

_Bullshit, I already tried that fifty times! Nothing, absolutely nothing!_

Grimmjow stared off towards Ulquiorra and frowned, hanging his head. _This really is impossible. I'll never get this retarded plan to work…_

Grimmjow walked off into the trees to think and meanwhile Blue watched Weed whimpering in his sleep. The young puppy awoke with a gasp and Blue could see tears in his eyes. She frowned. "What's wrong?" and he quickly forced his tears back and said, "N-nothing…"

"You can tell me if you want." She said gently and Weed said, "I…I just…I miss my mother…" sobs were in his voice and Blue felt instant pity for him. She got up and approached him, sitting down beside him in her wolf form. "I know what that feels like." She said gently and Weed sniffled, choking back tears. "I-I've been trying hard to be strong, like Grimmjow-san wants but I—I thought it would hurt less by now!" he sobbed.

Blue licked his face and said, "In time it will hurt less. And you don't have to lead anymore, I'm here and I can do that job for you. I know what it is like to lose a parent, but instead of the bad memories, try to remember the good times you had with her."

Grimmjow watched from within the trees. _I never gave him the impression that he had to be strong…did I? Oh well, not my fault he's a weakling._

* * *

The following day, Blue led them through a snow-storm. Ulquiorra said, "Woman, do you even know where you are going?" and Blue sent a glare at him and she said, "Well do _you_?"

Grimmjow chuckled when he realized Ulquiorra had nothing to say. Blue called out, "Pops and I traveled to Shiga when we were hunting wolves. That was a long time ago, but I can vaguely remember the way!"

Ulquiorra kept walking and he looked down when Weed bumped into his ankles. Weed apologized and hastily began to stumble through the snow.

Grimmjow was freezing cold. He was so cold he swore he couldn't feel his ears. "Fuck, its freezing!"

"Tired, Jaegerjaques?" and Grimmjow snarled, "Fuck you!" and Ulquiorra kept walking. "There is a cave over there!" Weed called, "If anyone wants to—!"

"Hell no! Worry about yourself! Why the hell do you act like you're better than everyone, Ulquiorra? Because, guess what, you aren't!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra said, "I don't see you acting any different."

"What?" Grimmjow barked. "At least I don't act like—!"

"Be quiet!" Blue growled, "Can't you two do anything other than fight with each other? If we're going to survive out here we need to work together and that means you two need to stop fighting, right—!" and then they all heard something.

It couldn't have been the wind.

It sounded like the roar of an animal. A massive animal because the ground vibrated ever so slightly. Ulquiorra looked around the trees and said, "Did any of you hear that?"

"Yes, dumbass of course we did!" Grimmjow said impatiently.

"What…what was it?" Weed said, looking weary.

Blue began to walk ahead saying, "Well, let's not sit here and wait for it to find us. Come on, I'm starting to recognize the route. I traveled to Shiga with Pops back when I was hunting wolves."

Grimmjow said, "Wait, you hunted wolves? Even though you're a wolf? What the hell?"

"I didn't know I had wolf in me, alright?" her tone was a little impatient and Grimmjow could tell it was a tender topic for her. "Pops was your owner?" Weed asked and Grimmjow sneered, "You were kept as a pet?" and Blue glared at him and said, "Yes I was, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, just saying he was kind of stupid to not be able to tell that you were a wolf." Weed glared at him. "Grimmjow-san, cut it out! I know we're all cold and hungry but still, lay off." Grimmjow blinked at Weed's angry tone and he said gruffly, "Fine, fine."

Ulquiorra said, "If I didn't know better I'd say that the dog is getting to you." and Grimmjow glared at him. "Bullshit."

Blue stopped walking and called, "We're in Shiga! I recognize the mountains!" and then Weed yelped somewhere behind them and Grimmjow turned around and walked back to him. "What kid?" and Weed looked down and gave a soft exclamation of shock. Grimmjow knew why.

Weed had fallen into a massive paw print in the snow, ten times bigger than him. "Do…do you think Kyoshiro made this?" he asked Grimmjow and Grimmjow scoffed. "Hardly. We don't even know what he is; he could be a human for all we know."

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow interact with Weed with some interest before he said, "I don't think we want to meet the creature that made that print. Start walking."

"No shit Sherlock." Grimmjow sneered.

The paw-prints trailed off into the trees so they whole-heartedly avoided heading that way. They had just begun to climb a hill when Blue suddenly gasped and Grimmjow asked, "What?"

Blue said, "I thought I saw…someone watching us from that cliff over there, between those trees. See?" Grimmjow couldn't see anyone and kept walking.

Weed lifted his head somewhere behind them and called, "I hear something!" and Grimmjow listened. It wasn't the roar he expected but instead he could hear barking coming from within the trees. "What the—?" and Weed tore off towards the sound and Grimmjow yelled, "Oi! There's a big-ass thing out, stupid!" Grimmjow didn't even know why he cared about whether or not the stupid puppy got torn to shreds by a giant whatever-thing, but he moodily trudged off after him with Blue and Ulquiorra behind him.

Meanwhile, somewhere ahead, a little puppy was thrown against the wall. He looked up, cowering and whimpering, his tail between his legs as a large dog, his father, approached. "F-father…please…I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" he begged.

His father sneered, his hackles raising, "Bullshit! I went out and got myself some food and I come back and it's gone! You ate it, didn't you, you little shit?"

"N-no! I would never—! There were massive prints in the snow! Something huge ate it!"

"Liar! I'll kill you!"

And then, from the doorway, there came a new voice. "Oi! He's your son, isn't he? Why won't you believe him?" and the father turned towards the doorway and saw a dog standing there. "Who the hell are you?"

Grimmjow was hurrying after Weed. "Would you slow down? We're getting sidetracked!" Grimmjow barked, darting out in front of him and Weed crashed into his legs with a grunt. Grimmjow almost grinned at the dazed look on the pup's face. And then he scowled.

And then they both heard barking and Grimmjow flared his reiatsu and a brown and white dog ahead of them yelled in pain and crashed into the snow and just as he did, a large white dog leapt from the trees and tore the brown and white dog's ear from his head. The brown and white dog started to scream and Blue gasped in shock as she saw the gruesome wound on his head.

"There are dogs out here?" Ulquiorra observed quietly and Grimmjow snorted. "No, they're large rats. Idiot."

"I know what they are." Ulquiorra replied coldly and then Grimmjow and Ulquiorra saw Weed charge forward as the white dog lunged for the cowering dog's neck.

Weed slammed his head into the white dog's ribs and he crashed into the snow. The white dog started barking and Grimmjow scowled and flared his reiatsu, causing the white dog to yelp loudly.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra heard the white dog snarl, "Who the hell did that?"

"Are you Kyoshiro?" Grimmjow asked, frowning.

The white dog stood up and Grimmjow could now make out that he had several scars on his body as well as a nick in his right ear. Cold silver eyes glared at him and the white dog said, "Yeah I'm Kyoshiro Shirogane. The hell's to you, you freak show?"

"Great, he's a fucking dog. Why'd I expect any different…" Grimmjow growled, running his hand through his hair. "Oh well, it'll make this easier." And Grimmjow grinned and lunged at him and Kyoshiro leapt right over him and pinned the brown and white dog that had been attempting to crawl away, his fangs sinking into his neck.

"_This_ is the guy who has to lead us? This _monster_?" Blue asked, wide-eyed. "I thought you were aware of what he was capable of?" Ulquiorra said, watching Kyoshiro. "I was but…this…" Blue shook her head.

"Who said you could move? Huh? Shut the hell up and don't scream like that! You don't even deserve to feel terrified, you sick bastard!" Kyoshiro raged, his fangs sinking deeper into the dog's neck.

"Wait!" Weed called, running over to him and Kyoshiro turned a fierce glare on him and snarled, "What? Do you know what's going on? Do you understand the situation here? No, you don't! So back off!"

Weed attempted to reason with him. "Don't kill him. Don't do something you'll regret, alright? If you feel so strongly we can talk things over. That's always the better way to do things." He spoke very calmly but Kyoshiro only sneered. "Don't butt your way into a situation when you don't even know what's going on, brat!"

Grimmjow said, "Oi, you're a brat yourself. You're barely two years old."

"I've lived one year, but I can assure you that I'm stronger than I look." Kyoshiro said seemingly confident in his abilities. Grimmjow smirked wider. "Is that so, puppy? What are you gonna do? Claw me to death? Get your ass up; I've heard you know Japan like the back of your paw. You're leading us to Tokyo."

"Make me!" he barked, his hackles raising and behind him, the brown and white dog attempted to sneak away. Kyoshiro turned a furious glare on him and the dog took off running. "You old shit!" Kyoshiro roared and Weed gasped when he saw the rage in the dog's face. He was furious and aggressive and definitely not the type that could be reasoned with.

Ulquiorra scowled and kicked the brown and white dog, throwing him over the cliff and into the river. Kyoshiro glared at him and said, "You—!" and Ulquiorra suddenly released his reiatsu upon the dog and Kyoshiro collapsed in the snow, eyes wide.

"Enough of this nonsense. We've dawdled here long enough. You are leading us to Tokyo, not wasting your time killing some dog."

Kyoshiro was panting heavily. "I…wasn't gonna kill him…"

"It sure looked like it." Weed said. "No, I was teaching him a lesson." Blue snorted and Kyoshiro said, "Shut up! I was! I don't go so far as to kill when I handle guys like him. Oi, kid. It's alright, your father can't hurt you." and Blue looked over in surprise and saw a small brown and white puppy sitting in the trees. She was surprised, maybe Kyoshiro wasn't as monstrous as he seemed.

The puppy cautiously approached and Kyoshiro said, "His father accused him of stealing and started beating him. That's why I went to the extent of biting off his ear. He did something no father should do! He did something no _parent_ should do!" There was anger in his voice and the puppy recoiled slightly but Kyoshiro gave him a small smile and the puppy approached with ease.

Grimmjow looked over at Weed and saw surprise in the puppy's face. "I understand. But there could have been other ways of dealing with him." Weed said and Kyoshiro snapped, "Oh and do _you _know what I should have done? Mind your own business!"

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Alright, enough with this justice crap! You, Kyoshiro, you're leading us to Tokyo!" Kyoshiro said, "Fuck you, no I'm not."

Grimmjow felt anger starting to bubble to the surface and he said, "Repeat that." And Kyoshiro said, "I am not!" and Grimmjow felt his fists clench. Blue scowled. "I don't know who is more monstrous, you or Kyoshiro. It's despicable! Cut it out, Grimmjow."

Blue turned to Kyoshiro and said, "Forget it; we don't need help from someone so barbaric. We'll find help elsewhere. I don't want anything to do with you." Kyoshiro blinked. "Wait, uh…" he watched the black wolf dog walk away and he scowled, seemingly upset that he had given her the wrong impression. "I'm not the monster you think I am! It's just that when I get angry, I have trouble controlling my actions."

"More like you don't even try." Blue said coldly. "Come on guys. We'll have to find help elsewhere. Better yet we should all learn to read maps."

Blue looked at the puppy beside Kyoshiro and her gaze softened. "If you want you can come with us." And Kyoshiro looked slightly surprised by her compassion. The puppy looked torn for a moment but hastily followed the black wolf-dog.

Weed looked over his shoulder at Kyoshiro. He felt greatly disappointed. "There's something very sad about him. It doesn't excuse his actions but he seems sad somehow."

Grimmjow said, "Well great! We came all this way for nothing!" and Ulquiorra said, "Stop complaining." And Ulquiorra turned around, picked up Kyoshiro and started walking away. "Wait, put me down! Put me down!" Kyoshiro barked.

Grimmjow suddenly stopped walking. The ground was shaking. "What the…?" and Grimmjow's instincts screamed at him to turn around. He looked over his shoulder and saw something huge lunging towards Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra, move!" Grimmjow roared and Ulquiorra looked to his left and dodged the attack by inches.

A huge creature entered the clearing, made entirely of metal, several guns attached to its body and Grimmjow saw a spike sinking back into its body. It was massive robot! It began shooting all around the area and Kyoshiro wrestled himself from Ulquiorra's arms and tore towards the puppy who was trying to get to them.

The puppy began to run from the machine, the machine began firing at it. The puppy's body was shredded by the bullets and Kyoshiro terrified howl was lost amongst the gunshots.

Ulquiorra fired a cero from the tip of his finger and it did absolutely no damage to the armored machine. "What the hell _is _it?" Grimmjow snarled, preparing a cero only to remember he wasn't supposed to know how to use it. If he had his sword it would be so easy! But no! _Ulquiorra_ had his sword! "Can I do the same thing as you?" he called and Ulquiorra said, "Concentrate your reiatsu to the tip of your finger."

Grimmjow (feigning two failed attempts) fired at the same time as Ulquiorra but the machine only walked towards them, going right through the ceros like they weren't there at all. However the ceros did slow it and Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both leapt back as it fired a spike at them. The spike exploded as it hit the ground and Blue and Weed were thrown several feet away from the explosion.

Grimmjow dodged the next spike and Kyoshiro charged forward with a mad yell and bit into the machine's gun and attempted to rip it out. The gun began firing, making the metal too hot to hold onto and Kyoshiro let got and was almost crushed by the machine's foot. Weed pulled Kyoshiro out of the way and Kyoshiro hastily thanked him and Weed lunged and began biting the metal on its body, knowing full well that it would do nothing, but he was still willing to try.

Ulquiorra dodged the bullets and fired a cero at the gun and the gun fired a massive blast at him, causing his cero to rebound and Ulquiorra leapt aside and fired another cero. The machine leapt aside and sent a tree crashing towards them. Weed and Blue dodged and the machine knocked down more trees.

The machine turned and charged towards them, firing many explosive spikes from its body as well as bullets all at the same time and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra struggled to dodge them. Ulquiorra fired a cero and the thing dodged again.

"The thing learns from you." Ulquiorra noted, frowning. "We have to distract it somehow. But first we need to remove its gun." Grimmjow called, "The ceros slow it down! You fire one and I'll get in and removes its gun!"

"_You_ fire the cero. _I'll _remove its gun." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow roared, "Do as I say, dammit!"

"We need to distract it until those knuckleheads can make up their minds!" Blue called as the machine got closer to the arguing Espada.

Kyoshiro barked, "Oi, you bastard, over here!" and the machine charged towards him. "Hit it!" Kyoshiro called. The machine got too close to Kyoshiro and its claw shot forward and seized his leg. Weed ran forward and plowed into its side and the machine turned its head towards him. Blue kicked the machine in the head, damaging its vision.

Grimmjow fired a cero at the machine and the machine turned towards him and while it was distracted, Ulquiorra shot forward with his sword and sliced the gun from its body and Grimmjow appeared right beside the machine and kicked it. The machine tumbled down the mountain and both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra fired their ceros at it, this time using both of their hands.

The machine was destroyed half way down the mountain, the explosion shaking the ground and causing the trees to quiver dangerously. Grimmjow burst out laughing. "Damn that was fucking awesome!" Grimmjow yelled, laughing.

Ulquiorra said, "I'm surprised you listened to me and came up with such an idea."

Grimmjow looked over at him with wide excited eyes, "I'm surprised _you_ listened to my idea."

_Okay, so maybe that was kinda cool…_

"Contrary to your belief, I am capable of listening." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow grinned wider. "Look at that fucking fire…its fucking gorgeous."

Ulquiorra said, "It is rather satisfactory."

Kyoshiro was staring at the puppy, a look of shock on his face. "I thought they left…" he whispered. "…I couldn't even save him…" there was something very sad in his eyes and his whole frame was shaking.

Weed approached him and said, "Did something happen? Did you know that robot?"

"Its none of your business!" Kyoshiro snapped and Weed winced. Grimmjow said, "If you don't want people to question you, then don't say such stupid things." Weed looked shocked that Grimmjow was rising to his defense and Grimmjow quickly said, "Just saying. It pisses me off when people do that."

Ulquiorra turned to Grimmjow and said, "Earlier, you warned me to move when that machine attacked. Why? You had no reason to warn me if you hate me so much."

Grimmjow frowned. _Why the hell _did_ I do that? He's mine to kill, not some stupid robot. It's not like I care whether or not he survives! _"Maybe the old Grimmjow hated you, I just don't like you—though I'm close to hating you because you're so damn—!"

"Watch out!" Blue yelled and something was hurled into the clearing. The grenade exploded, sending yellowish smoke into the air and before Grimmjow knew what was happening, he was dizzy and stumbling blindly.

And then everything faded to black.

* * *

When Grimmjow awoke, he found himself in a cold, dank, dungeon. By the looks of the place it had been around a long time. Grimmjow suddenly jumped as he remembered he wasn't supposed to be in a castle, he was supposed to be outside looking for Tokyo!

But…weren't people supposed to be chained when inside a dungeon? No chains were even on his wrists and the door to the cell was not even locked. "Shitty way to run a dungeon. Not that I'm complaining." He looked to his left and found Ulquiorra—slumped against his shoulder. Grimmjow jumped and prepared a cero, only to realize Ulquiorra was asleep…on him.

Grimmjow raised a fist to punch him awake only to realize this was the first time he had seen Ulquiorra vulnerable. His lips were parted and his eyes were closed, lashes resting gently against his cheek, his face completely relaxed.

Grimmjow's cero vanished and he watched, intrigued. "So even _that _son of a bitch gets tired sometimes…oh wait…" And then he remembered that they had been knocked out. "Oh well, guess it still counts."

Grimmjow reached over to push Ulquiorra's face away from his shoulder and the man jolted awake and said, "What are you doing?" and Grimmjow recoiled. "Nothing! You were sleeping on me!"

Ulquiorra looked down and frowned when he realized that his face was resting against Grimmjow's strong shoulder. "Hm." And Ulquiorra stood and gently nudged Weed awake. "Get up. Whoever runs this castle is either an idiot or he has idiotic and lazy guards. All to be expected of a human. Either way, we must escape."

Blue, who had just woken up, said angrily, "Not all humans are unintelligent, Ulquiorra." And Ulquiorra said, "Until I see any signs that they possess intelligence or usefulness of any sort, they are, and will always be, utterly idiotic and useless."

Blue glared at him. "Want to repeat that?"

"Enough, you guys!" Kyoshiro snapped, walking up the stairs. "_I'm_ getting out of here, _you_ all can argue." And Weed ran after him and nudged open the door to the entrance hall. Grimmjow stood and shivered. The air was cold and the only part of him that felt even slightly warm was the shoulder Ulquiorra had lain against.

Grimmjow placed his hand against his shoulder and frowned. "The hell…he can't be that warm! Not with skin like that!" and Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at him. "Coming?" and Grimmjow snapped, "Don't wait for me! It's freaking weird!"

And the five of them entered the entrance hall. No one had to have lived here in the last 200 years. Everything was crumbling, a thick layer of dust was everywhere and the entrance way was blocked by a huge amount of rubble. Grimmjow said, "Easy!" and he prepared a cero and Ulquiorra said, "No."

"Why not?" Grimmjow growled and Ulquiorra said, "If you fire a cero, the whole place will come crashing down. We need to find another way out."

Weed walked up a stone staircase and investigated several blocked doors before stopping in front of a large door and sniffing. "I smell fresh air! It's so distant, but its there!" and Grimmjow hurried over to open the door.

"What is this place?" Blue asked, looking at the torches on the wall. "This can't have been built during this century." And then she noticed something on he ground and she said, "Are these…footprints?" they were massive; whatever had made them must have been huge!

"Maybe the robots reside here?" Kyoshiro asked. Grimmjow snorted. "Robots need to be controlled by someone. No one is here."

"From what _we _can tell." Ulquiorra added and Weed peered around a corner and said, "There's a stair case and there is wind coming from the top of the stairs!" Blue hurried towards the stairs and Kyoshiro heard something move in the next room and he frowned and walked over to the door.

He nosed open the door and looked around. There was a picture frame above an old desk. A picture of a man. "Who is he, the owner of the castle?" he asked. And then something moved in the corner of the room and Kyoshiro's head whipped around in time to see a huge amount of fire exploding towards him!

Kyoshiro tore from the room and the wall exploded behind him as a massive robot burst from the room behind him, sending bricks and debris flying everywhere. It was spider-like in appearance except on each of its eight legs was a gun, pointing in different directions.

Grimmjow took one look at it and yelled, "Take cover!" as its legs began to spin rapidly in a circle, firing bullets everywhere.

Blue covered her head and dove behind a large slab of concrete and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra took shelter behind fallen debris with Weed and Kyoshiro. Grimmjow fired a cero at the ceiling and the ceiling caved in on the robot and Grimmjow laughed and tore away towards the staircase and, behind them, the walls burst open as, from all sides, robots appeared and began shooting at them. Kyoshiro kicked the door shut and began to run up the stairs.

Of course, the door was broken down and the army of robots began to tear after them. And then a voice bellowed from behind them, "Destroy the staircase!" and one robot fired a massive explosion into the floor. The staircase began to crumble as the five of them ran up the stairs. Grimmjow turned around and fired a cero below him, blowing up a few robots but not many. Kyoshiro called, "Get the door!" and Blue kicked open the door and they all heard a yelp behind them.

Weed had fallen and taken hold of the ledge, hundreds of feet off the ground! The robots were firing up at him, their bullets barely missing him. "Don't come here! Go!" Weed called. Kyoshiro turned around and began to run. He took hold of Weed's scruff and began to pull him to safety but had to dart back as bullets whizzed by him.

Grimmjow swore and charged forward and began to fire ceros down at the robots. "Oi, over here!" Grimmjow called and, laughing like a moron, he flew towards them, distracting them. Blue and Kyoshiro rushed to help Weed and Ulquiorra hurried forward, watching with surprise as Grimmjow distracted the robots from Weed and the two others.

Ulquiorra shot towards Grimmjow and flew in one direction, focusing their attention on him and he called, "Retreat." And Grimmjow said, "No way, you coward! Just kill them or we'll be killed!"

"We don't have time to argue. Retreat." Ulquiorra said without warning, something massive crashed through the wall below them! It was a robot, bigger than any of the others, covered in white armor and wielding a massive gun. Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he called, "Move!" and a huge blast exploded from the gun!

Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro had just gotten onto the roof and Kyoshiro felt the ground shaking and crumbling and he called, "What do we do!" Blue ran to the edge of the tower and called, "There's a river below! But we're so high up, we'd die the instant we hit the water! Where are Grimmjow and Ulquiorra—?" the tower above them exploded and the ground cracked and began to split.

Kyoshiro spotted a huge banner lying on the floor and he ran forward and yelled, "Grab the corners!" and Blue and Weed latched onto the corners and the three of them climbed onto the edge of the tower. "Jump! Cowabunga!" Kyoshiro yelled, leaping off. Weed held on tightly with his teeth and shut his eyes tightly, feeling relieved as the wind caught underneath the banner and lowered them slowly towards the ground.

Blue breathed a sigh of relief. "What about Grimmjow and Ulquiorra?" she asked. Kyoshiro shrugged, holding onto the blanket with his opposable paws. "I think they flew by us. They were heading off towards the north."

"Why would they fly _by_ us?" Blue asked, frowning. Kyoshiro shrugged. "Who gives a damn? You'll just have to find them I guess—I mean _we'll_ find them! Okay?" he said quickly as Blue glared at him.

And in the distance they heard a roar, almost blending perfectly in with the wind. Weed frowned and Blue said, "Let's just hope that thing doesn't find them before we do…"

* * *

The explosion from the giant machine was monstrous, throwing both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra out of the castle and miles away from everyone else. When Grimmjow recovered from the fall, he found that his ears were numb with cold and his whole body was freezing.

Grimmjow sat up, his face stinging from the impact with the snow and he sneezed loudly. "Ulquiorra? Where the hell are you?" Grimmjow barked.

"Here." And Grimmjow turned and saw Ulquiorra trudging towards him, his green eyes cold. "Where the hell are we?" Grimmjow called. "And where's Blue and Weed?"

"Either dead or they are miles away where we can never find them. If you had just listened to me when I told you to flee, then we wouldn't be here." Ulquiorra said coldly, his words somewhat hard to make out because his lips were numb.

"Well, if you care so much, then why did you come and help me? Why did he have to blast you out here with me?"

"At least I won't be responsible for any deaths." Ulquiorra spat. Grimmjow suddenly realized something and he said, "What, did you care about Weedy and that woman?"

"No. I am just stating the obvious. You will have caused their deaths if neither of them were able to escape from the tower because we weren't there to fly them off." Grimmjow gaped. Ulquiorra was definitely worried. Or was he…it was always so hard to tell…

"Aw, did you care about Weedy?"

"Don't misunderstand me. You named him, don't pretend you weren't attached to him." Grimmjow growled, looking around for that bag that contained their Gigais. He found it and they both slipped into their bodies and warmer clothes.

"I didn't care about him either, dumb-shit! And if you're so perfect, why didn't _you _stay to fly them off? Instead you came back for me! _You're_ to blame if they're dead!"

"Be quiet." Ulquiorra snapped.

"No, _you_ be quiet!"

And then Grimmjow heard it. A massive roar and it was _very_ close by them. "I've been hearing that damn sound since we got here." Grimmjow growled. And then he saw something behind them through the wind and thick snow. It was a Lodge. "We can shelter there until the storm passes." Ulquiorra said. "Fuck shelter. If you wanna rest like a little weakling, fine. I'm going on ahead."

"Good idea, it will be dark soon. Wonder around in the darkness with that creature." Grimmjow wanted to break his skull so badly but-he was right. "Ah damn you."

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow hurried into the lodge, closing the door behind them with difficulty due to the wind. It was completely deserted, as expected. "Why the hell would someone build a lodge in the middle of nowhere?" Grimmjow asked, kicking an old can across the floor.

It was very dusty in here, the windows were broken and spiders had made their homes in several areas of the room. Most of the doors had been bolted for whatever reason imaginable. The room they were in was a living room complete with a fireplace and a bathroom at the end of the hall. There was a staircase that led up to guest rooms. All of the rooms upstairs were unusable due to weak floors or other problems. Only one room in the entire lodge was in good condition. The problem was, that meant there was only one usable bed in the entire place and Grimmjow was definitely _not_ sharing a bed with Ulquiorra!

Ulquiorra knelt beside the fire place and said, "There is no wood or matches near by. Go check storage."

"Don't tell me what to do. _You_ check storage!" Grimmjow ordered and Ulquiorra rubbed his temples and said, "How about we _both_ check storage then?" and Grimmjow said, "Fine, I'll hold your hand." And Ulquiorra shoved past him to the door that led beneath the staircase and into storage.

They both quietly descended the stairs to the basement and Ulquiorra frowned when he saw the cave in right in front of the storage door. Grimmjow scowled and kicked at the stairs and without warning they both plunged through the stairs and onto the dirty, dusty, smelly floor.

They both stood and looked around them. Ulquiorra spotted a set of matches and stopped when he heard something coming from the back of the room. Ulquiorra turned towards the end of the room and heard something that sounded like scratching. Vicious scratching.

Grimmjow frowned and murmured, "What the hell is—?" and the wall exploded ahead of them and through the dust, a massive creature emerged. A _massive_ bear with foam dripping from its mouth and blood all over its muzzle and claws.

They both stood perfectly still, not even daring to blink as the creature sniffed at the wall in front of it. And then it turned and looked right at them, its eyes mad and a deep growl tearing from its throat.

And the instant it saw them, Grimmjow ran around a shelf and to a door, throwing it open and running through it with Ulquiorra at his heels. The creature tore after them, smashing through the door. Grimmjow almost rounded a corner and the instant he got a glimpse of the dead end, he turned, his feet scrabbling madly at the floor and Ulquiorra dragged him towards a hole in the wall.

They both dove into it and the bear shoved its head in but couldn't reach and it retreated, causing a cave-in in the entrance way. And with a crash, it forced its head through the wall right behind them and both men jumped away as it quickly retreated. Through the cleared rubble was a hole in the wall ahead of them. He ran through it with Grimmjow and they both saw a staircase ahead of them and ran towards it.

"Great, that bitch can't climb stairs can he?" Grimmjow asked, peering over the railing. And the bear broke through the wall behind them and began to climb the stairs, the stairs crumbling beneath him and Grimmjow gasped and raced after Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra leapt over a small chest of drawers and Grimmjow, in a panic, ran through it and got stuck. Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow call out and he turned around and saw Grimmjow attempting to pull himself free as the bear drew closer and closer!

Ulquiorra quickly weighed the options and picked up a large stone from the ground and flung it over Grimmjow's head, hitting the bear square in the eyes and while it was stunned, Ulquiorra hurried forward and grabbed Grimmjow's arm and pulled him free just as the bear lunged for them, it's teeth closing on thin air!

They both tore through a hole in the wall, entering a bathroom and the bear's jaws missed Grimmjow's arm by inches as he attempted to get through to them.

Grimmjow raced into the bedroom and looked around. There was nowhere to go! Ulquiorra lunged at a chest of drawers and began to push it out of the way. Grimmjow hastened to help and they both hurled it away from a door, which they ran through just as the bear burst through behind them!

Ulquiorra ran right and encountered a dead-end and Grimmjow grabbed his arm and pulled him away only to find the bear running at them and they both hurled themselves at the rubble, desperate and the bear lunged, missing them and breaking through the rubble with them and crashing through the walls ahead, falling into the snow. The bear recovered and charged at them and Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow to his feet and they ran blindly through the snow, the beast inches behind them!

Grimmjow saw a bridge ahead and he ran towards it, the snow got deeper and he could feel it slowing him down. Ulquiorra pulled him through the snow and they both ran across the old bridge, hearing it creak dangerously beneath them and then the bear ran across and the ropes holding the bridge strained and broke just as Grimmjow got the other side, grinning triumphantly.

Ulquiorra's foot snagged on a piece of wood and he fell, the bear was gaining on him, slowing only because its feet kept breaking through the wood and then the bridge broke clean in two and Grimmjow's eyes widened and he ran forward, reaching out his hand for Ulquiorra as they both plunged downward, hundreds of feet off the ground!

He only caught a glimpse of it, but it had been enough to freeze him in place. The look of fear in Ulquiorra's eyes as the creature got nearer and nearer, the look of shock in his eyes as the bridge broke and sent him plummeting down.

Grimmjow flung himself down into the snow, looking down to find that one half of the bridge was still connected to his side of the cliff. "Come on…come on…" he felt his heart slow-down when he saw Ulquiorra holding onto the last remaining piece of wood and he reached out his hand. They were too far apart!

Grimmjow suddenly felt himself slipping and he gasped and yelped as something bit into his foot, fearing that it was the bear; Grimmjow raised a fist (just out of instinct) and turned around. It was a black wolf-dog! "Blue?" she was holding onto his leg. Holding onto her tail was Kyoshiro and behind him holding his tail, Weed!

Grimmjow lowered half of his body over the cliff, extending his hand. Ulquiorra looked up, surprise in his eyes and Grimmjow called, his throat hoarse from the freezing wind, "Grab my hand!" Ulquiorra looked up and Grimmjow could see distrust in his eyes. The ropes began to break and the wooden plank Ulquiorra grasped tightly creaked and began to splinter as it slowly broke.

"Ulquiorra, trust me!" Grimmjow yelled. "Trust me!"

Ulquiorra looked up at him, his eyes narrowing slightly. Grimmjow could feel himself sliding slowly over the edge as the dogs began to slip forward.

Ulquiorra reached out his hand and their finger tips brushed together and Grimmjow called, "Lower me more!" and Weed slipped and sent Grimmjow almost nose to nose with Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra's hand latched onto his and Grimmjow called, "I got him!" and the dogs began to pull him back.

Ulquiorra used his feet and began climbing up with difficulty and Grimmjow scowled and wrapped his arms underneath Ulquiorra's arms to help pull him up. They both collapsed in the snow, breathing heavily and shaken and Blue called, "Are you guys alright?" and Grimmjow nodded, breathless.

"A rabid bear…Jesus. Those things are deadly enough as it is." Kyoshiro growled, plopping down in the snow and Weed ran to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, expressing his relief that they were alright. "Why'd you bother coming back?" Grimmjow asked and Blue shuffled her paws and said, "Well we weren't about to abandon you. Despite the fact that both of you are jerks, we aren't heartless enough to not appreciate that you took care of us in return for my guidance while we were looking for Shiga." Blue said.

"I found a cave only a mile back that we can shelter in." Kyoshiro said. "Let's head there." He began to walk away and Weed said, "Let them catch their breath at least, Kyoshiro! They just ran from a nine-thousand pound rabid bear!"

Grimmjow sat down in the snow by the edge of the cliff, still breathing heavily. The snow-storm was beginning to lift and Grimmjow could actually see ahead of his hand now. Ulquiorra sat down beside him and they both didn't look at each other. "I won't ask why you helped me, because you won't answer." Ulquiorra said, "You probably don't even know anyway."

Grimmjow said, "I'd ask why you helped me back when I was stuck but I don't think you know either."

"Hm."

Silence fell and Grimmjow shuffled his feet, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal.

"You are quick on your feet though. Almost as quick as you are with your mouth." Ulquiorra added and Grimmjow grunted. "You're cero ain't bad either…almost as good as mine…except it isn't…"

Ulquiorra nodded, avoiding his gaze. "You also seem to have a knack for quickly finding an opening in an opponent, even a robot. That's…surprising I'll give you that."

Grimmjow grinned. "I'm full of surprises. That fight we had back at Shiga with that robot was…pretty cool I guess."

"Yeah." Ulquiorra replied a little too quickly. Grimmjow glanced over at him and found Ulquiorra hastily looking away. Ulquiorra slowly looked over at him and they held each other's gaze. "No actually it was kind of awesome. You got some pretty sweet moves on you." Grimmjow said, a grin forming on his face.

"You aren't too bad yourself; you can actually plan something, which surprises me greatly considering that you fight like a beast." Grimmjow said, "And I think _you_ aren't as emotionless as you pretend to be. I saw fear in your eyes, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed and Grimmjow could see him retreating back into his shell. "Come. We're leaving." And Ulquiorra stood up and began to walk away. Grimmjow frowned. "Oi, Ulquiorra, I was just—! Shit Ulquiorra, do you have to be so freaking—?"

"By the way," Ulquiorra's voice was softer when he spoke. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at him. Grimmjow went quiet, listening. "Even though I can't understand why you saved me, I'd like to thank you…"

Grimmjow said, "Yeah, great. But don't get it into your head that we're friends or anything. It was…it was just instinct." That was all he could think that it was.

Ulquiorra's gaze however softened and he said, "It was instinctive to save me? That's a first."

Grimmjow said, "You saved me too, don't forget it. Think of what I did as repaying a favor, not some friendly bullshit."

But Grimmjow knew that when they took into consideration the fact that they had just been complimenting each other's skills, it really was a little more than just a favor. He wasn't sure he liked it.

"Wasn't that bear something though?" Grimmjow burst out and Ulquiorra nodded. "He was massive. I thought we were done for. We could have taken our Espada forms. Why didn't we?"

"If we had hesitated for a second to take our Espada forms, the slightest pause would have caused him to catch up with us! Damn did you see his teeth?" Grimmjow exclaimed, laughing.

"How could you possibly think he couldn't climb up some stairs?" Ulquiorra asked, shaking his head. "You thought he wouldn't see us if we stood still? Ha!"

But in any case, the fact that he had just seen a different side from Ulquiorra that showed he could be more than a cold-hearted prick, excited him and intrigued him more than he was willing to admit. And he knew Ulquiorra had just seen the same from him and felt the same excitement because they walked back to the cave together, discussing their narrow escape from the bear, Ulquiorra talking with almost (almost) just as much excitement as Grimmjow.

Something had changed in the group. Blue was friendlier towards them and in return, they were friendlier towards her. They were also nicer to Weed and Kyoshiro had even agreed to get them where they were going. In other words, they all decided to lay off each other just a little bit because God knows how long they would all be stuck with each other.

As for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, they both found it was a little bit hard _not _to bond and have a little respect for each others skills and abilities after working together to take down a robot, escape a castle full of them, and then escape a giant, rabid, nine-thousand pound bear. And the funny thing was, neither of them truly noticed they were becoming friends because of how intrigued they were to see a different side to the other person than the one they already thought they knew.

* * *

"Hey, Kyoshiro?" Grimmjow asked one day. Kyoshiro looked up. "What?"

"Where the hell is Tokyo?"

Kyoshiro frowned and thought about it. "Uh oh…"

"What?" Ulquiorra asked, looking up from preparing a fire for them.

Kyoshiro said, sighing, "You guys are not going to like this one bit."

And Kyoshiro told them.

"Oh you have got to be—" Ulquiorra said, closing his eyes.

"Freaking—" Blue said.

"—KIDDING ME!" Grimmjow roared.

And days later they found themselves back on the _exact same mountain top_ Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had landed on a few days before they met Weed. In other words—

"IT'S BACK WHERE WE STARTED?" Grimmjow yelled, his mouth hanging open in shock and anger.

Kyoshiro said, "Yeah. You see, if you had just gone _up_ this mountain and kept walking, you would have eventually reached Tokyo city. Instead you went down the mountain like a couple of morons, right?"

Ulquiorra's frown deepened. "Obviously." And it was clear he didn't like this one bit. "Well, the good thing about this is that I got to give mother a proper burial. I don't care if we went in the wrong direction, we're going in the right one now. I have _got_ to find my father." Weed said determinedly. Kyoshiro raised an invisible brow. "Determined kid."

"By the way," Weed said suddenly, "We didn't introduce ourselves! My name is Weed and that's Blue, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra!" Kyoshiro nodded, frowning at the floor. "Those robots we fought off are persistent. They'll probably follow us or at least attempt to track us."

Ulquiorra sighed and Grimmjow slapped Ulquiorra on the back and he said, "Look alive. We're _finally_ headed the right way, even if this was a giant pain in the ass."

"Why didn't you guys just get a map?" Kyoshiro asked, rolling his eyes.

"None of us can read a map." Blue explained. "Can you?" and Kyoshiro shook his head. "So you are definitely leading us?" Blue asked and Kyoshiro said, "I'm not going back to Shiga. There's nothing for me there. You guys already know the way, but I'm going to tag along just in case and see if I can be useful."

And Kyoshiro began to lead them up the mountain towards their destination.

* * *

Grimmjow's list of questions for Ulquiorra were finally starting to resurface and now that he and Ulquiorra seemed to be on speaking terms he was eager to ask them.

The group of five had been heading into the entrance to a town when Grimmjow asked, "What's with the tears?" and Ulquiorra glanced at him and said, "I don't know. I was born with them."

"They look stupid." Grimmjow said bluntly. "Who wants to look like they're crying all the time?" Ulquiorra was quiet and Grimmjow gave up on talking to him. "Tch, whatever."

Ulquiorra and Blue and Weed stopped at the red light—Grimmjow didn't, he just darted across the street rather than wait— and waited for the light but Kyoshiro did not.

He was halfway across the street and traffic began coming at him! Kyoshiro tore from the street and barked, "Watch where you're driving you bunch of moronic shits!" and Blue winced and said, "Here we're supposed to wait for the light." Kyoshiro frowned.

Blue said, "Haven't you been to a city before?" and Kyoshiro said, "No. Not since I was a pup and that was only for a short while." Blue's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, you probably haven't either. You're a wolf." Blue scowled. "I'm not a—!" she sighed. "I am a wolf." She murmured, a look of sadness in her eyes. Kyoshiro said, "What's up with you?" and Blue said, "Nothing. I was born and raised in a city and I lived amongst humans. I never really knew what I was until a few days ago. Anyway, if you want I could teach you a thing or two about city-life. It's easy once you get used to it."

Kyoshiro said, "Nah. I could teach myself." And he almost ran into traffic again. Blue chuckled. "Alright. Later." And she began to walk away. Kyoshiro said, "Okay, fine teach me a thing or two." And Blue said, "Alright."

Weed called out that they were all going to split up to look for food and Blue led Kyoshiro away to teach him. "In the city, humans use green paper called Money to buy things. We don't have money so either we'll resort to begging or stealing. I'd prefer the former." They strolled past several restaurants, Kyoshiro watching with interest.

"What we were doing before was stopping and waiting for the light. See those poles? They tell you when to walk and when to stop either using a certain color, red to stop and green to walk, or text. If you wait, the cars will stop and they'll let you pass." She explained, stopping to wait for the light and Kyoshiro hastened to do so. They both waited before crossing and Blue said, "There are other dogs here of course. Some of them are friendly, some aren't."

Kyoshiro wrinkled his nose. "Why are they on ropes? That's stupid!" and Blue said, "Humans want to make sure they don't run into traffic or get lost." Kyoshiro snorted and Blue said, "I was once kept on one. It isn't as bad as you think." Kyoshiro only grumbled something.

"Oi, how come people aren't trying to catch you?" he asked and Blue said, "I can take a human form. It isn't difficult to learn but it takes practice. Would you like me to teach you how to take a human form? It would prove effective if you want to get food. If you work hard enough you can conceal your dog form from other dogs too. I should probably teach Weed too…" she added thoughtfully.

Kyoshiro considered this and he said, "I guess. Why not?"

A bicyclist drove by and crashed into Kyoshiro and he yelped and called out, "Hey, you bitch! Get back here and let me pound your face in you little—!" Blue glared at him and Kyoshiro said, "What?"

Blue said, "If I am going to work with you, you are going to have to control your temper." Kyoshiro said, angrily, "What's wrong with my temper?" and Blue said, "Living here with a temper like that won't get you what you want. I noticed that from Grimmjow as well, his temper is even worse than yours. Using violence to settle things here, unless for self-defense won't get you very far."

_Wow, that sounds like something Weed would say, _Blue thought with a bit of amusement.

"Says you." Kyoshiro said. "It's how I've lived." Blue frowned. "It's not impossible for you to change. And you can't be all that bad judging how you treated that poor puppy back in Shiga."

"Uh…Blue? Is that your name?" he asked. Blue nodded. "Yeah, I probably act otherwise, but…I'm not that proud of my temper. Just letting you know." Blue nodded. "It seems like I've got a lot to teach you. But for now let's go get food."

Kyoshiro nodded, giving her a sort of unsure smile before the two of them disappeared into the crowded streets of the city.

* * *

A huge white robot was standing in the ruins of the castle. He spoke in a deep, low voice. "We cannot let them escape…our rules forbid prisoners leaving this castle alive. Find them…destroy them…come my brothers." And from the shadows an army of robots emerged, all of them different sizes, shapes and colors but all with weapons.

"And after they have been destroyed we can finally live out the rest of our miserable existence in peace. If we are lucky enough, they will destroy us." And the huge machine led his army out into the blizzard.

* * *

"There were still no stars tonight." Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow grunted in response. He and Ulquiorra were lying on their backs in the snow, staring up at the cloudy, starless, dawn sky.

"I ain't gonna ask what your fascination towards stars is." Grimmjow said, putting his hands behind his head.

Grimmjow had been unable to sleep the previous night and Ulquiorra had come and sat with him for whatever reason. He had said he felt like it.

Weed yipped in his sleep, his back-leg kicking out and he growled in his sleep. Grimmjow chuckled. "Wonder what he's dreaming about." Suddenly he had a question. "Do you dream?" he asked. Ulquiorra looked over at him and he said, "No. I never have dreams."

"You serious, Ulquiorra? If you did, what would they be about?" Grimmjow asked, it was a stupid question but he was curious.

Ulquiorra thought about it. "I don't know."

Grimmjow said, "Don't you know _anything _about yourself, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra answered immediately, "What would be the point of that? My existence is meaningless. I was created to be a warrior, I will live and I will die. That is all there is to my life. If you can call what I do as "living". It isn't even living, is it?" Grimmjow listened hoping that somehow, through this, he could come to some sort of understanding of the man next to him.

There was something bitter in his tone. _Does he want to live? Does he want to feel something, anything? But apparently what he can't see doesn't exist. How did he come to think that way? What happened to him to make him so…it doesn't matter. How the hell do you _live_ like that? _Grimmjow felt something in his chest tighten._ I don't even think he knows why he's alive! What he doesn't see doesn't exist…so, he has to be _shown_. Over time, he'll get it. But how do you show someone so nihilistic that emotions exist—? Not that I want to show him—! Just wondering…_

"That's a pretty sorry-ass way to live, Ulquiorra. You tell me emotions are useless but it sounds like your just trying to convince yourself other-wise. Tch, that's pathetic."

_Is that how bad it is? That he has to tell himself everything is useless and meaningless because he's lusting to feel so much? Nah, it's probably just me._

Ulquiorra sent him a cold glare and he said, "If I came off that way then you are mistaken. You fool." Grimmjow lost any sympathy—not that he had felt any in the first place!—for him. "You little shit!" he snarled, drawing back a fist. Strangely he didn't feel as angry as he should have. Maybe Ulquiorra's depressing air was starting to get to him. Little—!

"Never mind, you aren't even worth hitting! Depressing little…" Grimmjow spat, crossing his arms over his chest, a heavy scowl on his returned his gaze to the sky and spotted an odd looking cloud and he said moodily, "That cloud looks like two tigers fucking." And Ulquiorra sent him a strange look. "I don't see anything."

"Yeah of course not." Grimmjow said angrily. "You reprimand me for not feeling anything but in reality you are limited to two emotions. Neutral and furious." Grimmjow wanted to hit him. "So what, you have a problem with it?"

Silence fell and Ulquiorra searched the sky for the cloud Grimmjow had been looking at. "Look over to the left by that tree, dufus." Grimmjow said impatiently and Ulquiorra said, "I don't see tigers. I see a mountain with the sun behind it." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow rolled his eyes and said very impatiently, "It's right there, you—!"

_Maybe it doesn't look that way to him. Maybe I see tigers, he sees something…stupid. _

Intrigued just slightly by this idea Grimmjow looked around for another cloud. "There's one right in the middle. It looks like uh…it looks like a bear killing a hunter. I fucking hate bears…"

Ulquiorra said, thinking, "It looks more like a deer getting run over. See the car?" Grimmjow chuckled. "Nah. See that one? Right there! It looks like…a circle. Boring."

Ulquiorra said, "If you look closely, it looks like a headless rabbit." Grimmjow grinned. "Hey, it does!" despite the fact that both of their ideas about the clouds were different. They both eagerly listened to the others strange ideas either wondering how someone could think something so strange or just listening to the other person with interest.

The sun was rising now, filling the area with bright yellow rays of light. Grimmjow asked him, "What does the sunrise look like to you?" and Ulquiorra said, "It looks…more interesting than the artificial sunlight back in Heuco Mundo that is for sure." Grimmjow looked over, surprised. "Hell yeah." He said with a smirk.

Weed suddenly ran over and said, "Grimmjow, can I ask something of you?" and Grimmjow listened to his request. He grinned.

Weed was flying through the air, his paws spread out! Grimmjow flew in his Espada form, holding onto Weed's waist. They flew high above the trees, wisps of cloud blowing past them. Ulquiorra carried Kyoshiro and Blue in their dog/wolf forms. "This is awesome!" Kyoshiro howled.

Grimmjow grinned over at Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra, in his surprise, accidentally dropped Kyoshiro who fell into a pine-tree.

Only hours later, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were walking up a mountain, Grimmjow dragging a large log behind him. He set it down and gestured to Ulquiorra to sit down in it; Ulquiorra did but was confused as to why.

Grimmjow grinned and began to push the log down the hill. Ulquiorra's eyes widened, realizing what Grimmjow was about to do. "Grimmjow, no—!" he began and Grimmjow gave a huge push and ran after the log and leapt in behind Ulquiorra with a whoop, his arms up in the air.

The log sped down the hill, missing trees by inches and spinning in every direction and Ulquiorra closed his eyes, holding onto the splintery edges of the log for dear life. Grimmjow yelled, "WAHOO!"

Ulquiorra winced and said, "That is annoying and undignified. As expected from you. Stop it." And Grimmjow snapped, "_You_ stop it!"

"Do you even know what is at the bottom?" Ulquiorra asked, daring to peak and shutting his eyes. "No!" Grimmjow called and Ulquiorra could practically hear the grin in his voice. "That's the fun of it!" and they crashed into a tree.

Grimmjow decided to try again but this time he seated himself first and said, "You push." And Ulquiorra frowned. "Me?" and Grimmjow nodded, grinning. "Yeah!" and Ulquiorra sighed and got behind the log, hunching slightly in order to push. He broke into a run, pushing the log down the long hill and then he lost hold of it and ran after it.

"Jump!" Grimmjow called and Ulquiorra frowned. "Come on, you can make it!" and Ulquiorra closed his eyes and leapt, landing in front of Grimmjow and he felt like he had left his stomach behind as the log slid down the hill so fast, the wind stung his face.

Ulquiorra shut his eyes tightly, hearing Grimmjow laughing behind him. The log sped down the hill, barely missing trees as Grimmjow steered it. And then Grimmjow stopped laughing, eyes wide as he took in the scenery. "Ulquiorra look! Ulquiorra! Come on…"

"No."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and took his hand away from the edges and placed them on the hands Ulquiorra held over his eyes. Grimmjow removed Ulquiorra's hands from his face and murmured somewhat impatiently, "Open your eyes and look at this."

And Ulquiorra did. The trees were gone, replaced by endless snow covered mountains on either side of them in the distance. The sky was a pure golden color and rays of golden sunlight broke through the stormy clouds, shining down upon them. Ulquiorra was quite sure he had stopped breathing for a moment. He didn't know what to feel. But there was something in his chest, something that excited him.

"Grimmjow?"

"What?" Grimmjow asked.

"It's wahoo, right?" and Grimmjow grinned. "Yeah! WAHOO!" and Ulquiorra jumped but said, "Wahoo." And Grimmjow rolled his eyes but couldn't help the way his chest tightened when Ulquiorra said it. "Idiot." He mumbled, not even angry.

Ulquiorra almost wanted to say it louder, but he didn't. He listened to Grimmjow's ecstatic voice and found it almost made him want to feel that exact same excitement. It made him want to feel alive, just a little. And Ulquiorra stood up and Grimmjow shrieked. "Holy shit!" and Ulquiorra spread his arms out, closing his eyes as he felt the wind whip through his hair.

Grimmjow stood shakily behind him and looked over at Ulquiorra's face. He looked completely relaxed, the sunlight was reflected in his eyes and Grimmjow suddenly wanted to shout. So he did.

"Ha ha! Wahoo!"

Ulquiorra felt his voice growing slightly. "Wahoo." Ulquiorra felt something in his chest begin to soar and he called; "Wahoo!" and Grimmjow jumped but instead burst out laughing, his laughter filling the air. "You're so bad, Ulquiorra! Ha! Oh shit—!" And then they crashed.

They both tumbled over in the snow, side by side and staring up at the sky. They both looked over at each other, Grimmjow chuckling and Ulquiorra slightly breathless. Silence fell and they both looked away from each other to stare up at the sky, both feeling lighter than they had in days.

* * *

Grimmjow didn't really know why, but that day stayed in his head. It pissed him off, it was like a song that you barely knew and liked that you couldn't get out of your head. Except the song was Ulquiorra's voice and the feelings that Grimmjow had felt as he heard the excitement in his voice.

It was fucking annoying him and it had put him in a bad mood. It was just Ulquiorra. Why the hell wouldn't it leave his head?

"Grimmjow?" it was Weed. Grimmjow growled. He really did not want to be bothered right now! "What?" he snapped. "Look what Blue did!" and Grimmjow ignored him. "Oi, would you look Blue-berry?" Kyoshiro asked and Grimmjow turned to glare at him. "What—?"

It wasn't Kyoshiro and Weed! It was…humans.

One was a boy, a young adult anyway, with white hair, gray eyes and scars. He wore a gray sweatshirt and gray cargo pants. The boy next to him was a young boy with smooth blue hair. He wore a blue and white striped shirt and jeans.

"What the hell did you do to yourselves?" he asked.

Kyoshiro said, "Blue taught us how to take human forms. It's a good thing. We can benefit from it." Blue emerged from the trees and said, "We're near a town. We can get food there." Ulquiorra was already getting into his Gigai.

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Weedy looks alright. You just look like a wanna-be punk with some weird hair disorder."

"Weedy?" Weed said, cocking his head. Kyoshiro's face twitched. "Fuck you." he ground out. Blue glared at Grimmjow. "He looks fine, alright. Knock it off." And she walked away down the hill.

"Kyoshiro, you once mentioned that you had had past experiences with the robots. What do you mean?" Weed asked. Kyoshiro said, "I'm not telling you about my past experiences with them. But I will tell you this. The man who owned that castle was a terrorist who went by the name of John Kurogane. I'm not sure what prompted him to do it, but he went and created those machines to either take over Japan or…I'm not sure. But I think he died and left his machines alone to wonder around aimlessly. No, I don't think he died. I think he was killed by them."

"Blue?" Weed asked, hurrying up to her. "How come you never take your wolf form?"

"Why should I?" she asked and Weed said, "Just asking." And Kyoshiro frowned. She sounded sad.

Grimmjow hurried after them, now in his Gigai. Weed spotted a grocery store and Kyoshiro called, "How about we stop in here? We have enough money." In the last town they'd visited, Weed had begged for food in his dog form in order to get money.

"No!" Weed said, "We can't use that money! It was stolen!" Kyoshiro sighed and said, "No. They gave you their money willingly."

"But—but still! Are you sure it wasn't stolen? Oh no…what if it was…what if they regret giving me their money? What if they gave away their trust-fund or…or…what if they gave away the money they needed to help cure someone of cancer or—?"

Kyoshiro rolled his eyes and ruffled Weed's hair. "Calm down. Even if that were the case, they gave you their money willingly. So lets use it so their donations don't go to waste, huh?" Weed nodded, still worried. "O-okay…" Kyoshiro chuckled and called, "You coming Blue?" and Blue said, "I'm alright, you guys go on." And Ulquiorra accompanied Weed and Kyoshiro into the store.

Grimmjow and Blue sat in an alley beside the store, waiting. He looked down at the snow covered floor and suddenly noticed the expression on Blue's face. She looked deeply troubled. Grimmjow said, "What the hell's your problem?" and Blue said sadly, "I thought I'd have came to terms with it by now."

"What, that Kyoshiro is traveling with us?" Grimmjow asked and Blue let out a soft chuckle. "No. He's actually not the dog I thought he was. I thought he was a monster when I first laid eyes on him. I was wrong. He's actually very caring. I just think its been hard on him living alone up in those mountains for so long." Even inside the store they could both hear Kyoshiro getting impatient over the money.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue in annoyance and Blue simply laughed.

He turned his head towards her and said, "So what's bothering you? Not that I give two shits, but you can talk. You're in a group, if it's important you should tell us."

Blue said, "Do you remember when I said that Pops and I got split up? Well…that was a lie. I didn't lose him. He threw me away. After all the times I stood by him, helping him and watching over him, he couldn't stand that I had some wolf in me."

"Why does he hate wolves so much?" Grimmjow asked and Blue said softly, "Because our entire family was destroyed by them. I was taken in by their son Ruess and they let me stay with them. I was so happy living that way, completely oblivious to what I was. If nothing had happened, I could have stayed happy forever. But…I was awoken one night by the smell of smoke and the heat of flames and Pops was rushing me from the house. Everything was destroyed. Every building in Curios was burning. Ruess and Mom never made it out. Wolves were everywhere. And Pops took his shot-gun and killed every single one of them. I never did figure out if wolves really had destroyed my town and killed my family. But Pops was certain of it. So I was trained to hunt them. I helped kill so many of them, I loathed them only to find out that I'm half of the creature that may have killed my family. And when Pops found out…he wouldn't stand for it and he ordered me away from him. I had to listen to him. I had been trained to obey him. If I thought I would have come to terms with what I am by now, I was so wrong. I only hope that somehow, Pops is making it alright without me."

Grimmjow said, "He probably is. If he had the confidence to send you away, he can probably look out for himself." And he jumped when Blue let out a soft sob.

"I just don't understand how I could have been able to do nothing. I could hear them screaming inside that house, why didn't I help them?" Blue could hear their voices, screaming in agony and in terror as the flames ate away at their bodies. She could remember just standing there, her tail between her legs and her ears flattened back as the fear, pain and terror began to get to her. She could hear Pops whispering things, she could feel him shaking and she could hear the gunshots that pierced her ears as he fired almost blindly at the wolves standing there in the flames, their bodies turned to mere silhouettes.

And then she felt a large, warm, hand on her head, stroking her hair. She looked up and saw, to her surprise, Grimmjow with his hand upon her hair. And then she could see Pops standing beside her, his hand stroking her head, a fond smile on his face as he whispered comforting words to her.

She closed her eyes, pressing her face against Grimmjow's leg, sobs shaking her. Grimmjow frowned, not looking at her and instead staring ahead of them and out towards the snowy streets.

_This is wrong. I shouldn't be feeling this. Push her away. Tell her to suck it up, do something! Why am I feeling _compassion_ of all things? God, what the hell happened to me?_

Grimmjow scowled. He didn't understand why he could suddenly feel compassion. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling it linked to Ulquiorra.

And speak of the devil, Ulquiorra walked out from around the corner ahead of him and froze. He stared from Blue, to Grimmjow's hand and then back to Blue and frowned. "Come. Let's move." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, "Give her a second." And Blue said, "No. I'm fine. Come on." Grimmjow looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. Blue nodded as if to say "I'm sure." Ulquiorra walked over, seized the hand that he had against Blue's hair and pulled him away up the street.

Blue stared after Grimmjow and smiled slightly before leaving the alley only to find Kyoshiro and Weed staring at her. Weed said, "Are you alright, Blue?" and she said, "Yeah. I'm fine." She hastily wiped her eyes and began to walk away. Kyoshiro cleared his throat and said, "Hey. Uh…just so you know…uh…your wolf form is…probably uh…one of the most…one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. No wait—! Uh…never-mind!" and he ran off with a red face and nearly crashed into a pole.

Blue stared after him in shock and then a smile graced her face. "Come on, Weed." And Weed nodded eagerly and hurried after her.

Up ahead, Ulquiorra walked with Grimmjow, Grimmjow's hand firmly clasped in his. "Oi, Ulquiorra stop dragging me around! I can walk fine!" and Ulquiorra said, "Its not that I particularly care, but if you have time to flirt with Blue, then there is no point to your being here." Grimmjow gaped. "What? I wasn't flirting with her. Ulquiorra, she's a fucking _wolf _you idiot_._"

Ulquiorra ignored him and then Grimmjow noticed that he had called Blue by her name. So he was getting used to them as well, huh?

Grimmjow frowned as he fell into step beside him. _I don't understand why I feel compassionate. I don't understand why my heart is beating so freaking fast right now. And it's pissing me off._

Grimmjow smirked. "Jealous?" and Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. "As if." He said coldly and Grimmjow chuckled.

_I don't know why my opinion of him is changing; all I know is I like what I'm seeing from him. My opinion of _all_ of them is changing. And actually, _Grimmjow looked over his shoulders at his group and felt a grin lifting his lips, _the only thing I do know is…I'm not lonely anymore._

And the five companions followed the road out of town until they were no more than specks in the distance before they vanished into the trees, heading towards Tokyo.

_To Be Continued_


	22. Adventure 22

**Adventure # 22**

**Back to the Past part 3**

Grimmjow didn't know when or how it had happened. But it had. He was starting to enjoy Ulquiorra's company. He had wanted to deny it at first but no. He couldn't anymore. He missed Ulquiorra when the guy wasn't there and when he was in Ulquiorra's company, he couldn't stop smiling. It was so stupid! And Ulquiorra was so dead, too! The irony!

Maybe the reason for it was because he was finally seeing different sides to Ulquiorra that hadn't existed before. Ulquiorra was…happy, it seemed. And Grimmjow was starting to notice an air of beauty about him that he hadn't quite noticed before. Grimmjow had found his pale skin unattractive but now he was starting to find it strangely beautiful, he was starting to find Ulquiorra's eyes gorgeous as well. He was also starting to have a minor heart-attack when ever Ulquiorra said his name.

He didn't know what the hell it was but he despised this feeling and yet he liked it at the same time. Their friendship was no longer at the point where neither one liked or disliked the other but rather they both liked each other and enjoyed each others company, regardless of whether or not the other was willing to admit it.

But was this friendship? Grimmjow had never had friends before so he didn't know what it felt like. Was what he felt for Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed friendship?

In Blue's company Grimmjow and she would talk mostly about serious things but he enjoyed her company. In a way, she was like a sister to him, the sister he never had. Blue was starting to open up more, she wasn't as distant and it turned out she was quite fun-loving at times. Not to mention deadly if he pissed her off. Jesus…

When he was with Weed, they both normally goofed around. Weed made doing serious things such as work enjoyable and for that Grimmjow was happy. Weed was very playful so he and Grimmjow mostly played chase when they were together since Weed was so full of energy. Grimmjow was starting to notice that Weed was getting stronger emotionally. When he had first met Weed, he had been determined to do everything by himself. Now that he was with them, he was starting to relax and trust them to take care of him. He was also still as stubborn as a bull.

He and Kyoshiro mostly taunted or insulted each other when they were together, but neither of them actually took offense at each others words. Kyoshiro was alright, but Grimmjow liked to think himself the better of the two. Kyoshiro was starting to calm down. Blue and Weed together with him seemed to have a good effect on him and he was getting more patient and more considerate.

Grimmjow had never really thought about it before, but it felt good to have _friends_. People who didn't look up to you as a King but at the same time, didn't look down on you as someone who is beneath them. When he had been leading his old comrades, there had been no friendship, only a relationship between a King and his subordinates. It had been what he wanted, but there had still been a level of loneliness that he had tried to ignore. Being King was a lonely position. He didn't want to think of himself as some weak schmuck who wanted a friend, but in a way… he had been. And, as he was slowly starting to feel sympathetic for himself, he was starting to feel sympathy for Ulquiorra, because of his sorrowful life style…and Blue, for her past, and for the way he had treated Weed. He didn't like it…

As for Ulquiorra…he wasn't sure what to think. Ulquiorra was different around him than he was with the others. Ulquiorra was more sincere around Grimmjow. They still argued, something which Grimmjow was grateful for but there was audible respect between them. But something was so strange…his heart didn't beat fast around Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. He smiled around those three but only if he was enjoying himself. With Ulquiorra he smiled every second.

There was something so gentle about him. He was curious about everything, mostly about emotions, since he didn't have them but that couldn't have been true. He had to have emotions somewhere, because Grimmjow was starting to see them in eyes, hear it in his voice and see it in his actions.

He was more considerate of what he said and how he acted and Grimmjow was wondering if something had always been there and he just hadn't noticed before because he was too blinded by hatred.

Ulquiorra was also warming up to Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed and he was attempting to make conversation with them, which they allowed and he was becoming more social by being with them.

Ulquiorra also proved to have a very calming effect on him…and at times not so calming if Ulquiorra teased him. But if Grimmjow was angry and he went to Ulquiorra, he would forget about whatever he had been angry about and relax around him.

But what was this? Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed didn't make him feel the way he felt around Ulquiorra. What was going on?

* * *

"—And this scar, see the one right on my left cheek? This scar came from a Mastiff up in Kyoto. He wasn't abusive; in fact, he didn't even have any kids. But he still pissed me off. So I went and called him a great, fat—!"

"Kyoshiro." Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both said and Kyoshiro scowled and went quiet. Weed pouted and said, "I liked the story, Kyoshiro. It seems you have a warmer heart than we originally thought. You rescued abused puppies after all."

"You can hear more when we get to the train station. But for now, I want us to be alert." Ulquiorra said and Weed perked up.

Grimmjow looked over at him in curiosity and jumped when Ulquiorra's pretty eyes met his. "Uh…you've felt it too, then?" Grimmjow asked, lifting a tree branch out of Ulquiorra's path for him as he glided gracefully through the trees and long, wild grass.

"The feeling of being followed? Yes. I have. It is unnerving me." Ulquiorra said. Blue asked Kyoshiro, "Do you know where the train-station is?" and Kyoshiro said, "Yeah. Once we find the train tracks we'll—!"

Grimmjow turned to Ulquiorra and watched him for a moment. The sunlight was reflecting in his eyes. In his eyes, Grimmjow could see bright emerald and a hint of gold near the pupil. He smirked, mustering up some confidence to say, "You have pretty eyes, Ulqui." And Ulquiorra looked over, eyes slightly wide. "I do? That's a first."

"Are you seri—?" and Grimmjow tripped right over something and fell on his face! Blue ran over and said, "Are you alright?"

"Ow, fuck!" Grimmjow snapped, his chin feeling like it was splitting in two. "Well, we found the train tracks." Weed said enthusiastically.

Grimmjow sat up, rubbing his chin. He had, indeed, fallen onto some train tracks. Ulquiorra walked over, nudging him with his toe. "Need help?" and Grimmjow said, "In your dreams!" and stood to his feet.

And then the ground began shaking and Grimmjow turned and saw a train speeding towards them. "That's our train!" Kyoshiro called, running after the train and Grimmjow, grinning excitedly, took off after the train with Blue and Weed and Ulquiorra hurrying after him!

Grimmjow took his Espada form, catching his Gigai and flying towards the train. Grimmjow landed in front of the door on the little platform in the back of the train and called, "Move your asses!" and Blue took her wolf form and tore towards the train with three others hurrying after her. Ulquiorra took his Espada form and grabbed Weed and Kyoshiro and flew them towards the train and tossed them on board before hurrying back for Blue.

Ulquiorra grabbed her and sonido'd towards the train and dropped her on board and Grimmjow reached out a hand and pulled him aboard the train. Kyoshiro opened the door and said, "Try and blend in, we don't want to look suspicious." And he took his human form and hurried in with Weed and Blue, both in their human forms.

Grimmjow wasn't even tempted to go inside. He was tempted just to sit here on the platform and watch everything whiz by in a speed of color, the wind howling in his ears and ruffling his hair. He grinned and closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow, let go." And Grimmjow said, "What? Oh." He still had Ulquiorra's small hand in his and Grimmjow hastily let go, feeling heat rush to his face.

_It's just a fucking hand, get over yourself!_

Ulquiorra opened the door and said, "Coming?" and Grimmjow shook his head. "Ever the loner, huh?" Ulquiorra's voice was gentle and Grimmjow turned towards him. He studied his face, feeling something calming enter his chest upon meeting Ulquiorra's gaze.

"Where'd you get those tears?" he asked, poking Ulquiorra's cheek.

"I've always had them. I cannot explain their origin as I have no recollection of my previous life."

"Do you feel sad all the time?" Grimmjow asked.

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't know sadness, or if I have felt it, I wouldn't know. I feel nothing…" Ulquiorra's voice trailed away and his brows furrowed.

Grimmjow sighed. "What?"

"Though, to say that I feel nothing isn't entirely true is it? I feel things for you. Things I'm not certain of." Grimmjow felt his mouth slip open. "Good things?"

"If "good" means that I feel no ill-will towards you then yes. They are good feelings."

Grimmjow felt a wide smile slip onto his face. "Aw, you like me, Ulquiorra?" he teased. His tone sounded arrogant but he would rather sound arrogant than admit that he was mentally dancing a _fucking_ jig!

_Score 100, _fucking_, points for me! YEAH! _

Ulquiorra sighed. "What does it sound like?" and Grimmjow punched the floor in excitement. Ulquiorra said, "That pleases you?" and Grimmjow grinned up at him. Ulquiorra's gaze softened just slightly and Grimmjow felt his heart leap in his chest.

_What the hell's happening with my chest? It feels tight, almost like I want to float off the damn ground. And I kind of want to hug him—ew, wait…shit, never-mind…_

Grimmjow stood and ruffled Ulquiorra's hair, surprised at how soft his raven locks were. Grimmjow didn't remove his hand and instead let his fingers slide gently through his hair. Perhaps it was because he felt lighter than air, but he said, "You ain't half as bad as you like to think you are, Ulqui." And Ulquiorra, his face a light shade of pink, removed Grimmjow's warm hand from his hair and said, "Don't get cocky."

Ulquiorra turned and got into his gigai, his emerald coat blowing in the wind. He bumped his shoulder against Grimmjow's as he went inside and Grimmjow felt his heart rate increase just slightly. And he grinned, possibly feeling happier than…the happiest person on earth.

And then he stopped walking and he grimaced. _It's just Ulquiorra. Don't get so fucking happy about a few stupid words…_

And he got into his gigai and pushed the door open and proceeded inside the train car.

* * *

The train ride was slow due to the snowstorm and night had fallen long ago. It was so slow that Grimmjow was tempted to hop off the train and just walk.

Weed and Blue were asleep but Kyoshiro, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were still up. Ulquiorra was staring out the window at the barely visible sky, Kyoshiro was glowering and tapping his foot and Grimmjow was trying to think of ways to annoy Kyoshiro so he could entertain himself.

Weed yawned softly and said, "Are we there yet?" he asked sleepily and Kyoshiro shook his head. Grimmjow suddenly heard something on the ceiling above them and he frowned. "What the—?"

Something slammed right into the side of the train, nearly tipping it over! And then the ceiling exploded and bullets peppered the windows. Grimmjow yelled and forced Ulquiorra and the others down as the windows burst above them.

And then an armored man landed on he floor in front of them and seized Grimmjow and hurled him across the room. Grimmjow crashed into the door and dodged the kick that dented the door behind him!

Blue leapt forward and kicked the robot in the back and he turned around and punched her in the face! Kyoshiro lunged with a mad yell and kicked the man in the stomach. He didn't even budge! Weed bit into his head and he was seized and thrown against a window.

Grimmjow slammed both his feet into the robot and sent him flying through the window. The robot remerged, blasting a hole through the train wall! The robot ripped a pole from the ground and swung it at them, nearly missing Weed who lunged and grabbed the pole, but was unable to wrench it from his hands.

"We can't hurt him! Ulquiorra called. "Get off the train. Move." And Grimmjow seized the pole but before he could hit the robot again, the robot's arm split open and began firing bullets all around the train car!

Ulquiorra ran to the next car and flung open the door and called, "Move, Grimmjow!" and Grimmjow yelled, "We take that door at the end of the car, its closest!" and then the floor shook as another robot landed on the roof and began shooting. It fired a grenade into the car and Weed yelled out in terror!

Grimmjow was thrown off his feet and then the train car shook! Grimmjow looked to his right and saw the giant, white, robot tearing towards them! He slammed his foot into the side of the train and within seconds the train was tipping right over! The robots on the roof were thrown off and then everything began spinning.

Grimmjow latched onto a pole for dear life as people were thrown every which way, some falling through the windows to the deaths and others dying as they struck vital parts of their bodies!

The pole broke and Grimmjow was thrown through a window and into the howling wind and freezing snow. He crashed to the floor and Weed, Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra leapt out after him and then they looked up. The rest of the train was crashing towards them! The robot began firing red blasts at them and Weed and the others ran left, but they all knew that it would be too late to reach the trees at the rate the train was speeding towards them, tumbling over and over and shaking the ground as it went!

"What do we do?" Weed screeched.

Grimmjow looked up, a crazy idea flashing through his head, and said, "Follow me! If you fall behind you're dead! Move fast!" And Grimmjow tore towards the train and, confused and scared, his friends followed him.

Grimmjow ran towards the shattered window of the train and, as the train tipped towards the ground, he ran right through the window, jumping up the seats and seizing poles as he ran. And, as if in slow motion, he leapt right through the window, feeling broken glass cut his arm, and he flung himself off the train crashing face down in the snow, panting for air.

The train fell from the cliff, crashing to the ground several feet below them, the collision shaking the earth. Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and he grinned, laughing hoarsely, "Ha…yes…!"

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed stood behind him, all of them breathless. "How—how the hell did you think of that? Crazy bastard!" Kyoshiro burst out, laughing. Grimmjow seriously didn't know.

"No idea…but it was awesome, wasn't it, Ulquiorra? Ha! Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow looked around him, grinning. And then his grin vanished. Four…there were only four of them—! Where was—?

"Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow yelled, looking around wildly. He could barely see more than a few feet ahead of him, where _was_ he? Weed and the others began to search. "He—He was right behind me when we jumped through!" Kyoshiro called, sniffing around. Grimmjow turned towards Kyoshiro. "And where were you?" Grimmjow snapped, hardly able to hear over his heart pounding in his ears.

"I was second to last!" Kyoshiro called.

Grimmjow swore loudly. "No, no, no, no! _Come on_!" Grimmjow roared, running blindly through the snow.

_Come on, come on, come on! He can't be dead, he can't be dead! Not now! Why now? He's the fucking Cuatro Espada! Shit, I should have chanced the woods, we were close enough!_

Grimmjow almost fell right over the edge of the cliff and he leapt away, peering over. He could barely see the bottom. "Ulquiorra! ULQUIORRA!" Grimmjow yelled.

Grimmjow just stood there in complete, utter, shock; his hands slowly lowered from his mouth and fell limply to his side. He had killed Ulquiorra, which had been something he had longed to do and suddenly, he was mortified by it. Somewhere along the line, he had grown used to Ulquiorra's presence. He had grown attached to him.

What…what was he going to do?

Grimmjow hung his head, not quite sure what he was feeling. It had to be the closest thing to sorrow he had ever felt. He closed his eyes tightly, his teeth clenching. "I'm sorry, Ulqui…"

"I'm not dead, you idiot." And Grimmjow gave a jolt and looked around, hardly daring to believe it. "Ulquiorra?" and he felt someone hit his shoe and he looked down and gaped. Ulquiorra was hanging over the edge of the cliff, glaring at him. Grimmjow stared at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He grinned, "How the hell—? You lucky rat!"

And then Grimmjow slammed his foot down on Ulquiorra's toes! "You son of a bitch!" he roared and Ulquiorra jumped and Grimmjow yelled, "What the hell were you waiting for, an invitation? I screamed for you and stood right above you for twenty seconds and you did nothing! You piece of shit!"

Kyoshiro ran over before Grimmjow could really kill Ulquiorra and helped Ulquiorra up and hastily pulled him away from Grimmjow who was livid! "Protect him!" Kyoshiro yelled and then Grimmjow marched towards Kyoshiro and Kyoshiro screamed, "Protect me!" and Blue and Weed restrained Grimmjow. "Grimmjow, calm down! He's fine! He's fine, everything is fine…" Weed said, patting his chest and digging in his heels as Grimmjow advanced on Ulquiorra. "He isn't gonna be fine when I get my hands on him!"

Blue gave him a hard shove and yelled, "Grimmjow, get a grip! Ulquiorra is alive, which is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"No, it fucking isn't!"

"Too bad. If you don't calm down right now—," Blue said.

"Fuck you, lady!"

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!" and the air went completely still and Blue turned a murderous gaze on him and Grimmjow squeaked. "If you do not stop this _idiocy _right now, you will regret it. Is-that-clear?" There was a hidden threat in every word she spoke.

"Yeah…whatever you say…" Grimmjow said, his eyelid twitching.

"Good." She said with a smile and she skipped away up the hill to start following the train tracks.

"And for the record, I did call." Ulquiorra said coldly, walking past a frozen Grimmjow. "The wind must have drowned me out. I…I'm sorry I worried you." there was something gentle in Ulquiorra's voice and Grimmjow felt what little anger he possessed vanish. "Mostly I was just surprised you cared so much. It…left me speechless for a moment."

Grimmjow could hear no lie in his voice. He really meant it. Grimmjow felt his face heat up and he ran a hand through his hair. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you." And Grimmjow felt his breath leave his lungs when he saw just how gentle those beautiful emerald eyes looked. And Ulquiorra walked away through the snow.

Grimmjow's heart was racing and he scowled and thumped his chest.

_Why do I care so much about whether he lives or not? What's…what's he done to me?_

And he walked after his friends.

* * *

"Oi, Ulqui! Stop it with the spacing out already!" Grimmjow called, hurrying back to him. Ulquiorra was staring into the window of a bookshop. Grimmjow rapped him on the head and Ulquiorra glared at him. "I'm trying to look at these books. They have Shakespeare." He explained.

Grimmjow stared into the glass and said, "Shakes—what?"

"He was a playwright and he mostly wrote tragedies or romantic comedies." Grimmjow said, "I can only guess which one you'd like."

"Aizen-sama only had one story by Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. I quite enjoyed it but I was unable to read more by him." Grimmjow nodded and said, "What's your interest in books anyway?"

"Have you even picked one up?" Ulquiorra asked as they both walked away up the street. Grimmjow shook his head. "Hell no, never have, never will. Unless you threatened me."

They had had to stop in a small city in order to rest for the night and they were currently looking for a hotel they could afford to stay in. Weed went up to an old man and began asking him something. "Guys, there's a hotel two blocks down from here. It's cheap!" Blue sighed with relief. "Thanks, mister!" she called.

"What the hell is your attraction to books anyway? You freaking love them!" Grimmjow exclaimed, falling into step beside Ulquiorra, the pale man replied, "Love is maybe too strong a word. I just find them a good way to avoid boredom. I suppose they interest me because they can provide me with information about certain feelings through fictional characters. The characters always seem to know what they are feeling and emotions are almost flawlessly explained, at least my idea of emotions, which is very small. As is my knowledge. Also, if fluid in detail and sometimes even if they aren't, you can imagine the whole scene playing out right before your eyes."

Grimmjow listened, a grin on his face. Ulquiorra, despite the fact that he liked to think other-wise, really did love his literature. It was kind of adorable actually. Grimmjow could almost see his eyes lighting up just a little.

"What intrigues you?" Ulquiorra asked him. Grimmjow immediately burst out, "Fighting!" and Ulquiorra said, "Of course."

Before Grimmjow could go into long, elaborate detail however a man yelled somewhere behind them, "Hey, ladies, where's the party tonight?" and a ugly young man hurled himself beside Ulquiorra and Blue, pushing Grimmjow right out of the way, Blue glared at him and Kyoshiro immediately leapt over, grabbed Blue's arm and dragged her off before she could even bark a response (literally or not) at him.

Grimmjow made to punch the guy in the face but stopped dead when he saw the man throw his arm over Ulquiorra's shoulder. "Release me, trash." Ulquiorra said with venom before shoving the man off of him.

_What…? What is he…? Why? _Grimmjow's brain stammered. Grimmjow didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. "Back the fuck off." Grimmjow growled a clear threat in his voice. Grimmjow grabbed Ulquiorra by the sleeve and made to drag him away but the man pulled Ulquiorra's arm away from him and said, "So, uh…are you a girl or a guy? Either way, you're a hottie." And his hand slid down past Ulquiorra's waist. Ulquiorra raised his foot but before he could so much as touch him, Grimmjow had punched the man right in the face, seized him by the shirt and hurled him into a parked car, setting it off!

The man sat up with a yell of terror and ran away across the street "Yeah you better run, you dumbass piece of shit!" Grimmjow roared and the man screamed as Grimmjow ran at him. The man ran away, disappearing into the crowd and Grimmjow stared after him, furious. He seized Ulquiorra by the wrist and dragged him off up the street with Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro hurrying after him.

Grimmjow would have loved to chase that man down and beat the living shit out of him! But he didn't. Why? Because he was so furious he didn't think he would even be able to focus! Ulquiorra just stood there and let the guy grope his ass! He didn't even walk away when the guy openly flirted with him! He let the guy throw his arms all over him like a damn whore!

_And the guy has the nerve to do all this right in front of me! He knows it pisses me off, he knows I'm watching and he has the fucking nerve to shove me away from him, fucking lean on him and grope him! In front of me! What a fucking idiot! Ulquiorra's mine, not his! He doesn't know Ulquiorra, he knows nothing about him! He has no, fucking _right_ to even touch him! Ulquiorra's mine! MINE—! Wait…_

Grimmjow felt his anger slowly beginning to drain out of him and he could feel shock and something akin to horror sinking in. _I'm…I'm that possessive of him? But since when…? When did I start thinking that way towards him? Do I want to touch him? Do I wish I was that guy? What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Grimmjow, my wrist is hurting. Kindly release me." Grimmjow looked around at Ulquiorra and pulled his hand away from Ulquiorra's so fast it was as if Ulquiorra had burned him. "Thank you." Ulquiorra was staring at him; Grimmjow could feel his eyes on his back. Grimmjow grew impatient and yelled, "What, Ulquiorra?"

"Why did you do that? I was about to kick him, you didn't need to—,"

"Why? That guy was fucking groping you and invading your space!"

"I know that, but why is it your concern? Why should it matter to you?" Ulquiorra was giving him that searching look that Grimmjow half found intriguing and creepy at the same time.

"Look, just never mind! I'm not in the mood for this bullshit! If you think it's alright that some high prick gropes you, fine!"

"I never said I was fine with it. The only thing I'm curious about is your reaction to it."

Grimmjow finally got angry at him.

"Alright look, dipshit! Just because I have emotions and you don't, doesn't mean you can treat me like I exist to prove to you how useless and stupid emotions are! If you're so curious then go bother Blue about it, because I'm sick of being treated like I'm here to be your encyclopedia!" and Grimmjow left to go find their room.

* * *

_He's really not emotionless…_Grimmjow thought, lying on his back on the sofa. _Either that or he isn't anymore. Something's different about him. There's something warmer there, for whatever reason…why am I having these stupid thoughts? I think about him way too much, I thought about him too much back in Heuco Mundo, I'm thinking about him even more here. Why? And these thoughts aren't even hateful thoughts! First my heart acts strangely around him, my thoughts of him are completely different, I get angry if someone so much as touches him, I'm finding him attractive—no, no I'm not! That's gross. But it can't be friendship! I don't feel this way around Blue or the other two. _

Grimmjow turned over onto his side, a deep frown on his handsome face. _Shit…am I …am I attracted to him? No! I don't get attracted to people! I kill people; I was born to destroy not wish love and peace upon my enemy! He's my _enemy_! Not my fucking lover! God, this is gay, _Grimmjow thought, twitching in annoyance, _I am not attracted to Ulquiorra Schi—!_

And at that point Ulquiorra walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. If God existed, he probably hated Grimmjow. "I left my clothes out here," Ulquiorra explained but Grimmjow wasn't listening and instead used this opportunity to explore the bare upper half of Ulquiorra's body. Grimmjow had thought he would be skinny as a stick—well, he was skinny but that kind of made him look adorable—but damn did he have some good muscles on that body!

His skin really was beautiful; it was as white as the snow that fell gently outside the window. The tear tracks on his face only added to his beauty. His eyes seemed to be glowing and he was still wet from his shower, water slid beautifully down his body to disappear beneath his towel—which Grimmjow suddenly wished was on the ground. Grimmjow suddenly spotted the gothic number 4 which was on the left side of his chest. He wanted to lick it. He wanted to place his hands on ether side of Ulquiorra's hips, he wanted to press his lips to Ulquiorra's neck, and he wanted to hear Ulquiorra's reaction to it. Would he push Grimmjow away or would he enjoy it? Would he moan?

_Fuck it, Ulquiorra's damn hot. _

Oh how he wanted to stand up, cross the room, push Ulquiorra up against the wall and—! Kyoshiro wolf whistled; breaking into his fantasies and making them explode before his eyes. He glared at Kyoshiro and Kyoshiro said, "Seriously, you two have some of the worst unresolved sexual tension I have ever seen."

Ulquiorra casually tipped Kyoshiro's chair over as he exited the room.

* * *

It was nearly midnight and Grimmjow couldn't sleep. Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were asleep in the bed next to his and Ulquiorra was asleep in his own room. Grimmjow had decided he didn't even want to be in the same room with him.

He was sick of this. He was sick of feeling this way and questioning himself. He had to confirm it. He had to confirm that he really was attracted to Ulquiorra. He stood and quietly left the room.

Grimmjow stood outside Ulquiorra's door, his heart racing in his chest. "Come on…get it over with…" and he pushed open Ulquiorra's door and silently entered his room. The curtains were closed but moonlight still filtered through, spilling onto the bed and illuminating the man sleeping in it. Grimmjow growled when he realized that Ulquiorra was in his Gigai and therefore he could not get his sword back from Ulquiorra.

He knelt silently on the bed, watching him. He snarled when he realized he was shaking just slightly. He had no idea what he was going to do or say, but it had to be done.

Before Grimmjow could calm his heart in the slightest a voice whispered, "What are you doing here, Grimmjow?" he looked down and saw beautiful emerald eyes looking up at him. Grimmjow couldn't speak; he had absolutely no idea of what to say in order to test himself.

Ulquiorra couldn't read his expression so he sat up to look in Grimmjow's eyes. "I don't know…" Grimmjow answered, feeling somewhat dismayed. He avoided Ulquiorra's gaze for a moment, staring at their hands which were inches apart on the bed.

He didn't know what to say. He looked up into that face and felt some sort of calm enter him and he shifted closer to him. Shaking just slightly, Grimmjow tilted Ulquiorra's chin upward and closed his eyes before placing his lips gently atop Ulquiorra's.

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra tense against him and felt one of his hands press gently against his chest in shock. Grimmjow himself was surprised not only at himself, but by how warm Ulquiorra was. His skin implied so little life, but he was _warm_. There was more life in this man than he was willing to admit, and why that made Grimmjow so happy, he wasn't sure.

And Ulquiorra's lips were soft, not hard or unpleasant like Grimmjow might have thought they would be. He didn't taste unpleasant either, he had a taste that was completely unique but with a hint of mint tea, which Grimmjow had anticipated but was completely blown away by just how intoxicating both were together.

Ulquiorra hadn't pushed him away and Grimmjow's heart fluttered just slightly at this realization. Shaking, Grimmjow deepened the kiss by pulling Ulquiorra closer. His hand slid gently through Ulquiorra's soft hair and he realized something. Ulquiorra fit perfectly in his arms.

Grimmjow moved away for a moment to regain his breath and to ensure he didn't have a heart-attack and then he moved back in for another gentle but more eager kiss, holding Ulquiorra's face in his hands.

And then he moved away. This was a test. A test to prove whether or not he was really, truly, attracted to him. He had failed miserably and every ounce of joy left him and he stood there, shocked. He had fallen into his own trap. He cared too much for Ulquiorra to ever take his life. He hung his head, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "…God dammit…"

Ulquiorra frowned, eyes narrowing slightly. Ulquiorra took Grimmjow's chin in his hand, lunged forward and kissed him. All the air left Grimmjow's lungs and his hands fell limply to his side. The kiss was so passionate, more passionate than Grimmjow thought Ulquiorra was capable of. And he loved it.

Ulquiorra liked him. Ulquiorra Schiffer really _liked_ him!

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around his neck and he wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders, pulling him close. They held each other tightly, only separating when the need for air became too much. Grimmjow felt like a weight had been lifted from his entire body, leaving him with joy that made him feel light headed.

Grimmjow's hand slid over Ulquiorra's, entwining their fingers. They both separated for a moment, leaning their foreheads together. Grimmjow smiled up at him, staring into those eyes he was beginning to adore. He pulled Ulquiorra into another soft kiss, running his hand tenderly through Ulquiorra's hair.

The moonlight filled the room, reflecting in both their beautiful eyes and casting long shadows across the room. Grimmjow was ready to bet neither one of them had ever felt this kind of contentment before. Everything felt so right.

Grimmjow moved away from him and they both stared at each other. And his joy faded. He was weak. Ulquiorra had weakened him. He had fallen into his own trap. He couldn't kill him.

And Grimmjow was gone from the room in seconds, closing the door behind him.

* * *

All through the night what he had done made him feel so many different emotions. Joy, fear, confusion and anger at himself. He had no clue when his feelings for Ulquiorra had gone from pure loathing to need but he did know that he was disgusted at himself for not being able to stop his feelings.

Well, he could now. He knew how Ulquiorra affected him. So he could avoid him. And no, he wasn't running away. He was preventing himself from becoming weak. That should be easy, right?

Well…just well. Nothing else.

Kyoshiro came to inform them that the train that would take them to Tokyo wasn't actually going to take them to Tokyo because something had destroyed the train tracks, making transfer impossible. So, Grimmjow and his companions had the whole day in town until they could figure out what the hell to do.

Weed said, "I don't even know where we are anyway." Grimmjow just grunted, avoiding Ulquiorra's gaze and in turn, Ulquiorra avoided his. Weed said, "I think we should get some groceries. Our refrigerator at the hotel is empty anyway."

Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Maybe we could make biscuits? Yeah. Let's do that. We need eggs, milk, flour and I think that is about it. I'll get the flour with Blue, Weed can get milk and Ulqui and Grimmy can get eggs. Because I know you two are dying to be alone together." He said, smirking over at them and Ulquiorra said, "Sure, why not?" and Grimmjow stammered.

"Don't pair me with him!" and Ulquiorra began to walk away into the grocery store next to their hotel. "Okay, okay!" Kyoshiro said, "But I heard from the papers that there's a rapist in this side of town. Oh yeah, and he's gay." And Grimmjow tore into the grocery store after Ulquiorra.

Blue rolled her eyes and said, "Kyoshiro…" and Kyoshiro said, "What? I'm not kidding." And Blue looked nervous. Weed hurried into the store and Kyoshiro squeaked and ran after him.

Ulquiorra was walking around inside the grocery store looking for the section where they kept the eggs and he bumped into someone. He looked up. The man that stood in front of him was wearing a thick green coat, a green and white plaid shirt and torn jeans, his face was unshaven and he was grinning. "H-hello young man!" he said, twitching. "Uh…a-are you lost, young man?" he asked with a wide grin. Ulquiorra said, "I'm looking for eggs."

"Oh! F-follow me, young man! It's all the way back in the store, uh, behind the store! You, uh, you lead!" and Ulquiorra began to walk, somewhat confused and the man began to stare at his behind as he walked, his hand out-stretching just slightly.

And behind him, Grimmjow and the others all gasped. "Ulqui!" Kyoshiro yelped, eyes wide. "What an idiot!" Grimmjow snarled, angry with fear. "What?" Weed said, confused. And all four of them tore by the grinning, twitching, man, grabbed Ulquiorra by the arms and dragged him off.

They all left that creepy store and went down to another one. There they split up and Blue went with Weed (just to keep an eye on him after that creepy event) to find butter and milk and Kyoshiro went off to find flour and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra went to find eggs.

Grimmjow really did try to avoid Ulquiorra but Ulquiorra sought him out to ask him if they should take brown eggs or white eggs. Grimmjow didn't really care and instead found a box that read _Just in! Fresh eggs!_ and Grimmjow took the carton of eggs from the box.

The carton lid jumped and Grimmjow frowned and looked down at the white carton. He opened the lid and saw one of the eggs crack and out popped—a little golden fuzzy thing. Grimmjow almost dropped the box! Grimmjow figured he could just shove it back on the shelf but before he could, the other eggs cracked and more fluffy little chicks popped out of their shells.

"We're gonna have to eat these? Fucking disgusting." And Grimmjow scowled and set the box down and walked away. "Don't follow me. We'll eat you." and just before could leave quietly after Ulquiorra, they all bumped into his leg. Grimmjow growled and looked down only to feel his anger melt away at the sight of all of them looking up at him. "Go away." and he attempted to leave again.

He got as far as the cash register, where he met up with everyone else. Weed set the milk and butter down and said, "That should be that." And Grimmjow felt them all bump into his legs—again! He gasped and pushed them away from his group. If any of them saw little baby animals following him around they would _never_ let him live it down!

He glared down at the twelve little chicks and hissed, "Go away!" and raised his foot to step on them but stopped. They were all looking up at him like he was some kind of God! "Ah shit…"

Ulquiorra and Blue were carrying the groceries from the store now. Ulquiorra spotted Grimmjow ahead of them and he said, "Grimmjow, help Weed carry his groceries."

"No, its alright, Ulquiorra! I can handle it!" Weed said, smiling.

Ulquiorra looked around and suddenly spotted Grimmjow huddling his coat tightly to him. His coat had bulges around the chest. Ulquiorra frowned. "Grimmjow?" and Grimmjow suddenly yelped and grumbled something at his coat before he turned and looked at Ulquiorra. "What?" he snapped, wincing.

Kyoshiro and Blue and Weed and Ulquiorra were all giving him strange looks. And then two chicks popped their heads out from each of Grimmjow's pockets. Eight chicks popped their heads out from the top of Grimmjow's coat. After the slight confusion settled, Kyoshiro burst out laughing and so did Weed and Blue joined in as well.

Grimmjow grinned embarrassedly over at Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra shook his head, the smallest hint of amusement in his face. And so they all went back into the store to purchase eggs.

When they returned to their hotel they set about preparing their biscuits. Blue read from the cook book while Kyoshiro and Weed attempted to prepare the dough with Grimmjow while Ulquiorra watched from the sofa.

Grimmjow opened the flour and it spilled everywhere and everyone started sneezing and coughing. Kyoshiro finally made the dough and then Grimmjow shoved him accidentally, knocking Kyoshiro's face into the dough. This caused Kyoshiro to pull out a handful of dough and throw it at Grimmjow's face. This of course, caused a food fight in the kitchen.

Weed gave up on concentrating and trying to break up the playful fight and seized an egg and threw it at Grimmjow's head. Blue was trying to regain order but got a face-full of dough. She scowled but lightened up and seized a handful of flour and threw it into Kyoshiro's face.

Grimmjow covered his dough in flour and threw it at Weed, grinning widely and diving behind the couch to avoid another hit. The chicks meanwhile were sitting with Ulquiorra who watched on the sidelines, not really knowing what to do. Grimmjow and Blue pulled him into the fray, encouraging him not to back out and to enjoy himself. At first Ulquiorra was very reluctant to get dirty but he was also reluctant to be by himself.

So he awkwardly copied the others and picked up an egg and threw it at Kyoshiro's face. Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra's eyes light up and Kyoshiro threw dough at him while Weed threw butter at Grimmjow. They took cover behind various pieces of furniture and threw food at each other from there and Grimmjow sat with Ulquiorra, watching the side of him that was fun-loving slowly surface.

And for the next few minutes all of them practically destroyed the kitchen, covering it with dough, flour and eggs and butter.

After taking a bath, Grimmjow was in a much better mood than this morning. After watching Ulquiorra enjoy himself so much, Grimmjow decided he wanted to do something for him. Just…for whatever reason. Grimmjow said, grinning excitedly, "Close your eyes." Ulquiorra tilted his head and Grimmjow sighed. "Just do it."

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and felt Grimmjow take his hand. Grimmjow led him throughs the street and Ulquiorra heard a door close behind him. "Your eyes are closed?" Grimmjow almost sounded nervous. Ulquiorra nodded. He heard Grimmjow push open the doors and chuckle excitedly. "Alright! Open 'em!"

When Ulquiorra opened his eyes he found a room full of books, the shelves reaching high into the ceiling. And they were _all _Shakespeare, every one of them! Ulquiorra looked over at Grimmjow in amazement and Grimmjow said, "Well, you like it?" Ulquiorra had come so close to smiling at that moment it scared him so he hid his joy by immersing himself in books.

Kyoshiro and Blue also spent some time together. Kyoshiro sat in a park, trying to catch some fish for his lunch and Blue frowned. "What are you doing?" she asked, amused as he splashed about in the water. "Trying to catch fish!" he explained, sputtering. Blue cocked her head.

"What? You cannot tell me you've never had fresh fish before!"  
"I have been kept as a pet. I've had all my needs provided for. I have never fished, only hunted." Kyoshiro grinned. "All work and no play? Come on! I'll show you how to fish, house-pet." Blue glared at him but recognized the teasing tone.

Kyoshiro knelt beside the water and Blue attempted to follow his instructions. She really was bad at it however and she kept scaring them away with her eagerness. "Keep low and away from the water…watch me…" Kyoshiro knelt beside the water and waited, making sure his reflection didn't fall upon the glassy surface. And he pounced and caught a large fish. "Easy enough, right? Now you—whoa!" and Blue lunged and fell right in the water! Kyoshiro started to laugh, but in a warm way. "You really are bad…but practice will—oi!" she splashed him and he splashed her back and they both tore through the water, play fighting. Blue hurried out of the water, shaking drops from her fur. "Hey, don't run, Blue!" Kyoshiro called, his hair all over his eyes and a huge smile on his scarred face.

Blue meanwhile was being admired by humans who had "Never seen such a beautiful wolf-dog!" and Blue looked genuinely surprised, "Why aren't they afraid of me?" and Kyoshiro said, "And why are you so surprised, Blue? You are beautiful." and Blue smiled and licked him on the nose before returning her attention to the humans, her tail wagging and her eyes shining with happiness. Kyoshiro blushed and shuffled his paws. And Blue said warmly, very touched, "And _you_ are much nicer than I ever thought you were." And Kyoshiro growled and splashed her.

To top off that day, Ulquiorra felt the urge to repay the favor to Grimmjow. It took him a while but he found a place on the outskirts of town and invited Grimmjow there. They had to walk past huge crowds of people. Ulquiorra lead him to a park that wasn't as crowded. Grimmjow looked over, curious. "Ulquiorra, why—?"

"Just watch." Ulquiorra seemed excited. Grimmjow waited, frowning. And then the sky exploded with light! Grimmjow yelped in shock. Lights of all different colors exploded high above them! "What are they?" Grimmjow exclaimed, grinning. "I was told they are called fireworks. Its New Years so they are setting them off."

Ulquiorra studied Grimmjow's reactions. He watched with wide eyes and a joyful grin on his face, often letting out exclamations of shock and delight as the fireworks exploded into different shapes and colors. It was strange, it felt good to watch him look so joyful and know that he was the one that made him that happy. Ulquiorra felt the corner of his mouth twitch just slightly. "You're welcome." He murmured, watching Grimmjow's happy face, illuminated by the beautiful lights in the sky above them.

* * *

Later that night Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, both as Espada in case robots were to turn up, lay in the grass in a small park. They were both staring up at the sky. The park was deserted except for a homeless man behind them who was adjusting his radio and mumbling nonsense.

Grimmjow took a swig from his bottle of whiskey and Ulquiorra simply stared up at the sky, a contented look on his face. He looked over at Grimmjow and he said, "I have questions for you." and Grimmjow nodded a little vigorously. "Last night. Why did you kiss me?" and Grimmjow glared at him and said angrily, "Well why'd you kiss me back? Oh wait, I mean why did you _make out_ with me?"

"I did not make out with you. And I was humoring you."

Grimmjow snorted. "The hell you were. Your need for me is as subtle as a ninja in broad daylight, Ulquiorra!"

"I don't know why I did it. I just did. And you are as desirable as a toad. Now answer my question." Ulquiorra said, sending him a cold glare. Grimmjow winced. "Ow, cold. I kissed you to test whether or not I was attracted to you in anyway."

Ulquiorra glanced over. "And what was your result?"

Grimmjow said, watching his reaction very closely, "I'm not. I mean who would be?" He saw Ulquiorra blink slightly and Grimmjow swore he saw something sad enter his eyes but within seconds it was gone. Ulquiorra grunted in response and put his hands behind his head, staring at the sky. Grimmjow felt slightly guilty but argued with himself. _But I'm _not_ attracted to him, so there. I didn't lie. I'm not attracted to him._

Grimmjow took another swig of whiskey and swallowed, feeling the liquid burn his throat as it went down. His head was starting to feel strange and he'd drunk enough to know that he should stop there. _Especially when I'm sitting with pretty boy in a desolate park—wait, what? _Grimmjow slapped himself in the face and drank some more. "Anyway," Grimmjow said, "I'm sure you need to possess a heart to be attracted to anyone! Which you do not have, right? Or so you say."

Ulquiorra straightened up and asked him a strange question. "What is a heart? Everyone talks of it. As if it were something one could hold in ones hand and yet I see nothing. Does it exist? Is it something I have?" Grimmjow raised a brow. Ulquiorra was dead serious. "It isn't something I have. So tell me. If I were to tear open your chest, would I find it there? If I were to crack open your skull would I see it?"

Grimmjow scowled and shoved Ulquiorra. "Back off. That's fucking creepy." And Ulquiorra frowned, in thought for a moment. "I figured you were the one person who would know. You're always so full of life. I just thought I would get an answer from you."

"Why the hell are you even asking?" Grimmjow asked.

Ulquiorra was silent for a moment and then he said, "I have…felt things for you. But without a heart, feeling is impossible. It has been confusing me. What I cannot see with my eyes does not exist. So therefore, I must either be feeling sick or you've been messing with me." Grimmjow watched him. "People do have hearts, that's what keeps people alive. Yeah you're a hollow, you've lost yours but in a way I don't think that's true. Otherwise you wouldn't feel…whatever it is that you feel." Ulquiorra still looked troubled. Grimmjow didn't quite know how to help him.

And then he felt Ulquiorra's hand touch his shoulder, shaking him just slightly. "Grimmjow, look." And Grimmjow was alarmed to hear excitement in his voice. Thinking it was one of the robots, Grimmjow sat up and looked around, fully alert. "Look up." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow did. He blinked in surprise.

The clouds were gone and little white, sparkling dots littered the sky above them. They almost looked like snowflakes. "What the hell are they?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra replied, "Stars." And Grimmjow looked over at him sharply. "Hey, aren't those—?"

"They're the things I have been wanting to see since we came down here. And you can see the moon too, see?" Ulquiorra said, pointing up to the full moon. Grimmjow nodded, looking at Ulquiorra to find the stars reflected in his eyes.

A song came on the radio behind them and they both looked over in surprise but turned their gazes back to the stars. It was actually very pretty, the inky black sky and those little twinkling stars and lying there in the grass only made things a little nicer.

Ulquiorra glanced over at him and then his eyes lit up just a little and Grimmjow tilted his head. Ulquiorra took Grimmjow's sword from his sash and Grimmjow eyes widened when Ulquiorra handed it to him. "Well, are you going to take it or not?" and Grimmjow took Pantera from Ulquiorra's hands, a grin lighting up his face.

"I didn't give it to you because I didn't trust you. I was reluctant to give it to you because I thought that, even with your memories gone, you might still remember how to use your sword and possible endanger our mission. I trust you now. I must admit you've surprised me a great deal during our stay here." Grimmjow felt his grin widen and he said, "Thanks." And he slid his sword back into his sash, feeling the sudden urge to use it and slice down trees or whatever he felt like slicing up.

Ulquiorra stared back over the lake in front of them and frowned. One thing he hadn't said was that he was looking forward less and less to the day when Grimmjow did regain his memories. Everything that they had so far would be destroyed and things would go back to they way they were before. The way things were supposed to be.

Grimmjow looked at his sword and then at Ulquiorra. _Long ago, I would have given anything to be able to kill him. It would be easy now. But what would happen to me if I killed him now? I have a feeling that if I killed him, I'd be taking a part of myself along with him. Well, great fucking job, Grimmjow. You can't kill him. You might as well resign yourself to your fate. Give up. You don't even want power anymore, do you? Just admit it, you want him, not power. God, I suck._

Grimmjow grit his teeth tight together and ripped up a handful of grass. He sighed and looked up at him, watching Ulquiorra's hair blow gently in the wind, the moonlight reflecting beautifully in his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair. He almost wanted to laugh at how pathetic he was. But strangely, he was more happy than he was disgusted. In a way, he was furious but at the same time he was happy. It was so strange.

And just to mock himself he said, "Do you dance?" and Ulquiorra looked over and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" the song behind them had changed from some obnoxious pop-song about S&M to something relaxing and calm. "Do you dance?" Grimmjow wanted to laugh. He was so pathetic.

Ulquiorra himself had just opened up his Romeo and Juliet book. "Never. And I think you've drunk too much." And Grimmjow sighed and stood up. "Ulqui, come on." And Ulquiorra glanced up at him, feeling his resolve quiver when he saw the playful grin Grimmjow had been unsuccessful in fighting back.

"I'm kind of into this—fine." Ulquiorra sighed and set his book down and stood up, looking at him like he was a weirdo. Grimmjow was mocking himself, he really was, but for the life of him, he couldn't fight the grin that slipped so easily across his face it scared him. Ulquiorra hesitantly placed his hands on Grimmjow's waist and he jumped when Grimmjow placed his hands on his waist as well.

Grimmjow moved just slightly to the left and Ulquiorra stumbled along. Grimmjow began to move left to right slowly and Ulquiorra copied his movement, their hips connected and their chests touching. They slowly began to move in a circle. Ulquiorra began to relax more and he moved his hips along with Grimmjow's, a little unsure but gaining more confidence.

Grimmjow's hands left Ulquiorra's waist to settle on his elbows, shivering slightly as their bodies moved against each other. The dance was sensual but there was a level of gentleness and affection there that Grimmjow hadn't expected.

They moved closer together, Grimmjow looking down into Ulquiorra's eyes and Ulquiorra looking up into his. Grimmjow couldn't fight the wide smile that graced his face and he saw Ulquiorra's eyes soften. "Just humoring me, huh?" Grimmjow teased, a seductive smirk on his face, his lips brushing Ulquiorra's ear as he spoke. "You little liar."

"Be quiet." Ulquiorra murmured, his tone gentle but still sending a shiver down Grimmjow's spine. He had to admit, Ulquiorra's velvety voice was growing on him. It seemed with Ulquiorra, he really was completely unable to control his feelings. He had done this to mock himself but instead of feeling resentment of any sort, he was starting to melt into Ulquiorra's arms and he was loving every second of it. He could live with this…he really could…

Grimmjow lifted Ulquiorra's chin, leaned down and kissed him as the music swelled behind them, closing his eyes, his arms moving from Ulquiorra's small waist to his shoulders. He felt Ulquiorra slowly respond to the chaste kiss and he felt as if his heart was about to burst with joy. They continued to sway gently to the music, moving in that slow circle, holding each other close.

The homeless man behind them started screaming to someone or other and splashing around in the lake but Grimmjow couldn't care less. He was happy…he was so happy… Standing here holding Ulquiorra made him feel invincible. If being weak and surrendering to his feelings made him feel _this _strong, he could live with it.

They both separated from their kiss, their foreheads touching. Ulquiorra slowly rested his head against Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow buried his face in the crook of Ulquiorra's neck, his cheek resting against Ulquiorra's soft hair, the both of them swaying slowly from side to side.

Yeah, he could live with this just fine…

* * *

Aizen Sousuke ran a hand through his hair and let out a soft sigh. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. Well, he did like it, a little. The fact that neither Espada had returned meant his suspicion that their movements were being watched by the Shinigami was correct. However lacking two powerful members of the Espada left him in a bit of a predicament should they be attacked any day now.

"Gin?" and the smiling man purred, "Yes, Aizen-sama?" and Sousuke said in a calm but cold voice, "Gin, go to the world of the living and find Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. They have both been gone far too long for my liking."

And the smiling man left the room.

* * *

It was late at night and Grimmjow was sitting alone in the woods, staring out over the trees below him. Well, he wasn't really alone but he was sitting farther away from the group.

Weed was eating his fish and Blue and Kyoshiro sat beside him. Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra shuffle over to Blue and ask, "May I sit here?" and Blue nodded eagerly. "Go right ahead!" and Ulquiorra sat beside them. Grimmjow smiled slightly. Ulquiorra was more considerate towards Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed. Grimmjow suspected it was because of how cold he'd been towards them.

Weed said, "I wonder where my father is…" and Kyoshiro looked over and cocked his head, "You're looking for your father?" and Weed nodded eagerly. "I am. My mother said he was in Tokyo." And Kyoshiro looked up sharply. "Wait, you mean he abandoned you?" Weed answered quickly but Grimmjow could hear confusion in his tone. "He…he didn't abandon me. He just…wasn't there I guess. But mother always spoke so fondly of him."

"Yet he wasn't even there when she died?" Kyoshiro asked skeptically and Weed said defensively, "He didn't abandon us. He wouldn't do that. And unless you have proof I won't believe otherwise."

"If your dad wasn't there, you're better off without him. He obviously didn't care enough about you to stay." and Blue glared at Kyoshiro and Weed replied somewhat angrily, "You don't know that, Kyoshiro."

"Yeah I do." Kyoshiro's tone was bitter and Weed said, "I don't know what happened to you to make you think that, but not all parents were like yours." Kyoshiro stiffened and looked towards Weed with some surprise.

"Just try and understand, please. I have to find him." Kyoshiro shrugged and looked at the ground, not noticing Blue and Ulquiorra's curious stares. Ulquiorra said, "We can't be that far away from Tokyo." And Blue nodded her agreement. "We'll continue first thing in the morning, Weed. Don't worry."

Grimmjow stared at Ulquiorra and saw his emerald eyes look towards him. Grimmjow grinned and Ulquiorra hastily looked at the floor, a frown on his face and Grimmjow wondered what he was thinking about. Ulquiorra looked back up at him and held his gaze before he seemed to come to some sort of decision and he stood and walked over to him, his hands in his pockets, back straight as an arrow, coattails drifting gracefully behind him.

Ulquiorra asked. "May I sit with you?" and Grimmjow nodded, curious. Ulquiorra sat beside him and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Grimmjow frowned. "What is it?" he asked.

Ulquiorra said, "Last night you asked me why I kissed you the night before, remember?" Grimmjow nodded. "I thought about the true answer and I'm not sure why I did. My biggest concern is that it might link to the emotion I have heard humans call love." Grimmjow felt a thrill shoot down his stomach.

"And, uh…why is that a concern?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "Because I am incapable of feeling such an emotion. I lack a heart, without the heart, feeling is impossible. Though…to say that…I don't think I would be being honest. Because before you made advances on me I had already felt something for you, even before we became friends I had felt things for you, mostly hatred and some sort of fascination. I admired how freely you could express yourself, which was something I lacked up until we became friends. I don't know how it happened, but I think these feelings somehow are stronger than when we were friends. I think they got stronger."

Grimmjow listened with interest, eager to hear Ulquiorra's take on all this. "I don't know how it happened either. It's a pain in the ass, right?" Grimmjow admitted. "But to honestly say you can't feel anything after all that I've seen from you would be bullshit. I think you _can _feel, Ulquiorra. Your just gonna need some help figuring out certain emotions. And about this whole…heart thing…I think you do have one, maybe have always had one. You just needed someone to care about. So…basically…uh…do you…like me?" Grimmjow asked nervously and he inwardly growled at how nervous he sounded.

Ulquiorra thought about it. "…Yes. I do." Grimmjow felt a wide grin spreading across his face and he thought he saw Ulquiorra's eyes light up just slightly. The chatter behind them had stopped and Grimmjow looked around to find that the dogs were asleep beside the fire. Grimmjow suddenly felt the urge to ask him something, something that he felt was important to hear from Ulquiorra.

"Are you happy, Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra looked into his eyes and was silent for a moment. A sudden realization seemed to occur to him for Grimmjow saw his eyes widen slightly, saw his lips part just a little. Ulquiorra was silent for a full minute and Grimmjow scowled. _Shit. I guess not…oh come on…_Grimmjow was getting nervous! He snapped his fingers in front of Ulquiorra's face and the man blinked once and looked up at Grimmjow's scowling face.

"Oi, are you gonna answer me or not? Are you happy? Shit, I don't even know why it really matters to me…but I just remembered how miserable you were before and I just wanted to know whether or not hanging out with me made you feel any different, now answer my question."

Grimmjow had just about given up on getting an answer from him until Ulquiorra said, "I'm not happy." And Grimmjow felt as if someone had just slapped him across the face. Except it wasn't anger he felt, more like sheer, utter, disappointment.

Ulquiorra said, "From what I have seen, happiness is when one feels no negative emotions and is instead feeling good will towards all…or at least some. But what I have felt is completely different."

"Alright, Ulquiorra I get it." Grimmjow said, not really wanting to hear any more from him. He guessed he really had been there for Ulquiorra to experiment on. "The kind of happiness I have felt is either different or it just exceeds all I have read about or heard about on the subject of 'happiness'. Because whatever happiness I have felt around you is so strong, it almost makes me feel like a completely different person. And the strange things is, I don't regret feeling anything for you. If anything, I relish every emotion I feel when I'm in your presence."

Ulquiorra finished talking and waited for an answer. A look of amusement crossed his eyes and he said, "That pleases you?" and Grimmjow only grinned wider. "Hell yeah." And Ulquiorra said, "Me too." And he stood and said, "Goodnight then." And Grimmjow nodded, smiling wider when he noticed how gentle Ulquiorra's gaze was.

Ulquiorra left to go sleep by the others and Grimmjow lay there by himself, staring up at the stars, feeling possibly happier than Ulquiorra had described himself to be.

He seriously couldn't believe that somehow, Ulquiorra had changed so much, going from a cold-hearted, emotionless rat to a gentle almost unsure and ever curious man. It was so strange…

And then Grimmjow heard it from deep within in the trees, something that sounded almost like a loud _whoosh _and then the soft sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crackling. Grimmjow drew his sword and prepared to attack only to find a smiling face staring at him. "Gin." Grimmjow said in unpleasant surprise.

Gin Ichimaru, Aizen's right hand man, was standing before him, his eyes closed and a wide eerie smile stretching across his face. Grimmjow didn't like this man at all. There was something about him that was completely impossible to trust. Just looking at him set Grimmjow's nerves on end.

"Oh there you are! No need to look so scary, Grimmy. I was just lookin' for you and Ulqui-chan. Now, what are you two doin' all the way out here? Aizen-sama's been worried about'cha."

Grimmjow said coldly, "Like hell he has. Why'd he send you after us? We were doing fine on our own."

Gin however had turned his attention to the people behind Grimmjow who were asleep. "All five of you?" he asked and Grimmjow said impatiently, "Yes! Now piss off!"

"Aw, Grimmy…I didn't know you had it in ya."

"What?" Grimmjow snapped, not liking where this was going.

Gin began walking further into the trees and Grimmjow hesitantly followed. "Has Grimmy had a change of heart, being stuck down here for so long?"

"No!" Grimmjow said angrily.

"It looks like you'll have a lot to tell Aizen-sama when you return, Grimmy-chan. Follow me, we're headin' back." And the smiling man opened the Garganta and began to walk through it.

Grimmjow froze and hesitated, looking over his shoulder. He couldn't just leave the dogs behind. Those robots were still hunting them, by themselves they wouldn't stand a chance. Gin frowned and turned and began walking towards him. Grimmjow felt Gin stop right behind him and say softly, "Aizen-sama will love to hear this, Grimmy. Particularly the bit where you came to care for little Ulqui-chan over there. Yes, I heard ya. I heard every word. He'll love t' hear about how soft ya both have gone. Maybe he'll even have someone replace you both, or he'll have you both killed. Imagine that, Grimmy."

Grimmjow whipped around and prepared to smite him but Gin was already a few feet away, still smiling, those eyes closed. Grimmjow felt his anger rise and he said, "You little—! You keep your mouth shut, it isn't anything like that!"

"Oh, but don't you think Aizen-sama should know, Grimmy-chan? That you turned his best soldier and yourself into a weakling. I think he should, don't you agree? Yes…" he purred. "That would be something to tell him. Why don't you tell him yourself, Grimmy-chan? Tell him about how you've lowered poor Ulqui to the levels of a weak little human. But don't leave out the best part! The part where you came to care for the very man you despised. That really is beautiful ain't it, Grimmy-chan?"

And Grimmjow shot forward and seized his throat, the man didn't even bother jumping away even though he could, he just wanted to enjoy himself like the little fuck he was. Grimmjow didn't care, having Gin willingly get his ass kicked was just fine by him!

"Listen up you piece of shit! I don't care about Ulquiorra! It's all an act, its always been an act so don't you dare misunderstand my intentions! Everything was faked! I faked a head injury so I could slowly lower his guard, I faked being his friend, I faked every single little stupidword I said to him! I got sick of trying to kill him with my sword so I decided I'd become his 'friend' and his weakness, I'd put up with whatever mushy _bullshit_ he wanted, I'd pretend to sympathize with him and listen to all his woe-is-me shit in order to defeat him. He's not my friend, I'm _using_ him! And when I've had my fun, I'll fucking kill him! Got it?" and Gin nodded, still smiling that stupid infuriating smile.

Grimmjow waited, listening for Gin's response. _If he doesn't agree to keep his mouth shut, I'll kill him right here. He's not running off to Aizen and getting Ulquiorra in trouble. _I'll_ take Aizen's punishment, as long as he leaves Ulquiorra out of this, I'll be fine._

And then Gin chuckled and said, "That's all nice n' good, Grimmy-chan, but how are ya gonna keep it from lil' Ulqui-chan over there?" and Grimmjow felt something in his blood run cold and he released Gin and turned to look behind him. His heart sank.

Ulquiorra was standing behind them both, his eyes wide and an expression of complete shock on his face. Grimmjow suddenly couldn't speak, his heart racing in his chest.

Ulquiorra said, "Leave." And Gin smiled, opened a Garganta, and disappeared through it, leaving them both alone. Ulquiorra looked right at him, his eyes searching Grimmjow's. Grimmjow said, "Ulquiorra, I—I swear, I was…"

Ulquiorra said, "It isn't true, is it? You were saying that to him to keep your dignity, weren't you?" Grimmjow's mouth refused to move and he could see the desperation in Ulquiorra's eyes. "Grimmjow?"

He was silent and finally Ulquiorra said, his tone trying and failing to sound strong, "Its true, isn't it?" Grimmjow wanted to deny it, he wanted to deny it more than anything. "…Its—its true, every word." But he couldn't lie to Ulquiorra anymore.

He saw those eyes widen and he saw a look of deep shock cross Ulquiorra's face. "But, Ulquiorra, that's not it. I want you to listen to me." Ulquiorra stepped backwards, staring from Grimmjow to the floor, his breathing getting heavier. And then he said, "Listen to you? Isn't that what I have been doing all this time? And look where that got me!" Ulquiorra's voice was now angered and Grimmjow felt a jolt go through his stomach as Ulquiorra's voice rose.

And then he was hanging off the ground, his feet dangling inches from the snow-covered ground. His wind-pipe was being constricted and he could barely breath. Ulquiorra's hand tightened around his neck and Grimmjow attempted to speak, "I…I changed, I don't think that way a-anymore…Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra didn't hear him, Grimmjow's words were ringing through his head and with the words came images and feelings, memories of every single moment in Grimmjow's presence, every feeling Grimmjow had made him feel, every precious thought Ulquiorra had had for him. All for a lie. Ulquiorra felt something pressing hard against his throat, felt something stinging at his eyes.

"Ulquiorra…just…listen to me!" Grimmjow gasped and Ulquiorra slammed him into the tree behind him and Grimmjow only barely bit back the yell of pain as Ulquiorra spat, "No, I won't listen to you. You used me, every single moment we were together you used me. And I went along with it like the _fool _that I am!"

Grimmjow felt his chest tighten and he suddenly couldn't bear to look at him, he couldn't bear to see the pain, humiliation, disbelief and disappointment—at himself and at Grimmjow— in those eyes, in that voice, in his face. He had no words to say. Because Ulquiorra was right. Ulquiorra had no reason to listen to him or trust a word he said.

And just when he thought he was going to pass out from lack of air, he was thrown to the floor, gasping and coughing. And he stood anyway, trying to speak through gasps, trying to make Ulquiorra understand. "Ulq—Ulquiorra…listen to me for just one second!"

And what Ulquiorra said next completely silenced him. "I trusted you." and Grimmjow felt himself freeze in place at the sound of his voice. It was broken, almost overcome by pain. "I trusted you, Grimmjow."

And Ulquiorra was walking slowly away from him. Grimmjow wanted to call him back, he wanted to make Ulquiorra listen to him, he wanted to force him to stay… but he didn't. And even then he still reached out a hand as Ulquiorra passed just out of his reach.

Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra glance over his shoulder at him just seconds before he left the clearing. Grimmjow slumped over, his face in his hand and his knees shaking, spots still popping before his eyes as his breath slowly returned to him. His knees finally gave out beneath him and he lay there in the snow, shivering.

It was so strange. In the beginning he would have given anything to see Ulquiorra suffer at his hands and now…now he wanted nothing more than to rewind everything and never follow Gin into the forest, he would have given _anything _at that moment to just go back and take everything he had said back.

And Ulquiorra was right. He had used everyone in the group, he had used everyone of the dogs for directions and treated them like shit in return and he had built Ulquiorra up only to destroy him.

He really could have nothing without destroying it in the end. It had been that way with his Fraccion back in Heuco Mundo and it had been that way with Ulquiorra. And destruction was in his nature. How could he ever have expected things to last? Lies never lasted. Not even the best ones.

And before he knew it, he had passed out.

* * *

Grimmjow hadn't acknowledged that he'd fallen asleep until he was opening his eyes. It was dawn now, rays of sunlight were breaking out between the clouds. Grimmjow groaned and turned over onto his back, running a hand through his hair which had clumps of snow in it.

His face felt numb and his whole body was freezing from lying in the snow for so long. And then he suddenly noticed that the ground was shaking and he frowned. "What…?" and then, behind him, the trees were blasted apart!

Grimmjow flung himself to his feet only to be smacked aside as a giant, white, robot appeared in front of him, towering above the trees. Grimmjow fired a cero at him and the robot's arm blocked most of the attack but the cero almost destroyed his arm.

His arm opened and fired a spray of bullets at Grimmjow and Grimmjow tore away from him, leaping behind a tree. Grimmjow cut the tree down and this delayed him. Grimmjow turned and began to run back to the clearing, yelling, "Wake up!" but the dogs were already getting to their paws and sprinting away.

"Finally they found us! I was getting worried!" Kyoshiro called grinning. And then more robots emerged from the trees, firing at them. Blue ripped a large branch from a tree in her wolf form and flung it into the robot's head, damaging its vision and almost destroying its brain. Grimmjow fired ceros into the oncoming mob of robots and half of them blew up. Grimmjow grinned wickedly and leapt at one of them, drawing his sword and laughing as he impaled a robot's head and ripped another's gun from its body.

Damn it felt good to use his sword again! Now he finally had a way to vent his frustration! Grimmjow slammed his foot into a robot as it ran by and sent it tumbling down the mountain, exploding as it hit the ground. Grimmjow leapt off one of the robots and sank his sword through its metal head and the robot's whole body froze. "Go for the heads!" Grimmjow called and he had to leapt off the robot as two other machines started shooting madly at him.

Weed ran by a robot and stopped in between two robots. Both machines fired at him and Weed jumped away at the last second, causing the robots to shoot each other and Grimmjow ran by and gave them a finishing blow just to confirm the kill.

Kyoshiro seized a branch from a tree and sank it into a robot's gun and the robot began speeding after him. Kyoshiro made a very fast turn and the robot crashed into a tree, knocking it over onto a robot coming at Blue. Blue leapt over the tree and landed beside Grimmjow who fired a cero over her head at a few other robots behind her.

Grimmjow landed atop a robot and slammed his fist into his head and its gun began rotating, trying to reach him. Grimmjow ripped its head from its body and reached inside and ripped its 'brain' from its body and the machine toppled over and Grimmjow flew off to destroy more.

Blue was running through the trees when a metal man leapt out at her and slammed his foot into her stomach and sent her flying back. Blue leapt up and slammed her foot into his chest and he did a back flip over her head and landed behind her and made to seize her head to break her neck.

Blue turned around and kicked him in the side, sending him crashing down the hill and right into Kyoshiro who shrieked and bit into his metal neck, lifted him from the ground and threw him at Grimmjow who sliced him in half. "Ha! Too easy!" Grimmjow yelled grinning viciously.

Weed was running up the hill behind them, running between trees to dodge bullets. He gasped when he saw the robots forming a circle around him! And then he had an idea. Weed began to run around in circles and the robots on all sides began to shoot at him, their bullets piercing the shells of their comrades rather than him. He felt a bullet narrowly miss his leg and he yelped and as soon as one of the robots exploded, he ran through the smoke and left the robots to shoot each other.

Kyoshiro grabbed Weed's scruff as Weed emerged from the trees and he called, "Stay together!" as the giant robot behind them began to shoot at them. Grimmjow shot down more trees but called, "This shit isn't gonna slow him down! Stop running and fight!"

"In case you haven't noticed, we're just dogs and he's a giant—thing!" Kyoshiro yelled. "Where's Ulquiorra?" Kyoshiro suddenly asked and Grimmjow's cero missed the giant robot. Blue gasped and looked around. "Did he even leave our sleeping place?"

And then it shot towards them and Kyoshiro was thrown aside into a tree and Blue was nearly thrown over the edge as it threw both of them aside. And then as Grimmjow and Kyoshiro ran towards it, it shot darts from its other arm as they were inches from it! "Shit, move!" Grimmjow yelped, kicking Kyoshiro out of the way and flying towards the ground.

The darts exploded as they hit the ground and Weed was blasted off his paws and landed just inches away from its leg. He lunged up and bit one of the wires protruding from its body and the machine stopped firing the darts at his friends and instead began shooting at him. Weed was blasted off his feet and crashed through the snow, bleeding.

Before the robot could round on Weed, Blue took her wolf form and ran up its metal body, attempting to get to his head, and then something strange happened. Just as she passed over his chest area, the machine smacked her aside with sudden urgency. Blue was caught by Grimmjow and he flew into the trees, Weed and Kyoshiro behind him.

"That's funny." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro and Blue glared at him and Grimmjow said, "The funny thing is, you're just a little dog and he didn't even want you getting near his chest, did you see him? He freaked the hell out! I don't think his brain's in his head, I think whatever powers him is in his chest."

"Someone must have really liked him then." Weed said, licking his cuts and listening to the giant robot searching the trees on the other side of them. Grimmjow shrugged and ran from the trees and lunged at the robot's exposed back and stabbed at its back but couldn't quite make his sword pierce the metal. He focused all his reiatsu into his blade and even _then _his sword still took its time slicing the machine's armor.

"Damn it! His armor is too fucking thick! There's definitely something in there alright!" and the robot's head turned all the way around and Blue yelled, "Grimmjow, watch it!" and Grimmjow looked up in time to see what looked like a cross hair in its eye tighten. "Shit."

And the machine gun implanted in the middle of its forehead began firing at him! And Grimmjow took off and the ground was peppered with holes. Grimmjow focused every ounce of reiatsu into his sword once again and brought it crashing down on the robot's arm just as the robot realized that it had left itself wide open.

Grimmjow sliced its arm from its body and its arm fell to the floor with a crash. Now all he had to worry about were the darts from his one remaining arm and the bullets from its forehead. Grimmjow moved onto the next arm but only just barely missed being skewered by the darts. He needed some sort of distraction…

Kyoshiro yelled, "Oi, down here you hunk of shit!" and the robot's head swiveled in his direction. "Run, run, run!" Kyoshiro called joyfully as the robot began tearing after them. Blue and Weed and Kyoshiro weaved in and out of his range of bullets while Grimmjow attempted to sever his arm.

Grimmjow flew towards his arm and fired a point blank cero into his arm. The robot's arm smacked him back and the Espada flew into the trees, knocking some over.

The robot lifted his foot above Grimmjow and was about to crush him. Grimmjow seized the robot's giant foot as it was inches from him and slowly began pushing it back. Grimmjow fired two blasts from both his hands and the robot's foot exploded!

Grimmjow rolled out from underneath him and the robot crashed the floor and slid down the mountain! Kyoshiro yelled at the others to move as the robot slid right over the edge of the cliff and crashed through the frozen river beneath them. Grimmjow whooped loudly. "Yeah! I got him!" And then Weed yelled out as a massive hand reappeared on the Cliffside and began to push its owner up.

Grimmjow flew forward and landed on his head and sank his sword into the back of his head and fired two ceros into his head, blasting a hole in the back of his head and all the way through, causing the gun to break.

The entire robot froze for a moment and Grimmjow thought, _NOW! _and Grimmjow stabbed hard into the robot's chest and Grimmjow fired a pointblank cero into his weakened armor, melting it away to reveal the inside of its body, wires, buttons, everything. "Which one shuts him off?" Kyoshiro yelled from the ground. Grimmjow didn't have time to look for a button because an idea suddenly accord to him. And he yelled, "Oi! Down here you jackass!" and the robot swung his arm towards Grimmjow.

And as the darts exploded from his arm, Grimmjow dropped down to the ground and watched as the robot's darts pierced his own body. The robot's chest exploded and the armored giant fell to the floor, his body crackling and shaking.

And then a deep, low, voice said, "You disgusting little rats…to think I've allowed myself to be out-smarted and defeated by you…my master…would have been so disappointed…however…I owe you my thanks…" Kyoshiro and the others kept their distance but they listened to the deep voice of the robot in front of them.

"I have been alive for generations, passed down from the rulers of the Kurogane family to their children and then their children, again and again. All for the same purpose. As the Kurogane family slowly went extinct and the castle fell into ruins I remained, unable to die. And then my master died towards the beginning of this year and I was left with no one to rule over me, so I was content to continue to keep the Kurogane residence a secret as I had done for centuries, which is why I hunted you. And now, I shall die while you little pathetic humans go and let the world know of my master's location. He promised me we would rule the world together, just as I promised I would let no filth trespass through his castle…one broken promise for another…curse you, you wretched filth."

And his voice stopped. Silence fell and Kyoshiro said, "Well if his minions hadn't dragged us _into_ his castle, this wouldn't have happened. He shouldn't talk like his master was noble! Because he wasn't!" Kyoshiro sounded deeply angry and Grimmjow leaned against a tree. "What's eating you?" he asked.

Kyoshiro was silent for a moment and Blue said gently, "If you want, you can talk to us about it." Kyoshiro looked at the floor and said, "I wasn't always alone before I met you guys. I had friends, many of them. There's many types of injustice I despise but above all is child abuse. So I took it upon myself to help abused puppies, I raised them like they were my own and eventually I had an army of sorts, but we didn't start wars instead we went around helping, taking in and caring for abused puppies, we all had the same thing in common so we were able to support each other and sympathize with one another. Each one of them was special to me, and they all looked up to me like I was their hero. And you know what's sad? The fact that their _hero_ couldn't help them the day Kurogane found us. I never found out why, but he let his machines roam free in the mountains. Maybe he figured that someone would notice so many dogs hanging around Shiga and eventually, through us, he would be discovered. But his machines found us and one by one, all of my friends were killed. Right in front of me. I was alone for so long up here so when people, you guys, finally did find me, I wanted nothing to do with you. But I couldn't resist helping you guys out, just for old times sake…"

Kyoshiro's voice trailed away and he rubbed at his nose with a paw and said, "So…thanks for not giving up on me and dumping me…I mean it." Grimmjow shrugged and Weed smiled and said, "You're really noble Kyoshiro, for doing all that." And Kyoshiro shook his head. Blue was smiling at Kyoshiro. "I was wrong about you, you aren't as beastly as I thought you were." Kyoshiro grinned at her.

Grimmjow had nothing to say but he did know he could relate with Kyoshiro's feelings about losing comrades. He shook the thought from his head and felt all the adrenaline in his system leave him as he remembered the fifth member of their group wasn't here because of him.

"Well, some help Ulquiorra was…though I'd imagine none of us were much help either. Let's face it, Grimmjow did most of the work." Kyoshiro grumbled but with a good natured smile. "Nah, you guys were alright for a bunch of dogs. I mean what else were you supposed to do except distract him?" Grimmjow said unenthusiastically, seating himself on a rock. "Where is Ulquiorra?" Weed asked worriedly.

Grimmjow suddenly felt a spike of worry. What if Ulquiorra had run into the machines? He closed his eyes. He couldn't feel Ulquiorra's reiatsu. Feeling uneasy, Grimmjow stood and hurried back to the place where they'd spent the night. There the five of them searched the clearing for a good few minutes. Just when Grimmjow was considering that maybe something awful had happened to him, Weed called, "Hey, I found something!" and Grimmjow raced to him.

Weed had found footprints amongst the tracks of the robots. The footprints went quite a long way, they led them from the trees to a road. "He's leading us somewhere…where did he go?" Blue murmured. Grimmjow sighed. Blue looked around at him. "Did you two argue?" she asked. Grimmjow shook his head. Ulquiorra's reiatsu was no longer here. He must have gone back to Heuco Mundo.

Grimmjow crossed over to a large boulder and leaned against it, his chin in his hand. _Get over it, don't get so depressed over your own mistake. You should have seen it coming. You were stupid not to and now you and Ulquiorra can both pay the price…_these thoughts didn't make him feel any better and he put his face in his hand.

He felt something pawing his leg and he looked down at Weed. "Grimmjow, what's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Grimmjow didn't answer and instead stared out into the distance.

He kept expecting Ulquiorra to appear at any minute and speak to him, either telling him to stop looking so pathetic or that they should keep going. And still, with every passing second, his desire to take back every word he had said to Gin only got stronger. And as those feelings got stronger so did his guilt.

"Talking about it won't make a difference."

He could still see Ulquiorra's shocked face in his mind. It wouldn't leave him alone. _Why'd you have to look at me like that? _

He could still feel Ulquiorra's hand on his throat and suddenly it felt hard to swallow.

"I lied to him. I lied to all of you. The head injury was fake, all of it. I faked it so I could pretend to be Ulquiorra's friend and therefore he would grow attached to me. That way it would be possible for me to kill him and he wouldn't fight back. And now that I look at it, that's possibly the most pathetic thing I have ever done. He found out and…" Grimmjow's voice trailed away and he felt guilt rising in him but with that guilt came some sort of realization.

"But…but it couldn't have been a lie! I felt something for him, and I _know_ he felt it too otherwise he wouldn't have reacted the way he did when he found out! If it was a lie I wouldn't be as stressed out as I am over it!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Weed nodded, seemingly thinking about something. "Blue and Kyoshiro I don't think even knew you were lying about your head injury."

Kyoshiro shook his head. "I had no idea. I just saw two people coming to tolerate each other and overcoming each others differences. I didn't know you were lying." Blue said, "Same here. You could tell from a mile away that you felt something for him, either that or you really, really got into that lie and if that were the case, you wouldn't be so upset about it."

Though he did feel more hopeful than before, Grimmjow still felt a sense of despair sweeping over him. "He's never going to listen to me. He was born into this world thinking his very existence was pointless and just as he finally finds someone whom he thinks gives a shit about him, he gets stabbed in the back. Even if I apologized fifty times it wouldn't make a difference to him."

"So that's a start then right? You changed your mind about him. And you obviously feel sorry about lying to him and lying to us—well, me…I forgive you. I think the fact that you can admit to yourself that your feeling guilty is a good start." Weed said optimistically.

Grimmjow looked up and raised a brow. "Are you serious? You aren't even pissed at me for lying to you?" and Weed said, "I am a bit surprised, but I think the fact that you can feel regret about this is a good sign for you. That just shows you're a good per—!"

"Okay, shut up." Grimmjow said, stopping Weed from saying anything else on the matter. _Now that I think about it, there's nothing stopping me from going to him except my own doubts and…fears. But what am I afraid of? I'm the Sexta Espada, not some little cowardly weakling! The longer I sit here sulking, the farther away we're gonna get. If he won't listen, I'll _make_ him listen! If he's going to walk out on me, he's going to do it after he's heard me out!_

Grimmjow snapped his fingers, opening up a Garganta. "I'm going to get him! Don't wait for me!" and Kyoshiro barked, "Why?" even though he knew the answer. He just wanted to hear Grimmjow say it. Grimmjow yelled, "Because I care about him, that's why!" and he took off through the Garganta, leaving his friends to stare after him.

Grimmjow flew through the halls of Las Noches, his eyes narrowed. He closed his eyes and felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu near by and excitement flared inside him!

_I seriously considered _not_ going after him? Because of what—because I'm afraid? I am _not_ letting the best thing that has ever happened to me walk out on me! Something happened to me, either I changed or he changed me. I was wrong about him, completely, fucking wrong about him. I finally saw something from him, something beautiful and I'll be damned before I let him leave. _

Grimmjow kicked open a door and tore up the stairs towards the corridor where Ulquiorra's room was. He flung open that door and ran up the corridor.

_He's not dead inside!_

Grimmjow pounded on the door, his heart racing. "Ulquiorra!" he knocked again. Nothing. He flung open the door and found it was empty. "Shit." And then he closed his eyes, searching for the slightest trace of Ulquiorra's reiatsu. He was heading towards the throne room!

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra was following Gin up the corridor towards the throne room. He closed his eyes, a soft sigh escaping him. _Get over it. I should never have trusted him so easily. What else was I expecting from him? I'm a fool. But…_

For the life of him he couldn't erase those memories from his head, memories of his time with Grimmjow, mere flickers of emotions he had felt for him came along with those memories and he closed his eyes.

He wasn't the same person he had been before. He could not simply brush these emotions away or the memories that came with them. The pain he felt from Grimmjow's betrayal wouldn't leave him. He was weak. Grimmjow had weakened him to the level of a mere human. But at the same time, he had made Ulquiorra feel so much stronger. He had made Ulquiorra feel for the first time in his life.

Ulquiorra stopped before the throne room door and forced his cold expression back onto his face. _It's over. Thinking about it anymore is meaningless. Forget about him. Forget about Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. Face it. It was never meant to last anyway. It will go away over time. _

And Ulquiorra flung open the doors and walked slowly through them. Aizen smiled coldly down at him and Ulquiorra bowed once before straightening up to stare at his Master.

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama."

He would go back to being the very person Grimmjow had despised. The very person he himself despised.

Silence fell and Ulquiorra forced his thoughts away from Grimmjow and onto the reason he was here. "How was the mission, Ulquiorra? You and Grimmjow both took an awfully long time. I was beginning to worry." That was a lie.

"I'm afraid we never did get to Tokyo. The Shinigami caught onto us and we were sent a few miles away from Tokyo. We would have got there if we hadn't gone in the wrong direction. In the end however, I stumbled upon it shortly before returning." Ulquiorra explained. "I apologize deeply for failing you. If you want I could go back."

"No, it is quite alright. My one question is, if you did indeed stumble upon Tokyo in the end, why not go in and monitor Ichigo Kurosaki's growth in power? And why come back without Grimmjow in tow?" Ulquiorra frowned. He didn't like where this was going and he didn't like Aizen pointing out that he had done something stupid.

"Grimmjow..." Ulquiorra couldn't say Grimmjow didn't want to come because then he would be in trouble with Aizen…but why should he care if Grimmjow got in trouble? Grimmjow didn't deserve any of his thoughts.

"Is something wrong, Ulquiorra? You can tell me." Aizen said. Ulquiorra knew Aizen wasn't giving him a choice, despite that it sounded like he was. It was a subtle order. "Ulquiorra. Tell me." Ulquiorra knew he had to. He could only imagine the trouble he would be in after explaining all that had went on in the human world. So, very reluctantly, he said,

"While we were down there Grimmjow and I met up with a dog who offered to guide us to the next town. There we met a woman, no, another dog, but a female. She led us to yet another dog who claimed to know Japan like the back of his hand. He guided us towards Tokyo and Grimmjow and I…became friends through traveling together. I became used to the dog's company as well as Grimmjow's. Dogs have this strange way of bonding, it almost seems to happen naturally so before I had noticed it I had became…rather used to their presence to say the least. Though to say that they were 100% dog would be strange because they were more human like than anything else, especially emotion-wise. I know it sounds pathetic, but that was what happened. Something happened between Grimmjow and I. Something strange, I hadn't even noticed it had happened until I realized my feelings for him had changed. And later…"

Ulquiorra hadn't meant to pause but suddenly he found it difficult to speak. He forced his gaze back on Aizen and said, "…I found out that he had been using me as a means to get closer to me and, eventually, kill me."

Aizen faked surprise. "Is that so? I'm sorry to hear that." His voice was stone cold. He stood from his throne and before Ulquiorra could move, Aizen was in front of him, his hand slid up Ulquiorra's chest to rest against his cheek.

Grimmjow raised a fist to open the door and stopped when he realized the door was ajar. He peered through and felt his blood run cold when he saw how close Aizen was to Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra…after being alone for so long, don't you think you would have noticed? Or at least have come to accept it? No one wants you."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed.

_Shadow like figures, all of them huddled around a mangled hollow's body, turned towards him. Ulquiorra stared at them and they began to murmur amongst themselves. They spoke aloud, jeering at his form and how different it was, how repulsive he looked, stark white compared to their shade of pitch black. They taunted him, stripping away everything he had once thought about himself until the only part of him that hadn't been taunted and violated and ruined by words were his eyes. His eyes were the only things he had. _

"Did you really think, Ulquiorra, that he could love you? That any of them could? You are too different. I thought you had learned that by now. You are too different, emotionally and physically to exist amongst them. And even after all this time, the only person who you thought really loved you, was lying to you. What does that tell you?"

Ulquiorra's hands clenched at his side.

_He killed them all. He showed them. His hands coated in blood, he walked. He walked and he walked and he walked. Unable to hear anything, feel anything, taste anything. He could only see. If he was lonely he couldn't feel it. All of his senses were muted. It was the way things had always been. _

If everyone was as miserable as he was, then he could be happy. And it was only after meeting Grimmjow that he truly realized just how sad an existence that was. He didn't want to feel void anymore. He wanted to feel. He had lived that way for so long however, that he didn't know just how much he wanted to feel until Grimmjow came into his life and changed everything. He had wanted to feel Grimmjow's passion, his anger, his joy. He had wanted to feel that rare show of genuine affection he had shown to Ulquiorra.

And just when he thought someone had finally understood what he was going through, it turned out to be nothing more than a lie.

Ulquiorra hung his head, letting Aizen's words wash over him. He felt Aizen's hand stroke his cheek, running his thumb across the fake tear tracks on his cheek. The same way Grimmjow had. "They'd push you away. You are an Espada, born to destroy, to kill. Do you honestly think you could ever belong with them? I am the only one who understands you. _I_ care about you, Ulquiorra. And if I care about you, then shouldn't that be enough?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes tightly.

"Do you understand me?"

Ulquiorra couldn't speak, his throat felt tight. Aizen repeated this coldly, demanding Ulquiorra to answer him. "Do you understand me?"

And Grimmjow had had _enough_. He leapt out from behind the door and fired a cero right at Aizen's head! "Shut up!" he yelled and Aizen turned his head to the side just seconds before Grimmjow's cero hit the wall behind him. Grimmjow didn't even care that he had missed!

"Shut the hell up you stupid cunt!" Grimmjow roared and he saw Ulquiorra turn around, eyes wide in shock. Aizen's eyes narrowed. "You don't know a god damn thing about what went on down there so just shut your fucking mouth and don't talk about things you don't understand! And you! Get over here!" and Grimmjow seized Ulquiorra by the wrist and dragged him from the room.

He was furious, he was _fucking_ furious! The nerve of that man to stand there and force his shitty words down Ulquiorra's throat and claim that he was Ulquiorra's friend! And Ulquiorra just standing there and taking it! It was bullshit! Grimmjow snapped his fingers furiously and a Garganta opened and Grimmjow dragged Ulquiorra through it.

Aizen simply stood there and then a deep scowl appeared on his face. That was that. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra could never step foot in Las Noches again. They were both useless to him now. And, smiling to himself, he returned to his throne.

* * *

Grimmjow hurled Ulquiorra into a tree and roared, "You are the biggest, fucking _idiot_ I have ever met!" and Ulquiorra said coldly, "Do you think I need to hear that from _you_? I figured that out myself. You've ruined us both. We can never go back to Heuco Mundo unless we want to be killed."

"Good! I don't want to go back to that shit-hole anyway!" Grimmjow spat. "And if you didn't want me to ruin us, _you_ shouldn't have ditched us all and run away like a damn coward!"

"Why do you even care? Why are you here anyway? I don't need to be reminded of my idiocy any longer."

Grimmjow seized him by the arm and said, "Just shut up and listen to me, alright? Hear me out before you walk out on me without understanding everything!" and Ulquiorra said, "There's nothing I want to hear from you. I want nothing to do with you, as do you, me. You proved that last night." Grimmjow felt some of his anger subside when he heard the bitterness in Ulquiorra's voice. But his desperation was still there. He took hold of Ulquiorra's sleeve, not hard, but enough to hold him in place.

"Yeah, yeah there is something you want to hear from me! But you have to listen to me, alright? You don't have to take me back, you don't even have to believe me, but just listen! Yes, I did lie to you! Yes, I did use you! All that's true. I thought I completely knew what I was doing and I thought I had predicted everything but after we destroyed Kurogane's robots, escaped his mansion, and escaped that rabid bear, I realized that this respect for your abilities was surfacing. And as I saw different sides of you, sides that I thought didn't—no, _couldn't_— exist, I was completely sucked in from there and I wanted to see more from you. I don't know how the hell it happened, but I didn't have _any _control over being your friend and I had absolutely _no_ fucking control over—over what happened between us from there! It wasn't about killing you anymore, I actually started to realize that I _couldn't_ kill you even if I wanted to. Everything I felt for you was real, Ulquiorra!"

Ulquiorra seemed to consider this for a moment, his eyes were searching Grimmjow's almost desperately. Grimmjow stared back and swore he saw some hope in those eyes. That hope, along with Grimmjow's, was gone in seconds as he said coldly, "Prove it. You aren't supposed to be saying this to me. You're supposed to hate me, just as I am supposed to hate you. You're supposed to hate me."

And Grimmjow couldn't take it. He seized Ulquiorra by the front of his jacket, pulling him right up in front of him as he yelled, "I CAN'T!" but there was no anger in his voice. Only the honest truth. He saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen and he knew how pathetic he must have looked. And he didn't care.

He watched Ulquiorra's eyes and saw the look of surprise vanish to be replaced by that same hard, cold, look. And Grimmjow felt despair welling up inside of him. And for all his talk about how he only wanted Ulquiorra to hear him out, for all his _stupid_ talk about how he didn't care if Ulquiorra took him back as long as he listened to him, Grimmjow knew it was about as true as all his other lies.

He didn't want Ulquiorra to believe him, he _needed_ Ulquiorra to believe him. He needed Ulquiorra to believe him because he couldn't imagine being without him. The thought took away every ounce of his confidence and pride and terrified him. The idea made him feel small and insignificant and vulnerable. As long as Ulquiorra believed him and as long as there was no bitterness between them, then Ulquiorra could go as far away from him as he liked and Grimmjow wouldn't stop him even if he wanted to.

And it was useless. He had destroyed any chance of happiness for either of them. He didn't deserve to beg or ask anything of Ulquiorra now. His hands slid up to take hold of Ulquiorra's shoulders and he laughed bitterly

"I can't…" his voice was a whisper. "I can't hate you anymore—I can't hurt you anymore, Ulquiorra. I can't. I can't do it, so if that's what you want from me, you can forget it!" he didn't sound angry now, he just sounded as remorseful and as vulnerable as he felt. "I lied to you. I lied to you and I'm sorry, I'm more sorry than you'll ever know. But the truth, the honest_ damn_ truth of this whole thing is I care about you, Ulquiorra. I care more than I am _ever_ going to be able to admit and I don't want to be without you! And the truth is that if you were to leave me now, I don't know what the hell I would do. You've always claimed that what you can't see doesn't exist, so _look_ at me! Look in my face and if you can't believe it, then see it!" he pleaded.

He saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen, he could see the surprise, pain and fear in his eyes. Silence fell between them and Grimmjow shied away from Ulquiorra's gaze, hanging his head, his shaking hands slightly loosening their tight hold on Ulquiorra's shoulders.

He could still feel Ulquiorra's eyes on him, could practically hear the cogs in his brain whirring but could predict no answer as to what his conclusion would be.

And Ulquiorra said, "Let go of me." And Grimmjow looked up, eyes wide. "Ulquiorra, no…" and Ulquiorra repeated sternly, "Let go of me." And Grimmjow felt his heart sink. "Fine." Ulquiorra said and he seized both of Grimmjow's hands, forced them from his shoulders, leaned forward and kissed him.

Grimmjow forgot how to breath for a moment and he was afraid for a split second that Ulquiorra was just messing with him until he felt the man shaking against him. Grimmjow didn't move, he was too shocked, almost unwilling to get his hopes up. Ulquiorra moved away from him just for a second and then moved back in for another gentle kiss, his hand sliding up to cup the unmasked side of Grimmjow's cheek.

"What's wrong?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow jumped at the sound of his voice. "Was I too forward? Or was I wrong in assuming that this was the type of answer you were looking for?"

And then Grimmjow understood what Ulquiorra meant. For a moment he completely froze, shocked to the core. Ulquiorra frowned. "Is something wrong?" and Grimmjow looked up at him, looked him right in the eyes just to confirm it. Ulquiorra's gaze was concerned and almost gentle, the coldness in them was gone.

Grimmjow laughed softly, a wide smile slowly breaking across his face. He moved in slowly and glanced down at Ulquiorra, as if asking for permission which Ulquiorra granted with a soft, feather-light kiss that sent a thrill through Grimmjow's stomach.

Grimmjow, in his joy, responded gently to the kiss and he felt Ulquiorra's arms slide up his shoulders to wrap around his neck, pulling them closer. Encouraged by Ulquiorra's sudden passion, Grimmjow kissed him back eagerly, his arms wrapping tightly around Ulquiorra's shoulders. Grimmjow's hand slid gently through Ulquiorra's hair and he felt Ulquiorra sigh softly.

They both held each other close, leaving no space between them. It felt perfect, holding him, shivering with each gentle touch and kiss, his heart racing one hundred miles a second. And the adorable thing was, Ulquiorra was still shaking. They both separated gently, their foreheads resting comfortably against each others, both of their eyes open and staring into one another, relishing the emotions in each others eyes and faces.

They both stood there in silence, exchanging silent words of affection before Grimmjow leaned in and kissed him again, feeling his chest swell as Ulquiorra kissed him back, his eyes staring into Grimmjow's. Grimmjow pulled him into a tight embrace, his lips leaving Ulquiorra's as he rested his head against Ulquiorra's shoulder, his fingers weaving through Ulquiorra's soft hair. He rested his cheek against Ulquiorra's hair, swaying just slightly on the spot with him.

He whispered, a wide smile on his face, "Listen and listen good, Ulquiorra. What Aizen said to you is complete bullshit. Because _I_ care about you." He heard Ulquiorra chuckle softly and Grimmjow held him tighter. "I'm dead serious, Ulquiorra. I care about you." Grimmjow's voice was sincere and he felt Ulquiorra stop moving.

Grimmjow's hand slowly stroked his back and he felt Ulquiorra lean into him, his head resting against his shoulder. Grimmjow frowned and looked down at him, concerned. Ulquiorra was smiling. Grimmjow had to blink twice just to make sure he hadn't imagined it and when he had indeed confirmed it, he was left breathless by the sight.

Ulquiorra's smile was small but even then it still did him justice. That small smile touched his eyes, giving them the most gentle look Grimmjow hadn't imagined he'd ever see on Ulquiorra Schiffer's face. The tear tracks Grimmjow had grown to dislike only added to his beauty, making it look almost as if he were crying tears of joy rather than of anguish. There were so many words Grimmjow could use to describe what he was seeing but so few to match exactly what he felt.

"Thank you." and Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra meant it.

Grimmjow, his face flaming red, pulled Ulquiorra close to him, nuzzling the crook of his neck. He smiled to himself and held Ulquiorra tighter, burying his face in his neck. He had never felt this way about anyone. It was so different, but it wasn't unwelcome at all. It was quite the opposite. And as long as it was for Ulquiorra alone, he found he really couldn't bring himself to care.

"Oi!" and both men jumped and looked towards the right. Kyoshiro was standing there, Grimmjow's Gigai over his shoulder. He grinned. "I found them!" and Blue hurried forward, carrying Ulquiorra's Gigai, with Weed behind them. "Ulquiorra, Grimmjow!" Weed exclaimed happily upon sighting them.

The three dogs stared at them, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra still holding each other but with their heads turned towards Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. Kyoshiro snorted and Grimmjow scowled. "What?" and Ulquiorra gently poked Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow understood and hastily released him as Kyoshiro burst out laughing behind them. Grimmjow scowled and raised a fist. "What the hell's so funny?"

Blue elbowed Kyoshiro hard and he said, "No, it's nothing, really! I just d-didn't think I'd ever see that!" he said, chuckling to himself and Grimmjow still wanted to hit him.

Blue however was giggling and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both looked at her in annoyance and she said, "I'm sorry! It's just that you two are so cute together!" she exclaimed, doing a happy twirl and going goo-goo eyed. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at each other and Grimmjow shrugged.

"So," Blue asked, going back to normal. "Are things okay between you?" and Grimmjow looked at Ulquiorra who gave a slight nod. Grimmjow grinned. "We're good." Blue smiled widely. Kyoshiro then glared at Ulquiorra and he said, "Thanks for running out on us by the way." And Grimmjow snapped, "Hey, it was my fault, you blame me, got it?" and Kyoshiro jumped and nodded.

"What are you guys doing back here? I told you to go on ahead." Grimmjow said and Blue said, smiling, "Well, we could hear you yelling even at this distance and then we remembered that you three had left your Gigais back in that clearing so we went back to get them for you guys. And we wanted to see Ulquiorra. We were all worried about him."

Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra tense slightly as Blue spoke. "You were worried about me?" he asked, amusement in his voice and Blue nodded eagerly. "Of course we were! You're our friend!"

Weed smiled at them and said, "I'm just glad you came back, Ulquiorra. We were worried." Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "Really? Don't be ridiculous." And Weed shook his head. "No, I mean it! We all thought something bad had happened to you! I'm glad you're alright."

Weed was being honest and Grimmjow could see the surprise on Ulquiorra's face. "Yeah, tell us next time before you go running off by yourself." Kyoshiro said, smiling a little. Ulquiorra didn't quite know what to say. "Oh." And Grimmjow chuckled.

Ulquiorra looked away, not sure how to react, there was a look of deep surprise on his face. Weed smiled widely at his confused expression and then, a little hesitantly, he walked towards him. Weed hugged Ulquiorra tightly and Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra give a violent jolt, his eyes wide. Weed nuzzled his chest and Ulquiorra simply stared down at him in shock. "Thanks for coming back, Ulquiorra…" Weed whispered.

Ulquiorra was silent and unmoving. And then he slowly lifted a hand and rested it on Weed's shoulders. Ulquiorra put both arms around Weed's shoulders and held him tightly, closing his eyes. Grimmjow grinned widely and then Blue hurried over and embraced both Ulquiorra and Weed. Ulquiorra was even more surprised but held her close as well, a little awkwardly. Kyoshiro shrugged and walked over and put his arms around the three of them and yelled, "Get over here!" and Grimmjow jumped and said, "No, forget it. You guys are embarrassing." And Ulquiorra looked over at him and Grimmjow knew he couldn't resist. "Fine, dammit."

Grimmjow scowled but walked over and embraced his four friends, not expecting the large smile to force its way onto his face the instant he did. All of them held each other tightly and in the heart of it all was Ulquiorra, moved beyond words. He rested his head against Blue's shoulder and felt Grimmjow's hand stroke his hair.

_I think…yes, I understand now. The heart is born when one person cares for another. Like how Grimmjow cares for me…and I, for him. Like how, through some strange chain of events, these four have come to care for me. And how I've come to care for them. So that's what the heart is. You have to learn to care about others, you have to be taught by others. The heart is something that grows along with you when you are cared for by others and in turn, come to care for them. Now I understand. Now I get it. _

Ulquiorra held Grimmjow tighter, pressing his face against his warm chest and he felt Grimmjow return the tight hug, awkwardly ruffling his hair. Ulquiorra felt his chest constrict with emotions and he could only smile. Grimmjow sighed and held him almost protectively, a wide smile on his face.

_I understand now. _

Eventually they all ended up falling over but they all laughed rather than getting frustrated. Ulquiorra even allowed himself to laugh softly along with them. Grimmjow ruffled Ulquiorra's hair and Ulquiorra smiled over at him and he saw Grimmjow's eyes widen at the sight. "Stop that! Your gonna fucking give me a damn heart attack!"

"Admit it, you love it!" Kyoshiro said, standing up, grinning widely and Grimmjow glared at him before walking over to get into his Gigai and Ulquiorra hastened to do the same. And then Ulquiorra remembered.

And Ulquiorra said excitedly, "Follow me. There's something I want to show you all." And he seized Grimmjow's hand and walked off with Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro hurrying after them.

Ulquiorra led them back to the road, the tracks he left earlier still clearly visible in the snow. Ulquiorra seemed very excited and Grimmjow could feel Ulquiorra's excitement getting to him. "Where exactly—?" Grimmjow began and Ulquiorra said, excitement in his eyes, "In a moment you'll see."

And Ulquiorra stopped before a hill in the road and gestured upward. And Blue, Weed, Kyoshiro and Grimmjow began to climb up the hill. Weed gasped and yelled, "Get over here! You have to see this!" and Grimmjow tore forward, not daring to believe it! And he reached the top of the hill, Blue and Kyoshiro beside him. Below them was a city, gleaming with sunlight that was breaking out between the clouds! "Is it…?" Kyoshiro began and Grimmjow looked to the left and let out a joyful exclamation!

A sign to their left read "Welcome to Tokyo!" and Kyoshiro howled in relief. Weed had the biggest smile on his face and Grimmjow began to laugh aloud. They had done it, they had traveled hundreds of miles in the freezing cold wilderness, taken on rabid bears and a terrorist's army of robots. And they had done it! They had made it to Tokyo! "We did it! We, freaking, did it!" Grimmjow roared, punching the air and Blue began laughing. "We found Tokyo! We found it!"

Ulquiorra appeared beside Grimmjow and Grimmjow flung his arm around his shoulders and yelled, "We did it! Look at that, Ulquiorra, look at it!" and Ulquiorra nodded, a small smile gracing his face. He could feel the other's excitement getting to him and his smile widened.

Weed said, "We did it! We did it together!" and Grimmjow tore down the hill, running across the snowy road towards the entrance to town. And Kyoshiro ran after him. "Last one there's a weakling!" Grimmjow yelled. Blue and Ulquiorra ran after them, Blue in her wolf form bounding gracefully behind them.

Weed simply stood upon the hill, unable to stop the happy tears in his eyes. "I found it, mother. I found Tokyo. Just like you wanted. I found it!" and, laughing, he ran after his friends.

And on the hill behind them, four wolves emerged with a girl standing beside them. "Well," Hige said, grinning. "We found Tokyo! I'm starving, let's go eat and—! Hello…" he purred, staring after Blue. Tsume frowned, watching Grimmjow and the others running into the city. "Haven't we seen them before?" he asked and Cheza nodded. Hige was already running after Blue.

Grimmjow was the first into Tokyo with Ulquiorra inches behind him. Grimmjow looked around as his friends halted behind him. Kyoshiro hurried over to Blue, his tail wagging. "Well, we did it." And Blue nodded, smiling at him. "We did." And suddenly Hige shoved himself between them and said, "Have we met?" and Blue glared at him only to realize that he was a wolf, like her. "No…I don't think we have." She said, sniffing him curiously. The two of them immediately began talking and Kyoshiro scowled. "Oh what the hell…?" he said angrily.

Grimmjow smirked at Kyoshiro's misfortune and then turned towards Weed who it seemed didn't know what to do. "What?" Grimmjow asked and Weed said, "Well…my father is here somewhere. But the city is huge…its even bigger than I am. So much bigger than I am…how on earth am I supposed to find him? What if—?"

Grimmjow scowled and nudged him with his foot. "Look, don't start. We finally got here. You're just about to find him, don't start questioning whether you can or you can't. You survived giant _robots_ and _me_. I think you can find him alright." Weed smiled at him.

Kyoshiro walked over and said, "And besides, we'll help you. We'll find your father in no time!" and Weed said, "Really? But I can't ask for your help that quickly again! After all the trouble you went through for me—!" and Ulquiorra said, "Yes you can. Grimmjow and I have nowhere to go now. We cannot go back to our home."

Grimmjow could sense something in Ulquiorra's voice, something akin to nervousness or fear. Grimmjow could feel it too. They had lost their home. They could no longer return there and even if Grimmjow claimed he hadn't wanted to go back, the thought of never returning was quite strange. What the hell were they going to do? They couldn't live down _here_, they had no idea how to handle money or how they were both going to get a place to live…

Blue frowned. "What are you both going to do?" Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ground, really not sure how to answer.

"Hey, I've learned how to handle money. I could help you guys with that…uh…not sure what else though." Kyoshiro said, thinking.

Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra and said, "You wanna live down here?" and Ulquiorra said, "We have no other option. What are you three going to do?" he asked and Kyoshiro said, "Well, I am not going back to Shiga! City life does sound more interesting than being stuck in the mountains…as long as I'm not on the end of a leash!" Hige said to Blue, "Uh, miss? My friends and I have been here before. There's a movie theatre that's been abandoned for years available. I can show you three there?" and before Kyoshiro could protest Blue smiled and nodded eagerly. "That would be lovely."

"And," said the brown wolf named Toboe, "Near that movie theatre are some neat little houses! I don't remember if they are all still available but one of them has to be! I hope that helps!"

And the wolves moved along on the white wolf's orders and Hige called to Blue, "May I keep in touch?" and Blue nodded, looking a little dazed. "Of course you may!" and Hige smiled and walked away.

"Speaking of keeping in touch…" Weed said, looking at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "Are we all going to keep hanging out together? It would be kind of lonely without you guys around…" and Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid?" and Weed winced. Grimmjow grinned. "Hell yeah we're keeping in touch did you seriously think we wouldn't after all the shit we've been through? You lot are alright for a bunch of dogs."

Weed beamed at him and Ulquiorra. Kyoshiro said, "Let's head up there and check out that movie theatre, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra you guys come too. Just to check out your hopefully soon-to-be home. And then we can start searching for Weedy's dad."

And Blue hurried after the two dogs, glancing over at Hige's retreating form before she smiled and hurried after the other two dogs. Kyoshiro gave a sigh of relief that he thought no one would notice and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

Grimmjow sighed and leaned against the wall behind him and Ulquiorra looked over at him. "Are you sure about this? It will take a lot of getting use to." And Grimmjow frowned. The more he thought about it, the freakier the idea seemed to become. "Well, I ain't got a choice, do I? We're staying here."

Ulquiorra nodded. "We'll survive. Even if we can never go back home."

Grimmjow said a little sarcastically, "Well then I guess we've both lost everything!" despite that he was being sarcastic, Ulquiorra said anyway, with warmth in his voice, "Not everything." And he took Grimmjow's hand. Grimmjow looked from their entwined hands to Ulquiorra's face and felt himself grin, draping an arm over Ulquiorra's shoulders, planting a soft kiss to the other man's cheek.

"Getting kind of mushy aren't we?" Ulquiorra asked teasingly and Grimmjow said, smiling widely, "Shut up." and he walked off into the crowded streets of Tokyo, Ulquiorra walking beside him every step of the way.

For the next year they lived in Tokyo. They bought their apartment just a few streets down from the old movie theatre Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed resided in and they spent every day in each other's company, getting to know more about each other and more about their canine friends. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra got into some sort of college so that they could learn more about the society they lived in and to help understand more about work and what jobs they wanted so that they could help support each other. In Tokyo they celebrated their first Valentines day together by chasing down two criminals from their college who stole from Ulquiorra.

There they also encountered a monolith they took them back to the time of World War I and then back to the present. And Grimmjow also accidentally received a million dollars from a man named Joe who lived up in a mansion and he and Ulquiorra were separated for a day only to realize that their bond had grown even stronger during the short time apart. Grimmjow got a job and shortly after that, Weed was kidnapped by a desperate dog-napper who turned out to be none-other than Grimmjow's boss. And again, through that event they were all brought closer together. And around the beginning of 2010 they moved to New York and the dogs moved in with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

As for Weed's father, during all that time they spent in Tokyo when they weren't being caught up in misadventures and startling daily events, they searched high and low for him almost everyday. But the location of Weed's father remained a mystery. But whenever Weed did hear his name it was always spoken with great respect and excitement but no one could ever provide him with his father's whereabouts. Even if he couldn't find his father, it made him happy to hear that his father was spoken of so fondly.

Perhaps one day their paths would finally cross, but until that day came, Weed was more than content to live out the rest of his life beside Grimmjow, who in a sense, was more a father to him than he would ever find anywhere.


	23. Adventure 23

**Adventure #23**

**Bastet**

_Egypt, 11:32 AM._

The time had long since passed since many Egyptian's used to worship ancient Gods and Goddesses. Many still did, but for some, the ancient names had been lost to the ages.

Those who didn't believe in their existence however were wrong, although they liked to believe otherwise. Because within the vast Egyptian desert, hidden from human eyes, stood a grand castle.

Inside this castle, a creature stood upon a throne. He was noble in appearance and his very presence seemed to simply reek of power and authority. But not the bad kind. He had the body of a man but the head of a hawk and he carried a scepter. His subjects stood at his feet, all of them bizarre in appearance but seemingly friendly enough.

He said, his voice deep and ringing clearly through the room, "My precious subjects! As you all know, my daughter Bastet's birthday is in two weeks. I am also sure you all know, that by her 20th birthday, she must be married so that, when my time comes, she will be able to take her late mother's place along with her husband as the future rulers of our world." A smattering of applause.

"Where is your daughter, Your Majesty?" asked a smiling creature with the head of a dog. "She is in the great hall meeting her latest suitor and—!"

"NO!" came a high pitched yowl and a creature ran from the room behind them, hiding his head in his claws as a cat-like woman entered the room. She had a feline-like face and brown fur all over her body and she also wore a revealing dress, showing way too much cleavage. She also looked very angry.

The God sitting in the throne above her stood and said, concerned, "What is it my dearest daughter?" and the cat-like woman yelled, "No! He's—It won't—I can't marry him! He's so, so, stupid! And boring and just—he's so STUPID!" she howled, glaring fiercely at Prince ahead of her who looked very scared.

"Then you do not have to marry him." said her father, looking very sympathetic. "Get out this instant! You have upset my precious daughter!" and the Prince looked very annoyed. "Me?"

"Get out!" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting as the Prince hurried eagerly from the room. "Good luck getting someone to marry _her_!" he grumbled as he left.

"Bastet, honey, I know it isn't easy but you must chose someone. Your birthday is in a week, darling." And Bastet huffed. "But I don't want too!" Her father sighed and said, "You must, dearest! And it can be anyone you like!"

"Okay, so bring me another one and he had better be cute!" she said angrily and her father smiled, seemingly not caring that he was the King and was letting his daughter boss him around. "Of course honey!"

And the doors opened behind them and a creature with a human-like body with the head of a dog entered the room and said, "Pardon the interruption, Ra." His voice was grim. "Anubis." Ra greeted warmly and Anubis said, "It's Apep…I spotted him out in the desert while on my way back from the funeral in Cairo. He was out from the underground. I think it may be in your best interest to investigate."

Ra frowned and said, "Strange…perhaps he wants another duel. He lost the last one…but I had best be certain…" he stood and Bastet said, "Oh! You'll be fine! You always win!" and Ra smiled and patted her hair. "Thank you, darling. Anubis, will you watch Bastet for me?" Anubis froze as he turned to leave and whispered, "No, no, no, no…" and Bastet said, "I'm not a child, father! I can look after myself!"

"Very well." said Ra, kissing her on the cheek before leaving the room.

Anubis sighed with relief. Bastet wasn't a horrible person, but he just did not agree with the way she treated her servants, she over-worked them, yelled at them when they got too tired to work and only made them work _harder_ after that. She probably didn't know that half of her Kingdom thought ill of her but, out of respect for Ra, kept their mouths shut.

Bastet waved goodbye and skipped from the room, humming. She walked through the castle and went to her room, which was way too pink, and lay down on her overly massive bed. She sighed, frowning. She loved her life, she really did but…she couldn't help it…she wanted _more_! Like a typical Disney princess! Well, actually she only wanted a few things, not more…unless it was food or toys, make up or things like that…even though she had way too many toys…and make up.

She didn't want to get married! She wanted to be independent and become a proud, strong ruler. She wanted to marry for love, not some tradition. She spun over to her window and looked outside. She frowned. Dark clouds were spreading across the sky towards the castle. "What the heck? Go away, ugly clouds! Ruining my view of the desert!" she pouted. "Go away!" she spat, stomping her foot, annoyed that the clouds wouldn't listen to her.

And then creatures of all different shapes and sizes, all of them hideously looking, burst through the doors to the castle! Bastet screamed and she could hear yells down below and she hastened to lock her doors as a massive horned creature entered the room, wielding a staff made of fire. He lunged for her and she ran from the room!

Anubis tore up the stairs to meet her and lunged, seizing the horned creature by the neck and throwing him across the room, causing him to smash through the wall! A fierce wind was blowing and lightening whipped across the sky, the winds were blowing everywhere and a sandstorm was sure to follow.

Anubis ran to her and called, "Come with me, we must get you to safety!" and Bastet cried ,"What about my-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" and the ceiling above them exploded and a massive snake fell right in front of them, bringing the winds with him, almost blowing the castle apart!

He was a giant cobra, his scales seemingly made of fire, his eyes burning red and his fangs bared. Anubis grabbed Bastet's wrist and attempted to run around him only to have the serpent wrap himself around him, trapping them against his fiery body. "What, you thought you could run around me? You fools." He hissed, his voice high, his breath freezing cold, a complete contrast to the rest of his body.

Bastet screamed and Anubis bit hard into his scales and the giant serpent hurled them across the room, causing them to smash onto the marble floor. He seized Bastet, his tail curling tightly around her body, threatening to squeeze her to death. "Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way, either way you will die." He purred. "Tell me your father's name, girl!"

Bastet attempted to free herself but to no avail. "No, I'll never tell you!" she yelled and Anubis charged forward only to be smacked into the wall again and attacked by two gray demon like creatures, all of them seeming to be made of substantial smoke.

And from above them came a cry of, "Apep! Release her this instant!" and the serpent was devoured in flames as Ra burst into the room and shot a jet of fire at him. Apep hurled Bastet at him and Ra caught her only to be smacked by the serpent's huge tail!

Ra pushed Bastet to her feet and Bastet began to run away, crying in fear as the serpent tore after them. "Ha! You caught on a lot quicker than I thought you would, Ra!" Apep hissed and he reared up and lunged, his fangs barely missing Ra by an inch.

He shot past him to get to Bastet and Ra lifted his scepter and slammed it onto the ground and Apep was almost burned alive as a massive jet of fire engulfed him again. Ra leapt up and slammed his foot into Apep's scaly body, throwing the massive snake into the wall and causing him to fall into the desert. Ra soared after him, wielding his scepter, he waved it once in a circle and lightening struck the snake beneath him.

Apep lunged up and attempted to seize Ra in his jaws but missed and Ra waved his scepter, causing a wave of sand to surround the giant snake. The sand grew hot and began to cut his skin like small but deadly knives. Apep attempted to break free only to have his nose nearly get shredded. With a roar, he summoned a massive wind to break through the sand and he lunged for Bastet, throwing Ra aside and entrapping him within a wave of fire.

He seized her and began to drag her away through the sand. Ra broke through the wave of fire and charged after his daughter, summoning a bolt of lightening to strike the serpent down and the instant the snake was struck, Ra seized Bastet and pulled her away from the snake, choosing to ignore the fact that he possibly could have hurt his daughter. And then Ra let out a yell of pain as a massive fang ripped into his shoulder! Bastet fell from his arms and Ra attempted to fight off Apep, but was too weakened to fight, his powers doing less damage than they should have against the beast.

"Run, Bastet!" he yelled as Apep tore after her. Ra fired a bolt of lightening from his palm and the snake yelled in pain and lunged for Bastet, his fang ripping her sleeve. Ra then raised both his hands and a portal opened beneath Bastet's feet! "Father, what are you doing?" she cried and Ra yelled, "I'm taking you to safety! You have to leave this place immediately, I cannot defend you!" and he was knocked down and Ra's tail slammed down upon his stomach, winding him.

"Father what is happening?" Bastet said, confused and scared and Ra yelled, standing and raising his scepter to block Ra's jet of fire! "I will find you! I promise!" and he turned to fight only to be smacked onto the sand and Anubis came running to his side to help defend against Apep as he attempted to get to Bastet as she was slowly sucked into the black hole. "Father!" she screamed and Apep lunged for her, his fangs barely scraping against her flesh! "No!" he roared.

And then she was gone.

* * *

Grimmjow shifted uncomfortably.

Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra were sitting in front of him around the kitchen counter and all of them were glaring at him. Even Weed. Grimmjow coughed. They continued to glare. He shuffled his feet. Finally he got impatient. "Oh come on what crawled up your asses and died?" and Kyoshiro, scowling, flipped him the bird. Grimmjow made to return the favor but Ulquiorra thrust something at him.

Grimmjow took it. It was a letter from a man named Arnold Patterson. Blue mined opening the letter, seemingly too angry to put a coherent sentence together. Grimmjow opened the letter impatiently and read through it. Kyoshiro mouthed, "Aloud." And Grimmjow said, "Fine. Dear Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. I am writing to you to inform you that you are being—_sued_…for a-a thousand dollars for…greatly insulting one by the name of John Johnson…" Grimmjow gaped. "_What_?" he said, shocked.

Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra all held up four more letters. Grimmjow snatched them, opened each one of them and scanned through them. "Mister Grimmjow Jaegerjaques. You…blah, blah…are being sued for—! For five hundred dollars for—! What? George Jackson's injury—! Jamey Cathy's office building! But why? When?" he snatched the other two and read through them. He was being sued by five different people for huge amounts of money all for either property damage or damage to another person! He looked up at his friends and saw all of them seething with anger. Grimmjow sighed. "Oops." And his friends all yelled, "_OOPS_? THAT'S _ALL_ YOU HAVE TO SAY, YOU _JACKASS_?" and Grimmjow winced.

"What else do you want me to say?" Grimmjow exclaimed, moving backwards away from them as they advanced on him, furious. "How about sorry?" Weed snapped and Grimmjow flung up his hands in an act of surrender before his friends could beat the crap out of him. "Alright, I get it!"

"Then apologize!" Blue yelled. "Do you know how hard Ulquiorra works to get the money to support us? No, apparently not because now it is all going to waste!" that seemed to get to Grimmjow and he said, "I do fucking know! But I didn't know some pricks could sue you for beating the shit out of them! That never happens!"

"Well apparently you beat up the wrong people." Ulquiorra said coldly. "The people you normally beat up are thugs, people who are on the _run_ from the law. So of course, you went and beat up three people, did a huge amount of damage to an office building, and wrecked a truck."

"Hey, I didn't destroy the office building, doesn't that count?" and Kyoshiro raised a fist and Grimmjow growled at him, raising a fist as well. Ulquiorra hit him on the head with a magazine and Grimmjow jumped. "The point is, you're a fuck up!" Kyoshiro said, "Not only have you thrown a big "fuck you" in Ulquiorra's face, but we could all be on the streets because of you!"

Weed frowned. "I wouldn't say that. It is bad, but we shouldn't immediately assume we'll be unable to pay our taxes." Blue sighed, taking in a few breaths before she said, "He's right. But this one should still control his temper and his urge to destroy everything he touches." She said angrily. Grimmjow looked at the ground, not meeting Ulquiorra's hard gaze.

"What's worse is, we've no right to argue against the guys and things Grimmjow trashed." Kyoshiro said, sighing. "We've no grounds. Unless Grimmjow's excuse is good enough…which it won't be. We have gotta find ourselves some jobs and we've go to start saving up so that we can still be in good hands financially wise."

Weed said eagerly, "I'll work!" and Kyoshiro nodded. "We'll all have to. Even him." he added, glaring at Grimmjow who didn't meet his gaze. Ulquiorra sneezed loudly and sniffled, resting his head against his arm, showing a brief display of obvious exhaustion. He had been sick for weeks with the common cold mixed with fever. Grimmjow felt a stab of guilt.

As Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed discussed different jobs they could get, Grimmjow walked over to Ulquiorra and simply stared at him. Ulquiorra rested his head against his arm, closing his eyes. Grimmjow could see a dull flush to his cheeks and Grimmjow knew that, if he were to touch Ulquiorra's arm, he would be burning hot to the touch. He looked down at his feet and mumbled, "Sorry." He scowled, not knowing what to say next and disliking how pathetic he sounded. He was always horrible about saying he was sorry…probably because he didn't say it often.

But he really was sorry. Now because of him all of them would be stressed and working hard to get different jobs and he knew that Ulquiorra especially would work harder than ever and possibly get sicker. It really was a big, stupid, mess.

Ulquiorra ignored him and Grimmjow said impatiently, "Look, I'm sorry alright? But not for those shits I beat up or for that bitch's' truck. I'm _not_ apologizing for something I enjoyed doing. But I didn't mean to destroy that office building and I stole that truck because it was an emergency, alright? And those three morons really were asking for it and—!" Ulquiorra glared at him and Grimmjow went quiet. "Be quiet." Ulquiorra sighed and straightened up, running a hand through his messy ebony hair.

"You have to learn some self control. Not a day goes by when you don't start fights either in this house or outside it. When we're hunting down criminals I understand it. Of course I always knew you were the type to beat down someone who so much as looked at you strangely so I am not surprised, but after a while…it has to stop. Because so far it has caused us nothing but trouble."

Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra was dead serious. Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue had stopped talking and were now listening to their conversation. "I agree with Ulquiorra." Blue said. "It has to end. You need to learn to control your temper and you need to learn some self control."

Grimmjow frowned. He did not like the sound of this at all. "Hey, its who I am. I am not changing and—!"

"Yes, you are. We have put up with it because we all understand that you loath being something you aren't and we respected that, but now you have to be willing to be flexible and attempt to control your behavior." Ulquiorra said. Grimmjow was liking this less and less.

"And then when my personality is gone, what will that make me? A damn weakling. I am not doing this!" Grimmjow said, getting angry. "Kindness isn't a weakness, in fact it's a strength. We're not implying that you aren't nice, because you are and we appreciate your rare shows of kindness, but…" Weed thought about it and then he said, his eyes lighting up, "Try being nice just for a day. Completely nice. Think nice thoughts, watch nice movies, play nice video games…uh…"

"That's shit."

"And no cursing!" Weed added. Grimmjow was getting angrier by the second. "Fuck this." He said moodily. Ulquiorra sighed and Grimmjow said, "Hey, Kyoshiro's got anger problems too! Why aren't you preaching to him?" and Blue said, "We will work on his as well," Kyoshiro gasped, "And because Kyoshiro so far has not gotten us sued by five people." Blue said, glaring at Grimmjow but seemingly a lot calmer than before.

"We're not saying don't get angry, because that is inevitable," Weed said, "But don't let anger become a part of you. It isn't difficult to learn self control." Grimmjow scoffed. Ulquiorra said tiredly, his voice sounding stuffy because of his nose, "Grimmjow, do it, if not for yourself then do it for me." Grimmjow looked over at him and Blue saw some of the anger leave Grimmjow's face.

Grimmjow was silent for a minute and Kyoshiro and the others waited.

And then, finally, Grimmjow said, "I don't see how the hell it will help us with the whole 'getting sued' thing."

"It won't, but it will hopefully prevent other issues like this from popping up again." Blue said, leaning back against the counter.

Ulquiorra's cell phone rang. He answered and said, "Yes? Oh. Hello Mr. Adolfo." Grimmjow frowned. He still hated Ulquiorra's piano teacher. It turned out the guy had a twin…dear lord, named James Adolfo and Ulquiorra had been working as a watchmen at his office building during the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. In other words, he was gone all day for three whole days to just stand there and watch a building. So, yeah, Grimmjow now hated James Adolfo even more than he did Azure Adolfo…and that was saying a lot.

Ulquiorra frowned. "Sir? I'm sick, I do not think that would be wise. No, I—," Ulquiorra sighed and Grimmjow could hear the man rambling enthusiastically. "Sir I really do not—fine. If you insist. Goodbye." Ulquiorra hung up and immediately buried his face in his arm with a low growl. Grimmjow wanted to hug him. Or something.

Ulquiorra scowled and sat up and walked to the stairs. "I'm afraid I will have to wait to see Grimmjow learn to control himself. I am leaving for Connecticut and I'm staying the night." Grimmjow let out an angered exclamation. "What? Why?"

"My boss is having a dinner party slash sleepover at his house and he has invited as many people as he can fit. It is utterly ridiculous. He wants us all to get to know each other."

Grimmjow snarled. "Well then tell him you can't go! Or better yet let me talk to him!"

"I don't have the luxury of refusing. He even threatened, all with a smile I could tell, to fire me if I didn't show up." Kyoshiro laughed and then went silent. Grimmjow was pissed. "Well, you're sick! You can't go."

"I have too. If a certain person hadn't gotten us in such a predicament I would gladly have declined but I think, at this rate, it is important that I keep my job. I will see you all tomorrow." He said, hurrying up the stairs to pack. Grimmjow punched the counter. "What a fucking dick! You can't force sick people to drive down to fucking Connecticut! _Cunt_!"

Weed said, "Pleasant thoughts, Grimmjow, pleasant thoughts…" and Grimmjow looked ready to combust with anger. "Pleasant thoughts, pleasant thoughts my ass!" Grimmjow said, clenching his fists. And he heard Ulquiorra call from upstairs, "Do it, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow bit back a vulgar retort and they all saw his anger meter reach breaking point. And then, with the biggest effort in the world, Grimmjow forced a truly terrible smile onto his face that sent a chill down their spines. "I love his boss. I really, really, just fucking love him. I do. I adore him. I'd love to lovingly and kindly slice his fuckin'—!" and Blue glared at him.

Grimmjow growled and walked away up stairs, muttering.

Kyoshiro twitched. "That was…the freaking scariest thing I have ever seen…" and Blue sighed.

This was going to be difficult.

* * *

Ulquiorra stared up at the large house in front of him before knocking on the door. Two men answered the door, both of them almost completely identical except for their different clothes. "Yo!" said Azure and his brother James said, "Come on in!" and Ulquiorra, suppressing a sigh, walked inside.

There were many different people there, all of them familiar to Ulquiorra. He had never attempted to make conversation with his fellow workmen however. And so he sat there, watching the party go on around him, not sure how to participate and fighting off sneezes every few seconds. He shivered. Why was it cold?

Azure grinned and said, "Yo, Ulqui! Come on over here!" and Ulquiorra said, "No, I'm not good at making conversa—," Ulquiorra sneezed and Azure chuckled. "It doesn't matter." However he didn't bother trying to make conversation with Ulquiorra either.

For the next few hours Ulquiorra sat on the couch, eating and drinking, staring out at the rainstorm. He really had no idea what to say to these people. He really had no idea what he was even doing here anyway.

His cell-phone vibrated and Ulquiorra jumped and pulled it from his jeans pocket. "Yo. How's my Ulqui?" It was Grimmjow. Ulquiorra felt his lips twitch. "Hi." He said. It felt good to hear a familiar voice. "Has anything interesting happened back at home?" Ulquiorra asked. "Nah not really. Kyoshiro is still pissed at me. Blue and Weed went to the grocery store and—ah shit...that was creepy." Ulquiorra frowned. "Hm?"

"Nothing. I'm playing Amnesia…fucking still." Ulquiorra chuckled. "What?"

"You haven't played that since we went to Captiva Island. You rage quit because you got too scared." Ulquiorra could hear the amusement in his own voice.

"Shut up, I wasn't—Oh fuck!" and Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow pause the game. "Fuck you, game. Fuck you." Ulquiorra almost smiled.

He heard concern in Grimmjow's voice when he spoke next. "Uh…so…everything good there?"  
Ulquiorra frowned, not sure how to respond. So he told the truth. "I am horrible when it comes to being social. Especially at parties. I'm looking forward to being home. It's raining now, very hard." Ulquiorra broke off in a sneeze, shuddering.

He could practically hear Grimmjow scowl. "You shouldn't even, fucking, be up there. You sound like you're, freaking, dying." And after a moody sigh he asked, "You lonely?"

Ulquiorra looked outside at the rain. "…There would be little to no point in feeling lonely when I am going to be back tomorrow." He heard Grimmjow growl. Ulquiorra sighed. "Maybe a little. Are you satisfied?" Ulquiorra coughed and scowled. "I need to go get ready to sleep. I have the sofa so I should be comfortable. Grimmjow?"

"Yeah. G'night." And Grimmjow hung up seconds after Ulquiorra wished him goodnight as well.

* * *

It was 12:00 at night and Ulquiorra lay on the sofa in the living room, listening to the silence ring in his ears. He could not sleep. It was so quiet so it should have been the opposite. But no. He could sleep in the ever noisy city but he could not sleep in the quiet country? Really?

He could see lightening flashing through the thin blinds and he could hear the rain pouring even harder outside. He turned over, holding the thick blankets tighter. He sniffed. His whole body was hot and yet he was cold without blankets, he kept sneezing and coughing, he felt dizzy if he stood up…this was Hell.

The silence in the room was making his brain make up noises for him. This _was_ the country…what if someone broke in? He was sleeping near the basement so…could someone get in down there? Was the door locked down there along with the garage door? Were the glass doors ahead of him locked? What if, back at home, Blue or the others had forgotten to lock the doors or what if Weed and Blue had never come back from the grocery store? What if Grimmjow hated him now for being so angry at him earlier?

Ulquiorra punched his pillow. _Get a grip. _And he stood to make sure the porch doors in front of him were locked. They were locked and, swaying slightly due to fatigue, he contented himself with staring out into the rain, hardly able to see a thing unless the lightening illuminated the trees.

A pounding filled the room and Ulquiorra turned towards the front door. More knocks filled the room and Ulquiorra frowned, immediately on edge. He crossed to the door silently and listened. He could hear faint mumbling. "What do you want? It is 12:30 at night you trash."

"Let me in!" more pounding. Ulquiorra scowled and said, "There are twelve grown men in this house and all of them are security guards."

"Jesus Christ, Ulquiorra, I don't care how many men are in this house! Let me in!"

Ulquiorra's mouth nearly fell open. "You have got to be…" Ulquiorra mumbled and he undid the chain and the lock on the door and flung it open. Somehow, through some strange miracle, Grimmjow was standing outside, drenched to the skin and shivering horribly, but wearing a wide grin at the sight of Ulquiorra's face. "Yo."

Ulquiorra was sure his composure had slipped because Grimmjow grinned wider at his expression of surprise. "How did you…Why are you—?" Ulquiorra said numbly, feeling a small smile sliding easily across his face and Grimmjow walked inside and flung his jacket onto the floor and dropped a single bag onto the ground. "I heard someone missed me. Got a good opportunity to use my motorbike as well." Grimmjow said, cocky smile in place but his eyes telling a different story as he slipped his arms around Ulquiorra's shoulders, resting their foreheads together.

Ulquiorra just shook his head, unable to believe this man. Just because he had let slip the slightest hint that he was as lonely as he felt, Grimmjow had rode his motorcycle through a fierce storm all the way from New York to Connecticut just so Ulquiorra wouldn't have to spend the night in a foreign house, full of people he barely knew and liked, with a cold.

Ulquiorra rested his head against Grimmjow's shoulder, sighing softly. He was smiling widely. He wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's back and held him tight. "You fool." He murmured, shivering slightly. He was so warm, even if Grimmjow himself was freezing, his cold clothes only emphasized his warmth.

"Yeah, I get it. It's your fault anyway. Every time I tried to freaking sleep, I would picture you sitting there in a corner by yourself, shaking and sick, not knowing what to do or say. And finally I decided, fuck it. Connecticut isn't that far away from New York anyway so…yeah…I did it for my own benefit and—!"

Ulquiorra stood up on his toes just slightly in order to kiss the taller man and Grimmjow melted into him, his hands gripping Ulquiorra's elbows to ensure he didn't pull away. Ulquiorra then realized his mistake and frowned, trying to ignore Grimmjow as the man placed passionate kisses to his lips, his hand sliding down past Ulquiorra's waist to settle on his rear. Ulquiorra reluctantly pulled away, shivering as Grimmjow's hand slid up his shirt, his lips and teeth nipping his neck. "Hm. I'm uncharacteristically forgetful tonight. You are going to get sick now. Though I guess it is as much as you deserve for getting us sued."

Grimmjow shrugged. "We live in the same house it was gonna happen anyway. I get that your pissed at me, you think I'm happy about what I did? Cause I'm not. Now shut up." and Grimmjow lunged forward for a passionate kiss and he swayed slightly when Ulquiorra returned it, his fingers curling in soft, damp locks of blue hair that rested against the nape of his neck. Grimmjow's arm wrapped around the small of Ulquiorra's back, his hand rubbing gently against Ulquiorra's side, feeling his warm skin. His skin was too warm and Grimmjow could feel him shivering. "Shit." He mumbled and he separated reluctantly from Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra swayed slightly, gripping the back of the couch for support as the room began churning. He felt Grimmjow pull him towards the couch and set him down on the blankets. "If I'm making you cold, you should tell me—though I can understand why you were tempted to ignore your body's need for warmth." Grimmjow teased and Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and nestled his face against the pillows. Seconds later he felt Grimmjow lying down beside him. Grimmjow had changed into a gray sweatshirt and blue sweat pants and he had curled up beside Ulquiorra.

Grimmjow frowned when he saw how heavily Ulquiorra was shaking. "Ah you poor shit." Grimmjow grumbled and before he could pull Ulquiorra to him, Ulquiorra said, "I'm f-fine. I d-don't need your h-help." And he buried himself beneath the blankets. The mattress felt cold due to his absence however. He really could not believe he had to be taken care of. He was a level stronger than Grimmjow for crying out loud…

Grimmjow sighed and barricaded himself beneath the blankets. Ulquiorra felt his arms wrap around him and pull him tightly to Grimmjow's warm body and Grimmjow murmured, "I came all the way down here so I could make sure you didn't die in your sleep due to your stuffy nose. So just loosen up and let me look after you. Other wise I'll have come down here for nothing."

Ulquiorra frowned, attempting to wriggle away. He really didn't want to be prideful, he really wanted to do just what Grimmjow said but he could not accept that he was sick and being looked after like a weakling. "This is pathetic of me."

And Grimmjow rested his warm hand against the back of Ulquiorra's head. "Yeah it is." Ulquiorra looked up at him and said, feeling slightly amused, "You're supposed to say no." and Grimmjow chuckled, holding Ulquiorra tighter.

"But consider this…my way of…never mind…" Ulquiorra looked up, intrigued. "Go on." Grimmjow said, "Consider this my attempt at giving you a proper apology. You're probably still angry at me and I get why. So…yeah, I'm sorry for getting five different dumbasses to sue us. And, yes, I'll _try_ and…do something about…my temper. So…don't be pissed at me anymore, alright? I get it."

Ulquiorra listened and he could tell Grimmjow was more sorry than he sounded. The more exaggerated he sounded, the harder he was trying to cover up his awkward sincerity. Feeling affection constricting his chest, he wrapped his arms tightly around Grimmjow, resting his face against Grimmjow's chest. He listened to the quickening beat of the other man's heart and he sighed. "I'll hold you to that. And I appreciate your coming down here."

"Alright…I get it…" Grimmjow mumbled. He really got tired of talking after a while. Ulquiorra it seemed agreed because he eagerly returned the soft kisses Grimmjow placed to his lips, sighing when Grimmjow's hand stroked his hair. He was so warm… It was now dawn outside and the morning light was slowly starting to fill the room.

Grimmjow lay on his back now. Ulquiorra had fallen asleep a while ago and, in his sleep he had curled up against Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow had not hesitated in wrapping his arm around his shoulders. Grimmjow could feel his eyelids getting heavier. _Ah this ain't gonna be easy…but what the hell. I'll do it._ _I'll try…it'll be a pain but I'll try…if only for him. _

And he fell asleep beside Ulquiorra, holding him tightly and not knowing at all about the events that were to take place upon their return to New York.

* * *

When Grimmjow and Ulquiorra returned to New York the following morning they found Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue huddled around the kitchen table. Kyoshiro's cooking had gotten better. He had made bacon that was only slightly burned and the eggs were a little brown. "Welcome back!" Weed said.

Grimmjow sat down and began to eat. "So…you seriously went down to visit Ulquiorra? You were serious?" Kyoshiro exclaimed. Grimmjow nodded. "Hell yeah, the little guy was practically freezing to death when I got there!"

Blue gaped. "You drove all the way from New York to Connecticut in a heavy rainstorm to get to him?" Grimmjow nodded. Blue shook her head, a smile on her face. "That's some hardcore dedication, Ulquiorra." She said. Ulquiorra nodded, his mouth too full of food to answer. "You can thank me with some steamy action later." Grimmjow said, smirking. "If that house hadn't been full—!" Kyoshiro coughed loudly and Ulquiorra glared at Grimmjow.

Weed looked up and called, "Mail!" and he hurried to the door only to find that only one letter had been dropped through the slot. And it wasn't even enveloped…it was just a slip of paper. "Weedy?" Kyoshiro called.

Grimmjow saw Weed come walking back. "This is weird, take a look." He said, laying the paper down on the table. Kyoshiro read aloud. "I come in two more parts, find each one and you will find the greatest treasure man can behold. The first note lies hidden in the park beneath the rock."

All of them blinked. "Is this some sort of bad riddle?" Grimmjow asked. "Treasure?" Kyoshiro said. "It must be a joke." Ulquiorra said. "The park beneath a rock?" Weed said, frowning. "What on Earth…?"

Blue shrugged. "Park beneath the rock? Which park and which rock is this weirdo referring to?" Blue asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This almost sounds like a treasure hunt…" Weed said thoughtfully and eagerly. "We could use some money." Kyoshiro said.

"What so your gonna follow this weirdo's note? He's obviously nuts!" Grimmjow said, turning towards his breakfast and then he heard Ulquiorra say, "He may be nuts but he isn't making things up. He's referring to The Rock, aka Rockefeller center. There _is_ a park beneath that rock and it is called Central Park. It is a good distance from the building but it has to be the park he is referring to."

Grimmjow looked over in astonishment. "How the hell did you figure that out?" and Ulquiorra said, "I've seen so many advertisements inviting tourists to the "Top of The Rock" that I've grown quite sick of that building and its advertisements."

Kyoshiro grinned and then frowned. "Wait so…is this a trap?" and Grimmjow said, "If it is we can handle it. I'm too damn curious for my own good. Besides, we could use some cash…"

"It's too suspicious." Blue said and Grimmjow nodded, a mischievous smile lighting up his face. "Maybe. If there is a second note there we'll keep going. If not then we'll come back and I'll find a way to trace this ink and go down there and beat his—!" and all of them glared at him. Grimmjow scowled. "Alright, I get it! No violence…"

Ulquiorra sighed. "Fine, I'll go but I do not expect much out of this." Kyoshiro nodded eagerly. "I'm definitely going! Maybe it'll be a gang fight or-or a exciting chase through the subways!" Blue said, shrugging, "I'll go. This has perked my interest. Let's just see if the second note is there and, if it is, we can press on."

And the five friends hurried from the house, knowing this decision wasn't entirely wise but they couldn't suppress their curiosity…

* * *

"But where the fuck is it in Central park?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, kicking a stone moodily." Ulquiorra frowned, checking next to a tree. The sun was out today and the sky was full of fat, fluffy clouds and an ocean blue sky. It was humid however and Grimmjow only felt pissed off because of the weather.

Blue was standing a few feet away, thinking. "He wouldn't put a small slip of paper in central park!" she said. "It would take ages to find…perhaps we should go and check Rockefeller center?" and Grimmjow lead the way towards the tall building in the distance. He liked this section of the city. They had taken the subway and when they emerged from the underground they were greeted with two massive buildings. It was almost like being in a different world.

Weed skipped ahead, his tail wagging and stopping occasionally to sniff other dogs while Kyoshiro only ignored them. Ulquiorra stopped in front of Rockefeller center and looked around. "Keep your eyes peeled." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro shuddered. "That saying is so disgusting when you think about it." He said, sniggering. Weed thought about it. "Ew!"

"'Kay, two people go inside and ask for a slip of paper and search the lobby, three of us stay outside and search the streets around the building." So, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Weed stayed outside and Blue and Kyoshiro went inside to ask about. "What do you think it is he wants us to find?" Weed asked curiously, sniffing around the trees while Ulquiorra searched the sidewalk and Grimmjow search around the building. "No damn clue but it had better be good." Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra let out a soft, "Hm." And Grimmjow and Weed looked towards him. "What?" Grimmjow asked. Ulquiorra said, "I was just thinking that maybe he meant beneath the rock as in…the subway?"

"We'll see!" Weed said. And Kyoshiro came running outside. "No one has seen a slip of paper. Geez! Where could it be?" and Grimmjow kicked at a grate on the floor. And then he saw a slip of paper lying among the discarded cigarettes! He gasped and called, "Hey, hey its here! Shit, he sucks! It wasn't even _in_ Central Park! This was only out of pure luck—! I mean, I meant to do that." He added, smirking.

Blue rolled her eyes and began pulling on the grate. "Who the heck is this guy?" Blue asked. Grimmjow said, "Who cares."

"Obviously you do since you've come along with us." Blue said, smiling as she pulled harder on the grate. Kyoshiro, in his dog form, walked over and unscrewed the grate with his sharp nail. Blue pulled it off and hastily dropped it. She frowned. It was really dirty down there.

Grimmjow reached in and snatched the paper before she could and read, "Follow the legend in a bottle around noon when it's shift is done. What the fuck?" Ulquiorra frowned. "What does he mean?" Kyoshiro said, "Sometimes humans make models of ships and put them in bottles. Maybe…?"

"When it's shift is done?" Grimmjow asked, reading that section of the note. "Maybe he is referring to a store that sells those ships?" Weed suggested.

They returned home, sweaty and thirsty, and researched a store that might have those kinds of decorations. It was a store in Times Square. They took the train down there and arrived at the store after getting lost for fifteen minutes. It turned out they did have the bottles with miniature ships in them but few and only on display, not for sale. Grimmjow went up, shook the bottles and nothing came out. Finally he broke the bottles and found nothing and attempted to destroy the ships to see if they had a note in them.

They were sent away from the store after paying for the damage. "Oh come on! It could have been in there! You have to admit that was possible!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra made to retort moodily but Weed said, "Well, we also learned that he isn't talking about those bottle-ship-things. Maybe there is another store he was talking about?" Kyoshiro scowled. "We could be at this forever! Let me see the note. This probably won't even be worth our time…" Grimmjow was reading it again. "Shut up, we aren't quitting. Okay…follow the legend in a bottle…_follow_? Is it moving? We're looking for something that moves…Jesus Christ this is confusing…"

Grimmjow leaned against a mailbox and glared at the note. Ulquiorra sat on a bench next to Weed and Blue. Ulquiorra said, "He said to start looking around noon after its shift is done…it is noon…it must be some sort of vehicle." Ulquiorra said, putting his chin in his hand. Grimmjow tapped him on the shoulder.

Grimmjow suddenly grinned. "Is it a truck?" and Kyoshiro and Blue looked at him. "What gives you that idea?" Blue asked. Grimmjow pointed across the street and they all turned. A truck was driving up the street and on the back and sides of the truck was giant yellow writing that said, "Follow the Legend in a Bottle!" and there was a picture of a bottle of wine on it. "Gotcha!" Grimmjow barked, grinning.

Weed and the others tore after the truck as it drove away up the street. Grimmjow pulled the lever and the back of the truck opened and he leapt in with a laugh. Kyoshiro hurried after him and flung himself in with Ulquiorra, Blue and Weed hurrying after the truck. Ulquiorra jumped in and Blue was offered a helping hand as she climbed in after Weed, his back legs scrambling as he climbed in.

The sun was setting outside as they sat in the back of the truck, all of them relaxing against the crates of wine. Weed smiled as the wind blew through his fur and Kyoshiro dangled his head out, started to laugh as the wind whipped his face. "This is awesome!" he called, grinning and Blue smiled at his excitement.

"There is no note here." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow smiled widely. "It said_ follow_ the legend. We have to wait." He said, putting his arms behind his head and Ulquiorra sat beside him and waited for the truck to stop, inhaling the smell of wine and watching the sunset painting the ground red, orange and purple. And Grimmjow stood and leaned over the side of the truck, letting the wind blow across his face. "Hey, this is fun, Ulqui come here!" he called, grinning. Ulquiorra stood and walked over and poked his head out around the corner and blinked as the wind hit his face, whipping his hair back.

Blue smiled. "Be careful, boys." And Grimmjow said, "Careful? Why the hell would you wanna be—?" and the truck stopped harshly and Grimmjow fell out along with Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra and they all tumbled across the floor and Kyoshiro smashed headlong into a crate.

After making sure no one was hurt (Kyoshiro had a bit of a bloody nose) they realized that their destination was on the piers, _far_ away from their neighborhood. They were on the docks right in the middle of where all the factories were and it was quite awesome. Plus they had an amazing view of the setting sun. The smell of salt water was in the air and the cry of gulls could be heard.

Weed called, "Do you think the note is in one of the factories?"

"That would be annoying." Grimmjow said, checking behind some boxes. Blue suddenly spotted something on the sand below them and she frowned. "There are footprints down there!" she called and Grimmjow peered over the railing. Kyoshiro spotted them. "Let's find a staircase." He said but Weed had already found one.

The footprints led up to a lonely shack beneath the piers. Grimmjow scowled when he realized the door was jammed and he rammed his shoulder against the door until it opened. Ulquiorra wrinkled his nose. The shack clearly hadn't been used for years and there was a stale smell of old urine and rotting wood in the air. They all searched the room. Kyoshiro searched an old desk and Weed searched a smelly mattress lying in the next room. Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow." And Grimmjow looked towards his partner.

Ulquiorra had found a hatch under a small table. Grimmjow and Weed both pushed it away against the wall and Ulquiorra opened the hatch. There was a dark tunnel beneath them. "Who the hell made this place?" Kyoshiro asked, raising his brows. Weed said, "There's an old diary in the bedroom dating back to World War II. Maybe people built this passage or used it to hide from enemy soldiers?"

Grimmjow grinned. "Sweet." And he jumped down into the hole. The drop was a lot farther down than it looked! Grimmjow landed hard on his feet and fell on his face but did a stylish barrel-roll. "There was a ladder, you know." Ulquiorra said, using the ladder to climb down to him. Grimmjow growled and pushed himself up. Blue climbed down and the ladder rocked precariously and Kyoshiro seized her waist. Blue said, "It's alright, I got it." But she let Kyoshiro, who blushed slightly, help her down.

Weed was already walking ahead. Ulquiorra pulled out his phone and set it to "flashlight mode" and pointed it ahead of them. Weed shuddered. It was so dark down here. He could hear the squeaking of rodents and he could see thick cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Blue frowned. "Well this isn't creepy." She said, tucking her hands in her pockets.

They descended a staircase, stumbling in the dark and occasionally clutching each others arms to prevent tripping. Grimmjow was starting to feel suspicious. The fun was starting to wear off and, though he was excited, he was starting to feel a little tense.

And Ulquiorra was too, his shoulders were stiff. Grimmjow smirked and tapped Ulquiorra's shoulder. "Grimmjow." He said and Grimmjow could hear slight amusement in his voice. Weed jumped as a rat whizzed by his feet and Grimmjow suddenly had misgivings. "Stay close." He said. Ulquiorra and Blue looked over at the tone of his voice. They were currently rather far away from civilization, in a shack no one knew about and deep underground. Why?

The staircase finally stopped and Kyoshiro gasped. "What?" Blue asked, tense. Kyoshiro said, "I banged into a…a door." The light from Ulquiorra's phone had found a doorknob. "A note." Weed said, taking a note from a spot a few inches beneath the knob. He read aloud, "And behind this door, lies the greatest treasure man can behold."

Grimmjow felt excitement flare in his stomach and he reached out and turned the old knob. He stopped. "Careful." He murmured, glancing at his group. He raised a foot and kicked open the door.

The bang echoed throughout, ringing in their ears. A blinding light hit their eyes and they all winced. The "blinding light" came from a few candles. Ulquiorra frowned, squinting. They had been in darkness for so long even the slightest light was sensitive to their eyes.

Weed said, "Wait a minute. Look!" And Grimmjow did. A queen sized bed sat in the rather large room along with a fancy carpet, a few majestic tapestries and…the comforts of home. "What?" Grimmjow said, confusion on his face.

This room resembled a very, very fancy hotel room that royalty might reside in. There was a table with enough food to last weeks! Possibly months! And all the food was exquisite looking! The room itself was exquisite. "Hey, this ain't half bad to look at but seriously, what the heck is going on?" Kyoshiro said.

Grimmjow, curious, entered the room and Ulquiorra said, "Grimmjow, don't." and Kyoshiro said, "The furniture isn't gonna attack him." and he followed slowly after Grimmjow. Grimmjow walked over and stared at the bed. There was a noticeable dent in the blankets. "Someone's recently slept on this. But who the hell would be living down here? Why is all this fancy crap here?"

"And the food is definitely fresh." Weed said. "Everything here is new, guys. The furniture is new but at the same time it isn't really modern."

"Someone must be really wealthy. But why live down here? And what are we doing here?" Kyoshiro asked, confused. Ulquiorra suddenly said, "And that someone is still here." And Blue gasped and looked towards a door near the queen-sized bed. They could hear singing and they could see a light coming from beneath the door. Kyoshiro and Weed hurried from their corners of the room to stand with their friends. They all prepared for an attack as the door opened.

Someone appeared in the doorway, singing, "It's Friday! Friday, gotta get down on—AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" and she spotted them and she screamed at the top of her lungs! Kyoshiro screamed as well and Grimmjow jumped a foot in the air with a vulgar shriek, Weed leapt into Kyoshiro's arms with a scream and Blue leapt into the chandelier and climbed up into it and Ulquiorra—looked bored.

They all stopped screaming as they looked at each other. The woman before them…wasn't a woman at all! She had a cat-like face, she wore Egyptian robes and she had a human like body that was covered with brown and white hair.

Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Blue, Weed and Ulquiorra all stared. Processing…They all looked at the creature. Processing…The cat-like creature looked at them. Processing…They all looked at her. Can't compute.

Weed started screaming again and Grimmjow screamed as well along with Kyoshiro and so did the woman-like thing in front of them! "Go away! Take whatever you want but—wait, no, don't take anything! Just leave me alone! It's my Rebecca Black CD, isn't it? Well you can't have it!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, "What the hell _are _you?"

She gasped and said, "How dare you talk to me that way, you dumb dog! Don't you know who I am?" she exclaimed, clearly offended. Grimmjow seized the nearest chair and prepared to throw it at her. "I don't know who you are and I don't care! Why have you brought us here?" Grimmjow said, advancing on her menacingly.

"How rude!" she said prissily, crossing her arms over her chest…which was too revealing. Weed said, "Who are you and what do you want from us?" and the creature exclaimed, "How can you _not _know who I am? UGH! Humans these days!" she said, rolling her eyes. Blue climbed out of the chandelier and landed beside her friends.

Ulquiorra said coldly, "I will have you know, woman, that we are not humans. These three are dogs. Grimmjow and I are Espada. _What _are you?" and she glared at him. "My name is not "woman" you rude person! It is Bastet!"

Blue gasped, "Wait, you mean you are an…Egyptian Goddess? Egyptian Gods and Goddesses are real?" and Bastet said, "Of course we are real!" and she stood, puffing out her chest and she said importantly, "I am Bastet! The future queen of Egypt! Daughter to Ra the creator, the _ruler_ of the world! And now, you must all get on your knees and worship me!" she exclaimed, smiling stupidly and Grimmjow and Kyoshiro yelled, "LIKE HELL!"

Weed however had shining eyes. "You're—You really are a Goddess? Can you prove it?" and she nodded and waved her paw and even more food appeared on the table. Weed gasped. "She _is_ real! Your Ladyship!" and he bowed. Grimmjow scowled and wrenched him up. "No one is bowing down to this fruitcake, not as long as I'm here. Oi, woman! Why are we here?"

Bastet choked. "Fruitcake? I am not a fruitcake! Though, those are really good and—okay! I don't know why you are here and trust me, it isn't my pleasure to have you peasants here!" she scoffed, walking daintily over to the table to pick up a grape which she popped into her mouth and swallowed. "Now, get out…I need to apply my make-up and I wear so much it takes a masterful artist—that is me—to get it on! Wait a moment!" she exclaimed, making Kyoshiro jump.

"Do you have three slips of paper?" and Blue nodded, confused. "Oh my God! You guys are—my _rescuers_? EW! But you are all so—so—! Normal and—and weak! I wanted a big strong, handsome man! But no…instead I get rude, conceited—!" Grimmjow's self control snapped and he and Kyoshiro advanced. "Now, look here lady!" Grimmjow raged and Weed grabbed his arm and said, "Deep breaths, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro!"

"Fuck your breaths!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra pulled him back and he said, "Why are you here?" and Bastet glanced at him with distaste. "You are not half bad looking yourself, but your rudeness and cold personality are not welcome."

Ulquiorra's glare hardened. "Alright. I am here because it was just another day in Egypt until my father was called away to fight his enemy Apep. He sent me away to here for my own safety and I was able to summon my furniture here and my make-up and stuff." She said, starting to apply her make-up.

"How did you find me?" she asked and Grimmjow said, "It was an accident. Some weirdo sent us these notes and they led right to you. Let's go guys, this was a waste of time." And Bastet said, "That "weirdo" is my _father_! You arrogant pig!" and Grimmjow glared at her fiercely. "He loves treasure hunts, you see, so I guess he just wanted to make sure you weak little peasants found me! Little did I know he would send so many, rude, dis-likable, arrogant—!" and Grimmjow swung a heavy punch towards her and she dodged and leapt behind Blue who hastily moved away from her. "How dare you strike me!"

Ulquiorra placed a hand on Grimmjow's arm and Weed said, "What do we do? We can't leave her here can we? I mean, it _is_ Ra who sent us here."

"I don't give a shit who sent us here!" Grimmjow snarled. "I am leaving, this bitch can rot for all I care!" and as he turned to leave, the door slammed in his face. Grimmjow twisted the knob but it wouldn't budge. Kyoshiro hurried over to help and Bastet said, "Wow. I guess my father really does want you guys to look after me. But why? How can humans protect me?" and Grimmjow finally got sick of her calling them humans.

He took his Espada form and Bastet gasped. "You…have a sword…and really nice muscles." She said and she walked over and stared at his muscular stomach and arms. "Well, I have to say you aren't half bad looking." Ulquiorra glared at her. "But you have a hole in your belly-button and there's a ugly mask on your face! Ew! And your hair color is weird, can't you dye it blonde or—?"

"Shut your ass up!" Grimmjow snapped and Bastet looked mortally offended. "How dare you talk to me that way you pig—?"

"How dare _you_ talk to _me_ that way, you ugly bitch!" Grimmjow raged and Weed mimed taking deep breaths and Grimmjow paused and took in a few huge breaths. Bastet looked at him strangely and walked into the bathroom to apply her make-up, closing the door behind her.

Blue said loudly, "So what do we do? Apparently we can't leave unless we take her with us." Grimmjow growled and he said, "No chance in hell does this bitch come home with us!" and the entire cave began shaking and a bolt of lightening came down and zapped Grimmjow right between the legs. Grimmjow froze. He flipped the ceiling his middle finger and simply stood there, clutching his neither regions.

Kyoshiro groaned. "You have got to be kidding me…she has to stay with us? No—I mean! Uh…yeah, that can be arranged." He said quickly as the floor shook again. Grimmjow released a deep growl. Bastet reemerged from the bathroom, humming. "Fine. Woman, get your shit and come with us." And he limped out of the room, leaving Bastet to stare after him in surprise. "Oh…thank you!" she said, her tone shocked.

This was going to be annoying…

* * *

"Like, uh, thanks for taking care of me and all, but why do I have to wear these awful clothes?" Bastet complained, glaring at the jeans and black shirt she was supposed to wear. Kyoshiro said, "What, you want to walk around and get stared at by a million people?"

"As a matter of fact, peasant—!"

"No one cares what you think. _We_ don't want to get in trouble and questioned." And Bastet growled and tugged at the mask she was being forced to wear. Ulquiorra said, "We'll go through Chelsea Market. It's a shorter way home I suppose."

"You said your kingdom was attacked. Is your father alright?" Weed asked. "Oh yes! He is definitely alright! If he weren't the sun would have set! He's the sun-God, Ra!" Grimmjow snorted and Bastet glared at him. "It is true, peasant!" Grimmjow glared at her. "Quit calling me peasant! My name is Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!"

"And I'm Kyoshiro." Kyoshiro said, "So quit calling me peasant as well!" Bastet turned to Weed and Blue. "Oh…I'm Weed, pleased to meet you miss Bastet." and Blue said, "I'm Blue." Ulquiorra said, "Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Ul—what? Is your name Mexican? Because it sounds stupid!"

Grimmjow immediately got angry. "Hey, shut your trap or I'll change my mind! And regardless of whether you want my opinion or not, his name is actually one of the most attractive names I've heard, so shut up." Ulquiorra looked over at him, a sort of light in his eyes. "Grimmjow, that was nice of you, but remembered you promised to control your temper." Blue said and Grimmjow hastily bit back his retort.

They began to walk through the market, Bastet chatting none stop. "So then," said Bastet to Weed who was merely humoring her, "So, then my friend Isis and I saw this really cute God and Isis was all like 'Oh my God!' and I was like 'Yeah!' because, you know, he's really cute, but sadly he's already taken! And then she was like, 'You wanna go shopping?' and I was like 'Yeah!' and then I had to go put on my make-up and then I tripped and fell and—!"

Grimmjow was twitching and looking ready to explode.

"Oh, God, make it _stop_!"

"And then I was like 'He's so cute!' and she was all like—!"

"Would you SHUT THE FUCK _UP_?" he roared and Bastet jumped.

"That was rude! No I will _not_ shut up! By the way, your hair is stupid! I hate the color blue, it makes you look dumb! Oh and your face, as attractive as it is, is ruined by that scowl. Stop scowling I don't like it." Bastet said. Grimmjow's fists clenched. "You don't like—you don't—! I don't like your _face_!" he yelled and Weed ran over and pushed Grimmjow away from her and said, "Deep breaths! Everyone, do it with him!" and everyone except Ulquiorra got into a line and took in deep breathes, Weed however kept taking deep breathes seconds after everyone else had stopped.

He realized everyone had stopped and looked sheepish. Bastet rolled her eyes while Ulquiorra felt strangely amused but pleasantly surprised watching Grimmjow attempting to calm himself. Bastet made to insult Grimmjow again but instead he walked away grumbling, "…Temper…fucking temper…temper…temper…!"

"Oh yeah," Bastet said, "And your hair is a mess and your armpits seriously—!" Grimmjow's head whipped around and he said, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!" and he stomped away. Ulquiorra blinked. "He actually didn't beat her to death." Kyoshiro said, eyes wide. Blue smiled. "He's actually trying!"

"I am not surprised. Grimmjow _is_ a man of his word. If he says he'll do something, he'll do it. Though that can either be a good thing or a bad thing." Ulquiorra noted, some admiration in his voice. He then glared at Bastet and he said coldly, "Know your place, woman. We do not care if you're a Goddess or not. We did not have to take you with us, but we did. Be grateful we even agreed to baby-sit you." Bastet scoffed and lifted her mask slightly in order to fan her face. "You are not baby-sitting me! You're _protecting_ me!" and Grimmjow stopped walking and turned around. "_Protecting_ you?" Grimmjow said, wide eyed.

"From what?" Weed asked. And then behind them, people began screaming. Blue turned around and gasped when she saw them. Gargoyle like creatures, all of them seemingly made of dark gray mist and all of them wielding weapons, were flying towards them, slicing through anyone they came across! Bastet screamed! "It's Apep's army! Hurry, run!" and she began to run away through the market. "Protect me!" she shrieked. And Kyoshiro ran by and seized Bastet's hand and began to drag her towards the nearest exit.

However, as Kyoshiro and Bastet reached the exit, the ceiling caved in and the doors were blocked up! "Ah shit! Oh well, get ready to fight!" Kyoshiro called running back to his group. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both pressed buttons on their watches and within seconds they were in their Espada forms. "But what about me?" Bastet said.

"Hey, Princesa, get with me!" Grimmjow barked and Bastet ran to him only to be cut off as an armed beast leapt out in front of her. She screamed and he swung an ax at her. Grimmjow kicked him and he felt the cold blade graze his stomach.

"Is that the best you got?" Grimmjow said mockingly and he slammed his foot into the beast's chin. He slammed a hard fist into Grimmjow's stomach and Grimmjow thrust his sword through the thing's chest. Bastet looked sick and she ran to hide behind a gelato stand. "Someone protect—ME!" she shrieked as Weed crashed into the gelato stand and was almost speared by an attacking creature.

Grimmjow's opponent was still alive however, but just barely, and it swung its axe at Grimmjow. Grimmjow brought up his sword to block and felt sparks burn his skin. Grimmjow kicked the creature in the stomach and its body crumpled to the floor.

Strangely enough, so few of these beasts had weapons. They relied mostly on brute strength. And elsewhere, Weed slipped and slid across the polished floor and was kicked by one of the creatures. The beast picked him up and Weed lunged, his fangs sinking into the thing's eye. The creature hurled Weed and Blue slammed a kick into its stomach and Kyoshiro seized a bar stool and smashed it into the creature's head.

Ulquiorra tore through the crowd, taking down anyone with weapons. A double bladed axe barely missed his shoulder and Ulquiorra seized the handle and pushed it away from him at the last minute. Ulquiorra fired a cero and the creature was destroyed along with several others. Grimmjow kicked one of the creature's in the face and stabbed him in the stomach and his sword went through another one behind his opponent. Grimmjow blinked when he realized he had speared two of them. He grinned and kicked them both away from his sword.

Kyoshiro slipped on the floor and just barely missed the axe swung at his head. Kyoshiro kicked the thing's feet out from underneath him and Grimmjow kicked it across the room. Grimmjow fired two ceros from his hands and half the things running at him were destroyed. "Too easy!" Grimmjow growled, seizing the face of one of his opponents before throwing him. Grimmjow tore after it and kicked it into the floor, leaving a small crater in the ground.

Ulquiorra moved quickly through the room, quickly killing anything that ran at him. He was seized from behind and lifted off his feet. He was thrown across the room and the thing ran after him and brought its axe crashing towards him.

Ulquiorra stabbed the thing in the face and caught its blade in his hand. Blue kicked the creature away from him and another one ran at Kyoshiro. Blue rammed the thing, throwing it into the wall and she lunged, sinking her teeth into its neck. The creature screamed and ran away only to be struck down by the laughing Grimmjow.

Blue saw four running from all sides at her and she leapt over them. The creatures crashed into each other and Blue managed to knock each of their feet out from underneath them. Blue heard a yell behind her and she turned and slammed her head into the thing's face and it staggered backwards and she ran around him and kicked him into a glass door. And behind her, Grimmjow was lifted and thrown into several baskets. He snarled and kicked a large shelf over onto two of the demons below him.

Grimmjow hurried to Ulquiorra and they both fired ceros at the final horde running at them and, behind them, Blue lifted a creature in her jaws and hurled him into the gelato stand and the stand tipped over onto him. Bastet gaped. "Wow…you guys are…amazing! I have such awesome bodyguards!" and all of them glared at her.

Before any of them could express their anger however, the ground began shaking. Bastet gasped, an expression of horror on her face. Grimmjow turned around. Nothing was there. And then the ground suddenly got warmer. Grimmjow winced and hopped from one foot to the other as the ground suddenly became _unbearable_ hot. "What the hell is—?" and the ground beneath his feet exploded!

Grimmjow was thrown across the room and smacked his head against the ground and he yelped, closing his eyes tightly. When he opened them, he felt his mouth slip open in shock. A massive Cobra towered above him, almost every scale on its body aflame, its jaws wide open. Each of its teeth were about the length and size of a human torso and it's massive body was at least a mile long. As for its size, it towered at least five stories high however it had to crouch so its head would skim the ceiling. This did not affect its speed.

It lashed out at him and Grimmjow only dodged out of luck and its teeth sunk into the ground, leaving deep gauge marks on the hard floor. And it lunged for Weed and Weed scrambled away, his paws slipping on the ground and its tail struck him, throwing him into the wall.

It lunged for Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra used sonido to avoid it and landed in front of Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed who was still recovering from the blow. Kyoshiro snarled, his hackles rising and the snake turned a fierce glare on him.

It struck and Kyoshiro leapt to the side and snapped at its nose, his teeth skimming across the serpent's scales. The snake hissed and he said in a high pitched voice, "You have nerve, dog. Tell me, mortals, where is Bastet? Tell me, and I will not torture you. If you tell me, I will be kind and I will make your deaths quick."

"We don't know anything about this Bastet you are looking for," Ulquiorra said, making sure he was between Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and the snake. Blue moved forward to pull him back but Ulquiorra removed his wrist from her grasp and said, "Leave us be and continue your search. If you try and harm us, I will kill you." The snake stared at him and a leer twisted its face. "You can never kill me." He hissed.

And the snake's massive body surrounded them, its horrible face inches from theirs. Its breath was freezing cold and smelled of rotting flesh, poison and blood. "Harming us will not help you find the person you're looking for. Leave us alone!" Weed said and the snake hissed, its horrible breath making goose bumps erupt on Ulquiorra's skin.

"I…think…not…" it hissed and it struck and Ulquiorra had just raised his sword to the snake's neck when the snake let out a horrible cry as it's back was ripped into. Grimmjow had recovered and sunk his sword deep into the snake's back and began dragging it down, ripping a deep wound down towards its tail. The serpent shrieked and turned towards Grimmjow. And before Ulquiorra could maim the distracted snake, the snake lifted its flaming tail and whipped it across Grimmjow's chest.

Grimmjow slid backwards with a yell and Ulquiorra could see flames licking at his chest. And Bastet screamed, "STOP, DROP AND ROLL! OOPS!" and the serpent's head whipped in her direction. Bastet shrieked and ran away from him as the serpent lunged for the gelato cart she hid behind. Ulquiorra ran to Grimmjow and said, "Are you alright?" and Grimmjow only hissed in response, his arm covering the wound on his chest. "Start moving he's coming!" Kyoshiro called. And then Grimmjow spotted it.

In a store to his right on display was a large, handsome, black car. Grimmjow smirked. "I got this!" he called and he tore towards the store and his friends hastily followed him. Grimmjow began to search the floor. He saw the body of the manager and checked his pockets. Car keys. "Get in the car!" he called and Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "Are you seri—?" and Grimmjow nodded. "I'm dead serious! Get in!"

Grimmjow stared at the massive, furious serpent and said, a leering smirk on his face, "Don't you dare go forgetting my name, serpent! Grimmjow Jaegerjaques! The next time you hear this name, will be your last, I promise you that!" and then giant serpent lunged and Grimmjow vanished and appeared behind him and fired a cero up at the ceiling. The ceiling caved in on the serpent and Grimmjow heard Ulquiorra calling him.

"I'm not getting in the car, its ugly!" Bastet exclaimed and Ulquiorra forced her in the backseat with Blue and Kyoshiro, Weed scrambled to sit on the floor at their feet. And Grimmjow was beside Ulquiorra and climbing into the driver's seat beside him. Grimmjow turned the ignition keys and just as he started the engine, the serpent seized the back of the car. Grimmjow slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and the tires began to smoke as the snake held them back.

Weed suddenly leapt from the open window and lunged, biting the snake in the eye. The serpent let out a high pitched howl and released the car and Blue dangled out of the door to catch Weed as he jumped down and she pulled him inside and slammed the door shut behind them as the car shot through the display cases and out through the glass doors, leaving a trail of fire and smoke behind it.

And Apep reared up, blood pouring from his eye. "I _will_ find you, mortals!" he said, his voice dangerously low and an evil smile playing on his face. "The world isn't a big enough place to hide you from me! I will hunt you until Ra _falls_ from the sky! I promise _you_ that, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!"

Grimmjow turned the wheel, and the rear of the car almost collided with a building across the street from them as it turned violently to get back on the road, leaving tire tracks behind it as it rounded the corner and almost caused several traffic accidents as cars stopped in order to avoid a collision.

Weed watched from the window and noticed that the car tires were still smoking badly, leaving a massive trail of smoke behind them. At this rate it would be impossible for that demon snake to find them. Despite that they couldn't be followed, Grimmjow still didn't slow the car until they were in their neighborhood.

* * *

Grimmjow stared at his reflection and winced at the amount of blood leaking through his shirt.. "Jesus shit." He said, not sure what the hell to do with it. He opened the medicine cabinet and saw a box of band-aids. He opened a band-aid and frowned. He would need _twelve _boxes of these to stop the bleeding.

Before Grimmjow grumble that this was a pain in the ass, Ulquiorra walked in and looked from the band-aid box to Grimmjow. His lips twitched. "Put those down and follow me. I found bandages." And Grimmjow said, "I don't need help." But he followed Ulquiorra anyway.

Blue was sitting with Kyoshiro on the sofa, helping him patch up his wounds and Weed was putting band-aids and bandages on himself. Bastet was doing her nails and not helping at all. Grimmjow took the roll of bandages from Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra said, "I'll assist you. You can't wrap yourself." Grimmjow removed his shirt and Ulquiorra's lips tightened at the rather gruesome wound. There was a hideous burn on his chest that started at his collarbone and worked its way down to his right hipbone.

Ulquiorra asked Blue to pass him a bowl and she passed him a bowl full of clear liquid. Grimmjow scowled as he got a sniff of it. Ulquiorra wet a cloth in the liquid and said, "Come here. This will sting a bit." And Grimmjow immediately began maneuvering his body in a different direction as Ulquiorra attempted to clean the wound. Ulquiorra glared at him. "Hold still."

And the instant the antibiotic touched his skin Grimmjow yelled aloud. "OW! That _hur_t!" Grimmjow yelled angrily in Ulquiorra's face. Though Ulquiorra wasn't alarmed he wasn't happy either. "Then hold still and let me get it over with."

"No!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra said, "Then if you don't want this, next time don't attack a fifty-foot tall snake _alone_, you _idiot_."

"Well, if _she_ had warned us that she was being hunted down, _none _of us would have had to deal with this crap!" Grimmjow argued after a moment of trying to find the right come back.

Bastet came running into the room with a bowl of water. "Alright, Grimmy let's get you cleaned up and—hey! I was going to clean him!" she pouted, glaring at Ulquiorra. "You?" Ulquiorra said curiously and Bastet said, "Yes, me! It's up to a woman to look after her man anyway!" A scowl came onto Ulquiorra's face and he said, "Her man?" and Grimmjow said angrily, "Oi, I am not _your_ man!"

"But you saved me from that creature with the axe!"

"Because I wanted to fight him! It had nothing to do with you!"

"Liar! You like me! Ulqui-whatever-your-name-is, get out of my way!" she said, sitting down beside him and Ulquiorra slammed his antibiotic pad against Grimmjow chest and the man hissed in pain. Grimmjow grumbled while Ulquiorra cleaned his wound and Bastet kept attempting to butt in.

Ulquiorra began to bandage his wounds gently and Grimmjow smirked. "Thank you, nurse. Kiss it better?" And Ulquiorra glared at him but didn't reply. Ulquiorra attempted to patch himself up but Grimmjow hastened to help him. Bastet growled and said, "Did I do nothing? What are you two, lovers?"

Ulquiorra nodded forcefully at her and Bastet groaned. "Well, can't you change your mind and like women?" she asked Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's fist clenched in his lap. "I mean, the whole gay thing is a choice right?"

Kyoshiro said, "No, it isn't. Shut up." and Bastet said, "I wasn't asking you, Kyo…something." Grimmjow looked down at Ulquiorra and saw the man frowning. Grimmjow poked his forehead and said, "Oi, chin up. There's a cut on your cheek."

"It must have come from the rubble before I took my Espada form. My hierro was strong enough to prevent any damage from those creatures."

"Guys, up here!" Weed called from the top of the stairs. They all followed him up to the roof. In the distance towards the north, the darkest clouds Grimmjow had ever seen had began to gather. And even from this distance, they could all make out the thick, thick rain. "What on Earth?" Blue said and Bastet whimpered. "It's Apep…he's looking for us…" Weed looked over in alarm. "That's him?"

"No…its his minions! He holds the powers of the elements, earth, wind, water, fire…everything! He can cause storms just like that one! His minions are in the rain! They will search the city streets and as soon as the rain clouds get over here…we'll be doomed!" she said dramatically. Grimmjow smirked. "Like in Chubby Rain?" and Kyoshiro snorted with laughter.

"Those gargoyle like things are in the rain? He has that many?" Kyoshiro said nervously. Bastet nodded. "Each raindrop contains one of his minions. There are thousands of them! With this power they are able to see through windows as the raindrops cling to them, they can drip down into the sewers, they can search the streets…and flooding is the worst possible thing that can happen! You have to protect me!" she wailed, hugging Grimmjow and Ulquiorra sent a cold glare at her.

"Protect you? We have ourselves to worry about!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue said to Bastet, "Why does he want to find you? What does he stand to gain?" and Bastet said, "Um…should I tell you guys…? Yes, I suppose so…there is a legend about my father, Ra—actually it is a fact. If you learn Ra's real name, you get as much of his power as he is willing to give you." she said.

"I see!" Weed exclaimed. "He wants you to tell him Ra's name!" and Bastet shook her head. "But I don't know it!" Ulquiorra said with venom, "I think it is painfully obvious you know about as much as a rock." Grimmjow sniggered and Basted glared at Ulquiorra and clutched Grimmjow's arm. "Don't be mean to me, Ulq—whatever your face is! Tell him, Grimmy!"

Weed saw something angry cross Ulquiorra's face and he frowned. "Shut up." Grimmjow said. "Maybe he wants to use you as a means of getting Ra to confess?" Grimmjow said, shivering and pulling his shirt back on and wincing slightly as the bandages brushed his wounds. Blue said, "Well, whatever the case may be, we have to prepare ourselves. That rain is moving awful slowly, but we have to be ready for when it hits."

"But someone has to look after me!" Bastet squeaked, looking around the moody group. Kyoshiro shook his head hastily as Bastet looked at him and Weed frowned, unsure what to say as she turned towards him, Ulquiorra immediately looked away from her and Blue smiled nervously. And Grimmjow suddenly got an idea.

* * *

Grimmjow had finally found something that calmed him down. His guitar. He found that, strangely enough if he concentrated on something other than what he was angry about, it made him feel slightly better. So, there he sat on his and Ulquiorra's bed, reading from some music sheet. He was trying to learn a song that had been on his mind.

No, he never had sung before. He actually was not afraid to admit he had a pretty awesome voice! When he had had his band, they had wrote music for battles or just whatever they felt like and it was always something hard rock. But this time he had an acoustic guitar, not an electric guitar. He missed his old electric. He had broken it one night during a fit of rage.

Grimmjow strummed a few of the notes and cursed and then immediately reprimanded himself. He kept getting it wrong! He tried again and scowled. Why were the music notes so difficult? Grimmjow finally got pissed and began strumming his guitar so fast his fingers went numb just as Ulquiorra entered the room. "Fuck this fucking—ugh! Stop cursing, right?" Grimmjow grumbled, setting his elbow upon his knee and his chin in his hand.

Ulquiorra crossed the room and sat on the bed beside him and said, "Bastet won't eat. She's complaining the food is too average. I had to get away from the complaining." And he lay back and rested his head in Grimmjow's lap. "So you came to me? Heh. Smart choice."

Ulquiorra's shoulders were tense. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow. "What?" Ulquiorra said, "I'm—I'm just surprised you are trying to find ways to calm yourself. You surprise me, still." Grimmjow felt a tired smile crossing his face. He stroked Ulquiorra's hair. "Liar. That's not it, is it?"

"It's nothing I wish to discuss. I will rise above it." Ulquiorra said, his hand rising to Grimmjow's cheek. Grimmjow began to message his shoulders and Ulquiorra groaned slightly, his eyes closing. Grimmjow said, "Ulqui? You listening?"

"Mm hm." Ulquiorra murmured, seemingly half asleep. Grimmjow grinned. "I'm gonna watch the Princesa." And Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I'm gonna watch her. She likes me, she'll listen to me and she'll leave you lot alone—not that I care but still, I don't want to live with you complaining about her every second. She has the hots for me and I think I could use that to my advantage and get her to cooperate with our way of living. So yeah. I'll also escort the Ass places and that way, I'll possibly be able to focus less on being pissed. How's that?" Grimmjow asked, proud of himself.

_Anyway, _Grimmjow thought, _the closer I am to the Princesa, the closer I am to finding and killing Apep._

Ulquiorra sat up and Grimmjow saw something strange in his beautiful eyes. He saw his brow furrow and saw an almost concerned look cross his face. "Ulqui?" Ulquiorra stood and crossed to the door and said, "Do as you wish. What you do with that woman doesn't matter to me." And the door closed behind him.

* * *

It was dawn the next morning and Grimmjow awoke to complete silence. The room was also very cold. He shuddered and yanked the blankets away from Ulquiorra's sleeping form and then he remembered that Ulquiorra still had a bit of a cold and hastily gave him more blanket to huddle under.

Grimmjow felt a wide smile burst across his face as Ulquiorra inched closer to him for warmth. Grimmjow hastily pulled him into a tight hug and pressed his face into Ulquiorra's shoulder. That was better. Ulquiorra was very warm…He could feel Ulquiorra starting to stir as he awoke and Grimmjow knew Ulquiorra would soon want to separate from him so he loosened his hold on Ulquiorra's small shoulders.

"Morning Sunshine." Grimmjow purred, a wide smirk on his face as he saw Ulquiorra blink sleepily and frown at the nickname. "If you ever call me that…" Ulquiorra slurred, hitting his chest and Grimmjow snorted.

And then both of them felt something hairy brush against their legs.

They both peered underneath the blankets and saw something curled up between them both. Something hairy. And before either of them could scream, Bastet surfaced from the blankets between them with a very loud yawn, white cream all over her face and two green pieces of vegetable on her eyes. She hugged Grimmjow.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at each other.

The door to Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's room burst open and both of them ran outside, Grimmjow yelling in horror and Ulquiorra mentally screaming. And that was how their day started!

"How the hell did you get in there?" Grimmjow yelled at her and Bastet said, "Well, I tried sleeping on the couch like you said, but it was so uncomfortable! So then I tried sleeping in Blue's room but their bed was too crowded! And it had dog hair all over it! Ew! So then I figured I'd sleep with you two! But your bed was even more crowded so I had to sleep at your feet under the blankets! Grimmjow! Your feet smell, I demand you to clean them!"

Grimmjow aimed a swipe at her and said, "And _I_ demand _you _to stay the hell away from my bedroom! Don't ever do that again, got it?" and Bastet immediately nodded, saying, "Alright, fine! How dare you talk to me that way, though! You can always ask me nicely! And by the way, are you going to go straight yet? Because, like…I have to get married in two weeks!"

Grimmjow almost exploded at her but Ulquiorra dragged him away from her before he could lose his temper. Grimmjow punched the refrigerator and snarled before opening it and trying to find something edible. "Stupid whore…" he grumbled. Ulquiorra meanwhile was casting a very hard glare at Bastet as she looked over Grimmjow.

"Grimmy, make some breakfast for me too!" she said happily and Ulquiorra said, "And why should _he_ make breakfast for you? Why not someone else?" and Bastet said, "Because he is my future husband-to-be!" and Ulquiorra's face darkened. "Says who?"

"Me!" she exclaimed. "That is not very promising then." Ulquiorra said with venom and Grimmjow barked, "Stop having a bitch fight and both of you, back off of me! Your acting like a couple of little girls!" Grimmjow said angrily before finally finding some bacon and eggs and preparing to cook them.

And finally, on Bastet's demand, Grimmjow took Bastet for a walk on the Hudson River. Of course, his friends went with him, but Bastet only had eyes for him. "Why the fuck do you like me so much? I thought you hated me!" Grimmjow said while Bastet ate her first ice cream. "I do hate you! But you are really cute! So, once we're married, you'll have to change your personality and stuff!"

Blue saw Ulquiorra's arms tense and she could tell his fists were clenching in his pockets. Blue frowned and said, "Is she bothering you?" and Ulquiorra said, "Nope." With such coldness in his voice Blue winced. "Sorry." Ulquiorra added and Blue felt slightly alarmed when she saw how angry his stare was as Bastet clutched onto Grimmjow's arm only to be pushed away. Of course she came back and hugged him.

"Oh my God." Kyoshiro said. Ulquiorra looked over at him. "What?"

"You are jealous! Ulquiorra is, fucking, jealous!" he said loudly and Ulquiorra glared at him and Kyoshiro said, "Sorry…but seriously! You are jealous? I never thought this day would come!" and Weed looked over in surprise. "_Ulquiorra_'s jealous?" he said, wide-eyed.

"I am not jealous. Jealous is for women. I am a little tense because of those rain clouds several miles ahead of us. They will not reach us today but they make me uneasy. We need a plan for—," Ulquiorra went quiet when he saw Grimmjow moodily snatch a napkin from his pocket and wipe at Bastet's messy, furry, face.

She smiled widely at him and she ran ahead to go talk to a dog. Grimmjow rolled his eyes, smiled just slightly and hurried after her. Weed turned around when Ulquiorra began to walk away towards their home. "Huh? Ulquiorra!"

"I'll come back after I have purged my stomach free of Grimmjow and that woman's sickening display." Ulquiorra growled, not even bothering to tuck his hands into his pockets as he walked away.

* * *

Ulquiorra sat on the couch after dinner, listening to Grimmjow reading to Bastet in their bedroom. He scowled. He wasn't jealous. Or insecure. He had no reason to be. Grimmjow had proven he was dedicated to Ulquiorra many times. So why did Ulquiorra suddenly want to break something—possibly Bastet's neck? Was he jealous? He couldn't be, no—he _refused_ to be. Grimmjow had gotten jealous and possessive many times over him and Ulquiorra had been the mature one through-out those times, which was something he prided himself on.

He could not be jealous! For all his talk and his belief that he was above such inferior emotions like jealousy and possessiveness, he could _not _be getting jealous! Kyoshiro said, "You know, no one is above jealousy, Ulquiorra. And its actually pretty damn understandable. She's come into your house and she's started flirting and clinging to Grimmjow, AKA your property."

"He isn't my property. I do not own him." Ulquiorra said, not liking Kyoshiro's choice of words at all. Kyoshiro frowned and said, "Well, you know what I mean! You both belong to each other, I didn't mean it like he's your object. He's your mate. And suddenly someone else almost likes him as much as you do." Kyoshiro said, rolling onto his back. "Trust me, I know the feeling." He said moodily, glancing over at Blue as she chatted to Hige, her boyfriend. She almost looked troubled as she spoke to him in a cheery voice.

Ulquiorra scowled a little. "She doesn't like him as much as I do. She doesn't know him, she doesn't understand him, how he works, what he likes, she'd have him change his entire personality if she married him. He hates people like that." And then Ulquiorra frowned, suddenly troubled. "But I've asked him to change too…"

"And he's done it _willingly_." Blue said from the kitchen. "For her he would never do it willingly."

"Hey, just punch her out!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Ulquiorra said, "I will not. Despite that she is trash, I know how vital she is to us. If she were to fall into the wrong hands, I know what could become of us and of this world. We have to be careful not to upset her. I will not maim her. I have to tolerate her." There was something bitter in his voice and Weed said, "That's kind of noble actually. I mean, even though she's really angering you and getting in between you and Grimmjow, you're still willing to put up with her."

Ulquiorra scoffed. "It is hardly noble. I don't want to be jealous." He added, frowning at the floor. Blue said, "Everyone gets jealous over something. This just means you care Ulquiorra." She said, smiling reassuringly at him. "And if I were you, I really would have punched her out." Blue admitted somewhat guiltily. "She really is being horrible to him, trying to convince him to turn straight, to marry her, constantly chastising his appearance and his attitude...we should get her to stop."

Ulquiorra stood and said that he was going to bed and his three friends wished him a goodnight before starting to head upstairs as well. Ulquiorra stopped outside his room and felt a chill enter his stomach.

Grimmjow was asleep on the bed and Bastet lay curled up beside him, her head resting on his chest and her arms around him. Ulquiorra felt something akin to hurt but it quickly gave way to anger and he closed the door before heading downstairs to sleep on the couch. And as he lay downstairs alone, he felt his anger give way to a strange feeling of loneliness.

And he drifted into a very uneasy sleep.

* * *

The hunger woke Grimmjow somewhere around midnight and he straightened up and jumped when he saw Bastet was lying in bed beside him. When the heck had that happened? "Creepy bitch…" he mumbled. And he stood and went downstairs to quench his hunger and find Ulquiorra.

He had eaten little because Bastet had gotten him angry while he was eating and therefore, he had got a stomach ache that had made him retire early. Grimmjow jumped the last step and looked ahead of him and saw Ulquiorra curled up on the couch. Grimmjow crossed over and peered down at him, his tired grumpiness fading slightly at the sight of that sleeping face.

He raised a hand to brush a few locks of ebony hair from the sleeping man's face but stopped and murmured, "Why the hell aren't you upstairs? Why down here?" he mumbled, seizing the afghan blanket and throwing it over Ulquiorra before heading towards the kitchen.

Before he had gotten half way there however he heard a voice say, "Grimmy-Grimmy." And Grimmjow snarled in annoyance. "What?" he snapped and Bastet hopped down the stairs towards him and she said, "You know, Grimmy-Grimmy, I was thinking…you want power right?" and Grimmjow said, "Hell yeah. Why?"

And before he could attempt to get to the kitchen, Bastet draped an arm around his shoulders and he staggered backwards until she pinned him against the counter. He scowled. "The fuck, woman? Get offa me." And she said, "I could give you all the power in the world." And Grimmjow stopped attempting to move away from her and listened intently. "How?"

"If you were to become my husband, you would have all the power in the world. You would be a _God_. I could give you everything you ever wanted, you would live away from this smelly city and in a palace and when my father finally does die, you would be a King. A King of unbelievable power and ruler of heaven and Earth!"

Grimmjow could feel his pulse quickening and he had actually stopped breathing for a moment. "Are you serious?" he breathed and Bastet nodded. "Quite serious." And Grimmjow thought about it. He would rule everything, he would have unbelievable power, power beyond description. An all powerful King—_more_ than a King! He would be a _God_. He could crush his enemies in a single swipe. And all he had to do was—was marry her.

"What about Ulquiorra? And Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro? Would they get a share of it?" he asked. Bastet said, her hand on his chest and her leg draped over his "Mere peasants like them would not deserve to even be in your presence! You could have everything!" _Everything. A God! No one could ever kill me! I could destroy me enemies instantly and—and…and that would be so boring. _Grimmjow felt his enthusiasm falter. _If I'm a God…I'd have no enemies I couldn't destroy without a challenge. If I'm a God, I'd have everything but…but what happens after you have everything? Nothing. You just sit around bored I guess. And I'd have to marry _her_. And…and I'd never see any of my friends again. That would…kind of suck. Tch._

Grimmjow pushed her off of him and said, "Go the hell to bed. And I don't mean my bed!" but she was already hurrying upstairs with a pout on her face. Grimmjow leaned against the counter and frowned.

"Are you going to leave?" and Grimmjow turned around. Ulquiorra was sitting up on the couch behind him. He wasn't looking at him. "That woman sounds like she has a promising future for you. Are you going to take her offer?"

Grimmjow answered, "No. I'm not." And Ulquiorra turned towards him, a look of minor surprise on his face. Grimmjow rolled his eyes and said, "And you claim you know me well. What a ton of crap…I'm not going to take her offer because its shitty. I learned a long time ago that being King is a lonely position. I know enough to guess that if you had everything, everything in the world, life would be boring as shit. Besides, everything ain't everything if you aren't there. So stop being paranoid."

Ulquiorra stared at him and then he looked down at the ground, his shoulders slumping. Grimmjow frowned. Ulquiorra had been that tense? Why? Grimmjow crossed over to him and squatted down in front of him and looked at him. He stared until Ulquiorra looked over at him. Ulquiorra's gaze was gentle. "Giving up everything for me? That's a bit—surprising, I'll admit."

Grimmjow shrugged, pulling Ulquiorra forward by the shirt to kiss him. He felt Ulquiorra pull him close—his arms around Grimmjow's neck in the way Grimmjow had grown to find highly arousing and intimate—and Grimmjow could tell he was savoring this. Grimmjow separated from their kiss and said, staring up into Ulquiorra's troubled eyes, "The hell is up with you, Ulquiorra? You've been acting weird." Ulquiorra frowned, resting his forehead against Grimmjow's. Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra open his mouth to speak and then close it. Grimmjow sighed impatiently and Ulquiorra said, "You are imagining things. I want to sleep. Goodnight." And Ulquiorra rolled onto his back.

Grimmjow was not satisfied with this answer and he growled, "Ulquiorra…" and Ulquiorra curled up beneath his blanket. "Goodnight." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Pain in the ass…" but Grimmjow curled up on the couch beside him, pulling Ulquiorra close to him. "G'night, Ulqui…" he murmured and he felt Ulquiorra snuggle closer to him. He could not help, for the life of him, feeling worried. Ulquiorra normally never acted this way. Suddenly he almost seemed insecure and nervous and it was unnerving Grimmjow to a great extent.

But it had seemed things would be alright from there. Grimmjow would confront Ulquiorra about it and sort out whatever problems they had. Tomorrow would be a day like any other, crazy and annoying. Grimmjow was completely wrong in this assumption. In fact, tomorrow would be one of the worst days of his life and he would find himself wishing, again and again, to take everything back. Why did he always have to make so many mistakes before he and those important to him had to learn the hard way? Why couldn't one fuck-up be enough to teach him? Things could never be that way, could they?

No. They never could…

* * *

Grimmjow and the others finally had a plan for when the rain hit their area. They would board up the windows and make sure no water could get into their house. They would not use tap water at all or else risk Apep's army finding them so they would save up on water and take extra precautions so that not even a drop of water entered their house.

They were outside looking for supplies and buying many, many boxes of bottled water. The sky was clear and cloudless but they could all see the massive rain clouds in the distance inching closer. Blue suddenly remembered a question from two days ago that she had forgotten to ask Ulquiorra. "Where did you get those watches?" she asked.

Ulquiorra said, "Shizatte. She made these for us. If we press a button on our watch, we will simply change into Espada. We can still use Gigais of course, but if we press the button on our watches, we do not need to worry about carrying our bodies around, losing them or having people cause a fuss about seeing a lifeless body lying around."

"That's useful!" Weed said eagerly hurrying over to offer help to Grimmjow who seemed to be moody. Bastet kept talking to him and touching him and Grimmjow was really starting to get sick of it. "So, then, Isis got really mad! I don't know why! She was really, really mad. I think…I think she was upset because I used all her nail-polish. But it was really nice and it was my favorite color! And then she said I was the worst friend ever! Can you imagine—?"

"Bastet!" Grimmjow snapped, a vein pulsing in his temple. "Would you shut up?" and Blue said, "Uh, what Grimmjow means is—!" and Grimmjow let out a snarl of frustration and stomped over to an ATM to get more cash. "No, Blue, I don't mean anything other than what I just said!"

They finally found a store and before Ulquiorra could pair off with Grimmjow to go and find stuff, Bastet was dragging him away. Kyoshiro saw Ulquiorra's lips tighten and follow them anyway. Grimmjow meanwhile marched through the store with Bastet, looking for rain-proof covers to place over the windows and doors.

"You know," Bastet said, "As rude as your friends are, Grimmy-Grimmy, they really aren't that bad. Kyoshiro is actually kind of funny, Blue…she's kind of cool! Weed's really sweet, too. Ulqui—whatever his name is…well, he's nice to you I guess." She said, chewing bubble gum while Grimmjow simply nodded. "They're an alright group." He mumbled, grinning slightly. _This anger management is starting to get to me though…_he thought, browsing the shelves.

"Yeah, they are kind of alright. Kind of. I mean, they are still peasants and you all are still below me," Grimmjow stopped walking. "But I suppose you are an okay group and I really do appreciate what you've done. It would be nice if you were royalty though and didn't live in such a boring house." Grimmjow growled. "Oi, listen up, woman. We're sticking our necks out for you! Show some respect to your protectors." Grimmjow snapped.

And then Bastet added with a smile, "But you know, it is nice to have friends, even if you are lowly peasants! I mean, not really anyone else at home wants to talk to me. Like, because I'm royalty and they are all too beneath me to talk to me! Kind of like you all, but I actually like you guys!" Grimmjow finally couldn't take it. He had had enough of this woman and her holier-than-thou bullshit "Is _that_ what they told you?" he asked, a sneer on his face. "Yeah, like…its kind of boring at home sometimes just because—!"

"Well, that's a ton of shit, isn't it? Well, let me tell you something, Princesa. You don't have friends, not in your stupid palace and not here. We're not your friends! We're people who were forced into taking you with us, forced into fighting a bunch of Gods for you and then forced into housing you!"

Bastet stammered. "But—but you agreed to be my care-taker!"

"Only because I want to beat the shit out of the guy hunting you! I didn't do it for _you_! I did it for my own benefit! What?" Grimmjow said when Bastet looked shocked. Grimmjow laughed. "You seriously—? Oh God…you thought I actually liked you? That's fucking sad…" Bastet looked tearful. "B-but…I thought you were my friend…I thought all of you were my…!"

"No, no I'm not and don't ever make that mistake again because I can't, fuckin' _stand_ you! And judging from the sounds of it, your entire _Kingdom_ can't either! Now stop it with this mushy bullshit and stop throwing your damn self all over me! I hate it! And next time you do it, I'll beat the shit out of you!"

Bastet stammered, her eyes wide and before Grimmjow could comprehend just what he'd said, Bastet said, "How—dare you talk to me like that?" and Grimmjow flung back his hand to smack her in her stupid face and she screamed in terror as his hand flew towards her face. And Grimmjow stopped, that scream freezing him in place. _Oh no…_

Bastet looked at him, wide eyed and close to tears. And Grimmjow realized what he had just said and almost done. It had almost been a completely unprovoked attack. It was how he was, it was in his nature, but suddenly he was horrified by himself as he realized what could happen to all of them if she were to refuse to come back with them. He didn't know what to say and he could only stammer, trying to find some way to take it back, to excuse his actions.

He felt sick. "Ah shit…Bastet, I—!" and Bastet burst into tears. Grimmjow felt his blood run cold and he raised a hand. "I didn't mean it—! I stopped myself, I didn't hurt you!" and Bastet pushed him away. "No! No! Don't touch me, you—you brute!" she wailed. "Bastet! I'm sorry, alright? Hey! Bastet, come back!" Grimmjow called almost imploringly and Bastet ran from him, running past Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed, all of whom had seen what had happened. They all couldn't look at him.

Grimmjow hid his face in his hand with a moan of frustration, his teeth clenched and his mouth turned down in a deep scowl. "Shit…" And from outside the store, they all heard a scream of terror and Grimmjow raced from the store, taking his Espada form. "Bastet!"

Apep was standing outside the store, Bastet wrapped in his coils. Grimmjow lunged at him, his sword drawn. Apep raised his tail and smacked him away, causing Grimmjow to fly into the building. Ulquiorra ran forward and Apep swung his tail at him and Ulquiorra barely dodged. Weed lunged, his teeth bared. Kyoshiro and Blue attacked as well with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Apep summoned a powerful wind and they were all blown into a large building across the street.

Weed was smacked by Apep's tail and Apep lunged, his fang grazing Kyoshiro's shoulder. Ulquiorra made to stab Apep in the head but Apep moved at the last second and Ulquiorra ended up slicing into his back. Apep smacked him off. He smacked Ulquiorra with his tail as he and Blue got to close and Ulquiorra flew right into a lamppost, breaking it in half. And then a massive portal opened and Apep called, "Thank you, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques!"

And Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed ran towards the portal. Grimmjow caught sight of Bastet's terrified face and he saw her reach out towards them just as the portal closed.

* * *

"That was absolutely despicable!" Blue said and Grimmjow winced. "I stopped myself. I didn't hit her."

"You were going to! That was a completely unprovoked attack! And now because of you, Apep will target us first the instant he seizes power! What you said to her was absolutely revolting! And what will you do if I anger you? Would you hit me too?" and Grimmjow exclaimed, "No! I wouldn't! I just lost it, alright? I've had her hanging over me for days, clinging to me and bothering me! I just had had enough!"

Kyoshiro said, "But you said you would be her care-taker! We all thought you knew what you were getting into! We all thought you knew about her and her flaws but that you were willing to put up with it!"

"I did but—!" Grimmjow exclaimed, suddenly unable to find a reasonable argument. "And you chased her away and right into Apep! I can't believe we were all stupid enough to trust you with her!" Kyoshiro raged. "And do you know what could happen to us now? If Ra confesses, Apep will take over the world! We'll all be destroyed! We should have thrown you in after her!"

Weed said, "We have to try to get Bastet back!" and Kyoshiro said, "Oh? And how are we going to do that?"

"Enough." It was Ulquiorra who spoke. Grimmjow looked up. "Start covering the windows. That storm will be here by tonight." Grimmjow felt his stomach jolt when he realized that Ulquiorra had not so much as looked at him since Bastet had ran from the store.

And Kyoshiro and the others left to go fix the windows, leaving Ulquiorra and Grimmjow by themselves. Ulquiorra finally did look over at him and Grimmjow suddenly couldn't bring himself to look back. He felt like such a bastard right now. Grimmjow looked him right in the face and said, "Ulquiorra, I'm sorry." And Ulquiorra looked away from him, his head hung low and his voice shaking as he replied, "I can't believe I listened to you. I'm such a fool for believing you could even have come close to changing. I just thought you would try, if not for them, than for me, like you promised you would. I'm such a fool…"

Grimmjow felt something in his throat tighten and he said, "Ulquiorra, don't—!" and Ulquiorra said, his saddened gaze finding Grimmjow's, "I thought you would tolerate her. I assumed you would tolerate her because I assumed you knew what would happen if you couldn't. I was wrong." Ulquiorra laughed bitterly, the sound making Grimmjow's heart clench.

Ulquiorra stared at him and Grimmjow could see pain in his eyes. "I believed in you. I should have known that with you, the outcome could have been nothing else but misery for all of us." And Grimmjow looked up, his eyes finding Ulquiorra's anguished ones. This was tearing him apart. He didn't want to be saying this, he didn't want to be hurting Grimmjow by saying these things to him, he didn't want to be feeling this way towards Grimmjow. And it was hurting Grimmjow too to know that he was the one who had put Ulquiorra in this kind of situation.

Grimmjow said, his voice shaking, "I'm sorry, Ulqui." And Ulquiorra just shook his head, closing his eyes. Ulquiorra turned away from him and began to head up the stairs. And then Ulquiorra said, "I give up. I give up on you." Grimmjow looked up, eyes wide. "If I thought you meant that…" and Ulquiorra looked right at him and said, "I give up on you. I'm sick of being disappointed by you, and I'm sure you're sick of being relied on to do things you don't know how or care to do."

Grimmjow felt something inside of him break, draining him of all his strength. He hung his head, the weight of those words pressing hard against him, suffocating him. He hated this. He hated himself for all of this. He hated himself for causing Ulquiorra and his other friends so much pain and for actually causing Ulquiorra, who stuck with him through thick and thin, to give up on him. And the worst bit was, he couldn't even say that he had really tried to control his temper or to stop this from happening.

Ulquiorra felt something burn against his eyes and he looked away from Grimmjow, unable to look at his broken form. Ulquiorra bit back the apologies flooding to his lips and turned, closing his eyes and keeping his jaw tightly clenched as he walked up the stairs, leaving Grimmjow alone in the living room.

A horrible snarl was on his face and he could feel anger surfacing, anger at himself. And then he was angry for still feeling anger even after the mess he had caused because of it. He really never learned, did he? _I don't want to be angry anymore. _He was sick of it. He was fucking _sick_ of being angry. But how could he prevent it? It was the way he had always lived, it was the only way he knew how to be, it was the way he existed! How the fuck could anyone or anything ever change that?

And how was it that he had lived this way for so long and never regretted it and suddenly four people could make him want to try so hard to change? And even then, he couldn't change for them. How many times could he hurt them before he could learn that, no matter how hard he tried, destruction would follow him everywhere.

_No one can change me. The only one who could have changed me just walked out on me and even then…he wasn't enough for me, was he? And I couldn't even change myself if I tried, _Grimmjow thought bitterly. _I give up on you. _An anguished whimper escaped him and he hunched over, his face in his hand.

_It's hopeless. _

* * *

He was tied to a pole, his wrists bound behind him. In front of him stood the massive snake, his scales ablaze and the firelight reflected in his eye. Grimmjow stared at the four people tied to the poles in front of him and he felt his heart sink. Weed, Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra were bound in front of him. And four creatures entered the room, all of them bearing the head of a feral hound. They all held four knives.

Grimmjow tried to speak, tried to call them off or make some sort of deal. He could have been saying anything. But no words were coming out, for all he knew he was invisible to them. He started to struggle, desperate to get free as he watched the first God of death place his knife against Weed's throat and with a single slash, blood poured from Weed's slit throat.

The second God of death lifted his knife to Blue's throat. Kyoshiro was yelling that this was all Grimmjow's fault and so was Blue as she struggled. The second God of death drew back his knife and Grimmjow looked away, unable to watch anymore. As Blue's head fell limp against her chest the third God of death plunged the knife deep into Kyoshiro's throat and Kyoshiro's angered cries died in a sickening gurgling and coughing.

And the final God of death crossed to Ulquiorra and lifted the knife to his throat. Grimmjow thrashed against his restraints and pleaded with them but his voice was silent. And Ulquiorra looked right at him. "I believed in you." Ulquiorra murmured, his voice lifeless. And the knife was plunged into his throat.

And Grimmjow awoke, lunging forward and as if just breaking free of the restraints in his nightmare. He looked around the dark room frantically, his hands feeling around in the dark for something anything. He came in contact with something solid and he looked to his left and saw Ulquiorra curled up beside him. Grimmjow pressed his face to Ulquiorra's shoulder, trying to control his breathing. He waited for his heart rate to slow before he removed his face from Ulquiorra's shoulder.

For a moment he panicked when he realized that Ulquiorra hadn't awoken but he was instantly soothed by the soft beating of his heart. He lay against Ulquiorra for a moment, shaking. And then he stood and went down the hall to Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed's room, unable to keep his mind from wandering. They were all asleep and very much alive.

_I have to do something. Something I don't particularly want to do. But it has to be done. That was the future. That is what will happen when Apep gets Ra to confess. Every one of us will die. I can't let that happen, especially not over some stupid mistake I made. I don't know what the outcome will be. But I have to try._

Grimmjow stood before Ulquiorra, watching him sleep peacefully. Grimmjow leaned forward, his lips inches from Ulquiorra's. He stopped, not wanting to make this any harder than it should have been. Grimmjow ran his hand very gently across Ulquiorra's face, savoring his warmth and taking in every detail of his face. Letting out a sad sigh, he straightened up and went to the window and opened it, taking his Espada form. He drew his sword as he entered the Garganta.

He didn't look back.

* * *

Ra was awoken by pounding on his door and he heard a voice call, "My Lord Ra, Bastet has returned! She is waiting for you in the great hall!" and Ra flung himself from bed and tore towards his door. He hurried down the stairs and ran until he was in the great hall. And then he noticed something. His castle was completely devoid of any living thing. If Bastet was back, the whole kingdom would have awoken. His whole palace would have awoken by now.

And then he turned around just in time to see something slide out of sight. He frowned. "Bastet? Is that you, dearest?" and he heard movement behind him and he turned and gasped! Bastet was tied to a pole behind him, bound and gagged with two Gods of death beside her. Before Ra could attack however he was struck from behind and thrown to the floor and instantly wrapped in Apep's flaming body.

And behind him he could see Apep's army and he knew what had happened. "My people. You have them? What have you done with them?" Ra exclaimed and Apep said, "The same that I am about to have done to her if you don't tell me your name Ra. Or who knows, maybe I'll kill her myself…? Tell me, Ra!"

Bastet began yelling something, angry. Ra smacked her with his tail and she cried out in pain. Ra exclaimed, "No, do not hurt my daughter! I—I will…I will tell you my name, Apep." And Bastet gasped in horror. Apep sneered and drew closer. "I'm glad you could come to your senses. Let's hear it, then…"

And before Ra could speak, the wall behind them was blasted apart! Ra gasped and Apep snarled and turned around, eye wide. "Who dares—? What? How?" Grimmjow was standing in the dust and behind him stood Anubis. "The door was right next to you, fool!" Anubis mumbled.

Grimmjow looked over to the door and shrugged. "Who the hell uses doors anymore?" a look of fury crossed Apep's face which then turned into mirth. "Ha! Jaegerjaques, you have come alone! How very stupid of you!" Grimmjow sneered and said, "It won't take four others to kick your ass, you piece of shit."

"Oh, you and what army?" Apep said, laughing. And Grimmjow whistled. And screams started up as thousands of Gods poured from the hole in the wall behind Grimmjow. Apep shrieked in shock and yelled, "I told you morons to watch the dungeons! I need slaves for when I'm the ruler of Egypt, idiots!"

And Grimmjow drew his sword and charged with battle cry, flying right past Apep and towards Bastet. He lunged at the two Gods of death guarding her and thrust his hand through one's stomach before impaling the other. Grimmjow scowled and undid her ropes and said, "Get the hell out of here. Go!" and Bastet simply stared at him, wide eyed. She tried to talk but the gag was in her mouth Grimmjow removed it and she said, "Oh my God, you came for me! You aren't as bad as I thought you were! Wow, your good with a sword, hey where are they others—?" and Grimmjow shoved the gag back in her mouth and picked her up.

Ra was fighting his way through the crowd and he saw Grimmjow with Bastet. "Catch her!" Grimmjow called. "And get her the hell out!" and he threw Bastet at him! Ra shrieked and caught her, yelling, "Thank you, Grimmjow! Even if you did mess up, I had the feeling I could trust you with her. You really are—!" and Grimmjow scowled and ran from him, looking for Apep.

And then Apep lunged from out of nowhere and Ra raised his scepter and sent the giant serpent flying backwards into the walls. He opened up a portal and said, "I'm sending you back to their house." And before Bastet could protest, Apep lunged for her and a bolt of lightening struck him, freezing him in place. Ra became preoccupied with fighting and Bastet ran and hid in fear.

Ra was thrown into the opposite wall and then Grimmjow shot past him, his sword drawn and a massive grin on his face. "We finish this now!" Grimmjow yelled and Apep lunged past him and attacked the pillar Bastet hid behind. Grimmjow fired a cero at Apep and the serpent cried in pain and Grimmjow pushed Bastet into the portal and she was sucked away from them. Apep's howl of fury shook the earth and he turned a murderous glare in Grimmjow's direction.

"We finish this." Apep agreed furiously and with a scream, he lunged at Grimmjow who flew towards him. Grimmjow's sword slashed across Apep's face and a fierce wind flung Grimmjow to the ground and Apep reared up above him, covered in flames. He lunged and Grimmjow brought his sword up and blocked the serpent's teeth from reaching him. Grimmjow fired at cero at Apep's throat and Apep smashed his tail into Grimmjow's ribs, throwing him through two pillars. Grimmjow emerged, still grinning. "Come on is that the best you got?" and Apep lunged and collided with him, throwing them both through the wall and down into the desert.

And then it began to rain, the wind began screaming and sand blew everywhere, stinging his face and his eyes. He looked up, barely able to see through the sand and he saw lightening split the sky, striking a nearby tree and starting a massive fire within seconds. The sand turned to mud as the rain hit and it was hard to move.

Grimmjow sputtered, staring through the storm, searching for his enemy. And then Apep lunged at him and Grimmjow flung himself out of the way and fired a cero right at the serpent as it lunged for him. The cero hit Apep right in the mouth and he howled in agony and Grimmjow slammed a kick into his neck and the serpent tumbled over and lunged at him, blood pouring from his mouth, as Grimmjow landed in front of him. Grimmjow vanished and appeared behind him, preparing to stab him in the head.

Apep's head whipped around and Grimmjow jumped. Apep lunged and this time his fang pierced Grimmjow's arm. Grimmjow leapt backwards and was thrown aside, tumbling into the desert. Apep lifted him and hurled him into one of the eastern towers. Grimmjow smashed through the wall and tumbled to the floor. He leapt up in time to kick Apep in the face as he lunged from out of nowhere at him.

He pushed himself up and looked around, trying to ignore the pain in his arm. Apep burst through the walls behind him and Grimmjow leapt over him and landed on his back. Apep's scales were set ablaze and Grimmjow leapt off only to be seized in Apep's coils and hurled across the room, smashing through four massive pillars.

Grimmjow appeared right in front of him and kicked Apep in the jaw before bringing his foot down on Apep's head. The serpent's head hit the floor and Grimmjow prepared to drive his sword through Apep's skull. Apep brought his head crashing up into Grimmjow's body, expelling the air from his lungs and Grimmjow hit the ground and leapt aside as Apep lashed out towards him.

"Is this all you've got, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques? How disappointing!" Apep hissed, lunging left and right to get to him. Grimmjow swung his blade and it slashed Apep across the nose. Apep moved quickly, his head appearing right behind Grimmjow while the rest of his massive body remained in front of him. Grimmjow felt Apep's fang pierce his shoulder and he turned around in time to see the snake wrapping itself around him.

Grimmjow vanished and just as he appeared behind Apep, the serpent's tail whipped out and Grimmjow sliced it off. Apep screamed and the ground began separating as he summoned an earthquake. Lighting and thunder split the air and Grimmjow flew above the serpent, slicing his finger across his blade. He pointed his hand ahead of him and yelled, "Enjoy it, because this is the last time you'll see it! The ultimate cero only Espada are allowed to use. Grand Ray Cero!" Grimmjow cried with a wide grin. And he fired a massive blue cero from his hand. The cero was _enormous_, half as tall as the tower they were fighting in.

He saw fear in the serpent's eye. Despite that fear, the serpent still attempted to get to him and lunged into the blue explosion. Half the tower exploded and the snake was sent flying from the tower and into the desert, his body blackened and burnt, his scales bloody. Grimmjow flew down towards him and frowned. The snake wasn't moving. "Is that _it_?" Grimmjow said, sneering. "That was too—!" and the snake's eye flew open and Grimmjow looked up and saw a massive wave of fire crashing towards him!

Grimmjow fired a cero into it and the fire parted and Grimmjow had time to dodge. The flames licked his arm and he winced and just as he hit the floor, Apep slammed into him and Grimmjow was almost crushed as the demon slid on top of him and lunged for his throat. Grimmjow slammed his foot into the serpent's neck, slowing the attack and Grimmjow freed his arm and the serpent leapt away from him. Grimmjow laughed and leapt to his feet.

"Not bad, Apep! But this is just getting started! I'm gonna choke the life out of you…" and Grimmjow raised his sword and placed his palm against it, his pulse rushing. Apep watched, intrigued. "What—?" he began angrily and then Grimmjow's blade began to glow a bright blue, a wind started up, the sand began blowing around him. And Grimmjow looked up, his intense gaze narrowed into slits. "Grind, Pantera!" he roared, swiping his hand down his blade.

And there was an explosion of wind and sand, concealing the Espada from sight. Apep peered through the sand-storm and saw something. He squinted. Grimmjow's hakama was no longer there and was instead replaced by a suit of white armor. He had a long whip-like tail and his hands and feet were covered in black hair with razor sharp nails. He had a mane of wild blue hair that extended down his back and stopped at his ankles and he had long cat-like ears. His teeth were long and pointed and almost cat-like.

And he flung back his head and roared, the sound was so loud it sent a shockwave at Apep who recoiled, alarmed. "What the hell…?" and Grimmjow shot forward, grinning like a mad man. And Apep didn't even see him until he was inches in front of him. Apep was thrown backwards, tumbling through the sand, his lower jaw almost broken. He looked around wildly, unable to see a thing. He could hear the creature laughing and he looked around wildly. And then razor claws were ripping open his side and he screamed and lunged, his fangs missed Grimmjow as the man moved aside, able to see the attack coming a mile away. And then he vanished and Apep panicked and looked around.

And Grimmjow seized Apep's muzzle and said with a smirk, "Surprise, bitch." And Apep's howl of pain was silenced by the roaring of the wind.

* * *

"Ulqui—whatever your name is! Ulqui!" and Ulquiorra jolted awake and his mouth nearly fell open when he saw _Bastet_ standing above him! "Bastet? But how—?" and Bastet said, "Oh thank Ra! There's no time to explain! Grimmjow's fighting Apep in Egypt, you must go and help him! And hurry, please!"

And Ulquiorra realized she was right. He couldn't feel Grimmjow's reiatsu. Terror struck him and for a moment he forgot how to breath.

_You fool. You should have known he would do this! _

And he flung himself from bed and was in his Espada form in seconds. "Wake the others."

_You had better be alive, Grimmjow…_

* * *

Grimmjow was thrown backwards, blood pouring from his chest. Apep reared up and shot forward, plowing into Grimmjow and sending him crashing through the sand. Apep lunged and Grimmjow raised his arm. Apep's fangs collided with his armor and Grimmjow kicked him in the face before spinning rapidly and slamming many kicks into the snake's body, winding the giant creature.

He was winning, Apep was now greatly overwhelmed and they were not even anymore. Apep's speed was not a match for Grimmjow's and his powers were slowly getting boring to witness and easy to dodge.

Apep's body slammed into his and Grimmjow felt one of his ribs crack. He yelled out and as Apep lunged, Grimmjow leapt over him and raised his arm and fired five darts from his arm and into the snake's face. The wind started up and Grimmjow was blown off his feet. The snake shot up after him and smacked him out of the sky.

Grimmjow crashed into the sand and leapt aside to avoid the attack Apep sent at him, the serpent's teeth sinking into the sand. Grimmjow lunged, dragging his claws down Apep's scaly body which ignited into flames and Grimmjow dodged and the sand turned to flames beneath him.

Grimmjow kicked the snake's wounds, his nails sinking into Apep's mangled flesh and before the snake could react, Grimmjow fired darts into his body. The darts exploded and Grimmjow punched him and Apep was thrown twenty feet away with a hoarse cry of pain, leaving a huge hole in the sand.

Grimmjow flew into the air to prepare to deliver a finishing blow only to be struck down by lightening. As he fell from the sky, Apep leapt up and Grimmjow flipped over him and brought his foot crashing down on the middle of Apep's back causing his back to arch downwards, his spine cracking dangerously. Grimmjow's tail whipped the side of Apep's skull, the impact echoing in the air.

The force of the blow sent the serpent toppling over and Grimmjow flew towards him, a massive grin on his face. And then Apep reared up and bit him, his fang ripping into Grimmjow's side. Grimmjow barely had time to scream as he was lifted and thrown, tumbling across the sand and leaving a trail of blood after him.

_This isn't good…these bite marks are starting to effect me…it's slowing me down. I gotta finish him fast._

Grimmjow heaved himself to his feet. And then he shot up into the air and placed both of his paws in front of him. And he raked his claws across thin air and gigantic claw-like blades appeared before him. "This is it, Apep, my most powerful attack! See you in hell, you fucker." Grimmjow said, a wide grin on his face. Apep looked up, wide eyed and fearful. And Grimmjow drew back his fist and sent the claws flying at him!

Apep barely had time to move as all six of the massive claws hit him. The massive wave of sand covered the serpent from sight but Grimmjow could only imagine that Apep had been shredded. Grimmjow tried to see through the dust but could make out no signs of life. That was that, then. Apep could no longer hunt them. It was over.

And then he heard a soft hiss behind him and felt ice cold breath against his back. And Grimmjow turned around and before he had time to register how it had happened, Apep's teeth were in his chest. "Did you really think you could kill me?"

Grimmjow couldn't comprehend it, the only thing he could comprehend was the pain. _How…?_ "And did you really think that your friends would forgive you if you killed me? They aren't ever going to take you back, not after what you did. Judging from what I heard, you gave up their safety because you couldn't control your temper. Tsk, tsk, tsk…"

Grimmjow clutched at the beast before him, trying to free himself as the creature wrapped him in its coils, squeezing the life from him. "You will die here, un-forgiven, unwanted and uncared for. The very life I have always lived. But don't worry, you won't be alone for long. Your friends will be the first to go the instant I gain power."

Just like in his nightmare. _I tried. I tried to stop him. Why couldn't I stop him?_

_I believed in you._ Ulquiorra's broken voice rang in his 's jaw clenched and he felt something burning in his eyes. Apep was right. He was beyond being forgiven, especially after he showed just how little he cared for their safety. He had hurt them far too many times and he had finally crossed the line. He wasn't worthy of any more chances and they wouldn't be willing to give him any.

But he had had to try, for them. Even if he had known that the outcome could be no better then this. He had had to at least try and make things better…and in a way, he had. Bastet was in the world of the living…that wonderful world, the world he would never see again. His body would remain in the desert, alone and hidden.

He would never see Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed again.

He would never see Ulquiorra Schiffer again. He should have kissed him before he left, why hadn't he? He could still see Ulquiorra's sleeping face in his mind.

_I'm sorry._

But it was too late. Grimmjow could no longer breathe, the pain was muted by his body slowly shutting down. And he could feel someone's eyes on him and he glanced over as his vision slowly began to go black. He could see someone clothed in white standing a few feet from him. He reached out.

_Ulquiorra…_

* * *

Apep released his prey, dropping Grimmjow's body onto the sand. And then he turned and scowled. A man was standing before him, a man clothed in a white hakama with bright green eyes and pale skin. He had a look of horror on his face

"Oh? Another one, eh?" Apep said, smirking. "Well come on then, bring it. I'll do away with you the same way I did away with your friend there." Apep prepared to attack and he saw the man look away from the crumpled from of his friend.

"Well, draw your sword, friend of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques! I'll shred you!" and Ulquiorra looked up and Apep could see pure rage in his eyes and in his face. His reiatsu pitched and Apep hissed as he felt how strong it was. "Fine." Ulquiorra said lowly.

And he shot right past Apep and landed behind him. And Apep saw his right hand leaving the hilt of his sword to go back into his pocket. And his eye widened, his mouth slipping open in horror. And his mangled body fell to the floor, his head sliding from his neck to tumble away through the sand.

Ulquiorra turned towards Grimmjow, feeling his heart racing in his chest as fear began to get to him. He didn't even want to approach him. He didn't want to know. But he did. He ran to Grimmjow and knelt down beside him. He searched his face for signs of life and saw that one cerulean eye was open, staring right up into his face. Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow's lips turn upward into a weak smile as he slowly began to change back into his original form. He was too weakened to retain it.

Grimmjow's eyes closed and his head hit the sand with a soft sigh.

* * *

Kyoshiro, Blue, Weed and Bastet were just greeting Ra who had gone silent the instant he felt Apep's presence vanish. And then Kyoshiro heard a desperate cry from the room ahead of them.

"Kyoshiro!" and Kyoshiro turned, eyes widening in shock when he saw Ulquiorra. And they all turned and saw the person lying in Ulquiorra's arms. Horrified, they all ran to him. Kyoshiro took Grimmjow from him and said, "I got him! I got him, set him down." And Blue and Kyoshiro set Grimmjow down onto the stone floor.

Ulquiorra looked around and called, "Bastet! _Bastet_!" and Bastet turned and ran towards them with a horrified exclamation. She knelt beside Grimmjow, unsure of what to do. "Help him. I know that because of the way I treated you, I don't deserve to ask anything of you…but please…please, help him." Ulquiorra was begging her, they could all see the desperation in his face. Bastet stammered, "But—I…I am not experienced in healing! We need Isis! And she is injured!"

"Then if you know how but are unsure of how to do it, tell me." Ulquiorra begged and Bastet said, "But I don't—!" Ulquiorra looked at Ra and Ra said, "I am not a healer." And Ulquiorra called, "Someone here must know how to extract poison or how to stitch up his wounds."

Blue called, "Where are the medics?" and Bastet and Weed ran off to find them as Ulquiorra knelt beside Grimmjow, feeling more lost and more hopeless than he had ever felt in his life.

_You have to live, Grimmjow…please live…please…_

* * *

It was cold…everything was so cold…

He didn't know where he was and he couldn't remember what had happened. All he could register was the slight pain in his chest and the horrible, horrible dryness in his throat. His lids felt heavy, too heavy but he tried to open them only to find that they were caked with gunk. He growled and opened his eyes.

And the instant he realized where he was, he sat bolt up right only to wince and clutch his heavily bandaged chest. He was…he was alive? He was alive! And he was lying in bed in a room he recognized all too well. But he was almost unwilling to get his hopes up.

How could he have survived? He was so certain that he had been about to die out alone in the desert. How—?

The doorknob rattled and Grimmjow looked around and saw Ulquiorra enter the room. Grimmjow felt ready to burst with joy. He didn't dare believe it…this was too good to be true, he couldn't believe it. Ulquiorra sighed and turned towards him and his beautiful face found Grimmjow's.

Grimmjow felt a thrill shoot right through his heart and he saw a look of great surprise cross Ulquiorra's face. The widest smile stretched across Grimmjow's face and he saw Ulquiorra smile back, his eyes lighting up and every sign of tension leaving his body. Ulquiorra crossed the room in great strides and within seconds, Ulquiorra was kissing him desperately, his hands holding Grimmjow's face. And Grimmjow did not hesitate in kissing him back, putting his arms tightly around Ulquiorra's neck.

They both moved away for a moment and Ulquiorra stared into his eyes, a smile on his face. Grimmjow could only smile back, unable to find any words to express his joy. Ulquiorra leaned their foreheads together, letting out a small happy laugh that made Grimmjow's heart flutter. Grimmjow was laughing himself now, pressing his face against Ulquiorra's shoulder.

He felt Ulquiorra tighten his hold on his shoulders and Grimmjow suddenly realized he was shaking. Grimmjow frowned. "Ulqui?" he voice was dry from lack of use and Ulquiorra hastened to get him some water.

After Grimmjow had drunk some and relaxed against his pillows, too tired to move, he suddenly noticed the chair in front of his bed. There was a thin layer of dust upon the handles but none on the seat. Grimmjow asked, "How long was I out?" and Ulquiorra said, wetting a cloth, "Two weeks." And Grimmjow jumped.

Two weeks? He had never passed out _that_ long before! Grimmjow looked up at Ulquiorra and noticed that the man's hands were shaking. There was also a hard look in his eyes and Grimmjow could just imagine he was rebuking himself for something. Ulquiorra sat in the dusty chair in front of him and Grimmjow realized something. Ulquiorra had sat in that chair, hadn't he? He had sat there every single second of the day and taken care of him.

"You would have recovered sooner but your wound became infected and you caught a fever. We all thought…we thought that that might have been it for you. It's only thanks to Bastet that you're still alive." Grimmjow suddenly had an imagine of his friends gathered around his bed, he could see Ulquiorra's worried face in his mind but could not begin to imagine what that might have done to him.

Ulquiorra's voice was indifferent, as usual. But there was something else there and Grimmjow was truly alarmed to hear that his voice was shaking. Grimmjow looked up and found that Ulquiorra was looking determinedly at the wall to the right. And Grimmjow felt his heart beat faster when he realized that Ulquiorra's firm lips were trembling. His hard eyes were losing some of their coldness and were starting to soften and sadness was starting to show in them.

His indifferent mask was starting to shatter right before Grimmjow's eyes, showing the true person behind it. The person who was horrified and distraught at the idea that he could have caused Grimmjow's death and terrified by the idea of being without him. Grimmjow murmured, "It wasn't your fault."

Ulquiorra's jaw clenched and he blinked upon hearing those words. Grimmjow had no idea what to say or do. He felt useless and horrible that he was hurting Ulquiorra. But at the same time he felt so happy. Ulquiorra still cared about him, despite all the shit Grimmjow had put him through, and he cared so much that he was slowly falling apart because he believed that it was his fault that Grimmjow had almost died.

Grimmjow reached out a hand and placed it over Ulquiorra's smaller one. Grimmjow didn't know what to say or do so he simply held Ulquiorra's hand. Ulquiorra looked in his eyes and when he saw that Grimmjow held no ill-will towards him, he blinked several times.

"It wasn't your fault, Ulquiorra…" Grimmjow whispered, his tone gentle and almost imploring. Ulquiorra slowly hung his head, his forehead resting against their entwined hands. And Grimmjow's breath caught in his throat when he heard the soft sob that escaped Ulquiorra's lips.

He lay there, immobilized, listening to Ulquiorra's soft, anguished, sobs and feeling the man's tears drip onto his hand. He felt shocked to the core_…I didn't want this…I never wanted this…oh what have I done?_

Grimmjow felt his heart break and he couldn't watch anymore. And he sat up, throwing his arms tightly around Ulquiorra's shoulder's, pressing the man's face into the crook of his neck. He felt Ulquiorra's entire body freeze in place and after a moment, Ulquiorra's hands gripped the back of his jacket.

Grimmjow murmured, "I'm sorry, Ulqui…I'm so sorry." Ulquiorra let out a shaky sigh and rested his cheek against Grimmjow's shoulder. "What are you apologizing for?" Ulquiorra whispered, sniffing.

Grimmjow kissed his cheek, his hand stroking Ulquiorra's hair. "Don't you ever waste your tears on me. I'm not worthy of that kind of devotion, not after all the crap I've put you through." And Ulquiorra said, "I was a prick. I said such cruel things to you when I didn't even try to help you control your temper. I shouldn't have expected you to do this by yourself."

"Yeah, well," Grimmjow said, "I doubt anyone is a bigger prick than me. I deserved all that stuff you said to me, because you were right. I didn't even try." Ulquiorra frowned. "Don't." and Grimmjow said hastily, "But I was! I was an idiot for not knowing what was more important to me, your safety or my need to lash out at, fucking, everything! Anger is a part of me, its always been that way."

"And anger has never been a part of me." Ulquiorra reasoned gently, finally looking at him, "So who better to teach you than the person who doesn't even know how to properly lose his temper?"

Grimmjow felt a weight leave his chest at the thought. A wide smile stretched across his face. "That…that could work." He said and Ulquiorra's gentle eyes lit up. "I still feel like a prick. I should have at least tried to help you. But I didn't. I have no one but myself to blame for that." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, pressing their foreheads together, "Ah, you can't go wrong with two loving pricks in a relationship, Ulquiorra."

Before Ulquiorra could question his logic, Grimmjow kissed him with tender passion and Ulquiorra kissed him back gently, embracing him almost as if he were made of glass. Grimmjow raised a hand to Ulquiorra's damp cheek and the pad of his thumb traced the fake tear-tracks on his face, smiling slightly when he realized that there were no real tears to wipe away. "You know," Grimmjow said, separating from him by a few inches, "I hate these stupid fake tears sometimes but they look a hell of a lot better on you. Real tears don't suit you at all."

Ulquiorra was unsure how he should respond and he could feel his face getting warmer so instead he planted a series of feather-light kisses to Grimmjow's lips, his fingers threading through Grimmjow's spiky hair. Grimmjow wanted to melt and Ulquiorra's rare show of affection was making him dizzy. So he kissed Ulquiorra just as gently, a small smile on his face.

Their kiss turned passionate in a matter of seconds when Grimmjow realized he had been _this_ close to never seeing Ulquiorra again and he pulled Ulquiorra tightly to him, burying his face in his shoulder and he felt Ulquiorra hold him almost protectively. Grimmjow let out a shaky sigh, his hand stroking Ulquiorra's back, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal. He wasn't about to admit how scared he had been because Ulquiorra knew. Ulquiorra had felt that fear too.

They held each other for a few minutes, caressing each other or exchanging gentle kisses. Ulquiorra said softly, "Apep's dead, by the way. Just seconds after…after you passed out, I beheaded him." Grimmjow blinked and said, "Seriously? Shit, I couldn't even kill him! I went into release mode and everything! He just decided to throw in a sneak attack, other-wise I would have shredded him with my attack!"

Ulquiorra looked at him and said, "I had never seen you in your release form before. I admit, I would like to see more of it under better circumstances." Grimmjow smirked. "That could be arranged."

And then Ulquiorra said, "I also think it is appropriate to tell you the truth. I was—" Ulquiorra hesitated. Grimmjow frowned, not remembering what truth Ulquiorra was referring too.

"I was jealous of Bastet." Ulquiorra admitted, getting ready to be laughed at and mocked. Grimmjow stared, trying to remember when Ulquiorra had been that way. He was still trying…

And then Grimmjow burst out, "OH! Wait a second, that's why you were always looking at her like you wanted to kill her? Because you were _jealous_? Ulquiorra? _You_ were jealous? _You_?" Grimmjow gaped at him and Ulquiorra looked away, closing his eyes, his face now flaming red. "Think of me as you will, but I just didn't like how clingy she was getting to you."

Grimmjow simply gaped at the man in front of him, unable to calmly process this. Ulquiorra fucking Schiffer was jealous? Since when did _Ulquiorra_ get jealous? He who was normally so composed and calm—he got, fucking, jealous! And he admitted he didn't like how clingy she was getting to him—Jesus shit.

Grimmjow grinned so widely it seriously hurt. Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow say, "Ulquiorra, look at me." And Ulquiorra sighed and looked over at him and blinked when he saw the huge grin on his face. Ulquiorra frowned. "What? I see nothing to be so happy about here." Grimmjow seriously could not believe this. He just could not, fucking, believe this.

And Grimmjow seized Ulquiorra by both of his arms and pulled him against his chest. Grimmjow put his arms around him, his chin resting against Ulquiorra's hair. "That is too fucking adorable, Ulquiorra. You were jealous? Of her? What, you thought I was going straight? You serious?"

Ulquiorra shook his head, pressing his face against Grimmjow's chest. "No. Let go. I fail to see how being jealous is adorable." And Grimmjow held him tighter. "Like hell I will. And its adorable because its you. You never, ever get jealous and yet, here you are admitting she made you jealous. I seriously never thought I'd ever hear you say that. Being jealous means you care about me, and you care a hell of a lot if someone actually managed to make you jealous. It makes me so damn happy, you little idiot." Ulquiorra scowled and very gently hit his chest. But Ulquiorra looked up and saw a wide, genuinely happy smile on Grimmjow's face and Ulquiorra couldn't feel annoyed anymore.

Ulquiorra sighed, some of his embarrassment fading and he pulled Grimmjow close, nuzzling his face against his chest. And the doorknob rattled and both men looked over and Weed poked his head into the room. A huge gasp escaped him and he tore forward and leapt onto the bed and wrapped his paws around Grimmjow's middle in the tightest dog-hug in the world! Grimmjow yelped in pain and Ulquiorra looked very nervous and said, "Weed—," And Weed gasped and said, "I'm sorry! I'm just so, so happy you're alright! I don't hate you, I'm so, so sorry!"

Weed buried his face in Grimmjow's chest and Grimmjow exhaled hugely and said, his hand stroking Weed's fur, "Oi, I know you don't hate me, you idiot. You couldn't hate anyone if you tried." Weed sniffled and held him tighter. "I missed you, so, so, so, so much, Grimmjow!" he exclaimed happily and then nervously, "Oh no, did I interrupt you and Ulquiorra? I'm sorry!" and Ulquiorra sighed and ruffled Weed's hair. "No. Actually I think he would like to see Blue and Kyoshiro as well—,"

And Blue appeared in the doorway and her eyes lit up and a wide smile stretched across her face. Grimmjow grinned widely at the sight of her. "Blue!" She was so happy she accidentally took her dog form! She ran over with a ferocious wagging tail, leapt onto the bed and tackled him, licking his face. Grimmjow began sputtering but eagerly gave the wolf-dog a very tight hug. "Grimmjow, you're awake! I can't believe it! We all thought—! Grimmjow!" she exclaimed happily, taking her human form to hug him.

Kyoshiro charged into the room and yelled, fear in his voice, "What happened, is he dead? Oh." He saw Grimmjow and everyone else looking at him with a look that said 'if he was dead why would we all sound so happy?' and Kyoshiro turned red. Grimmjow beckoned and Kyoshiro ran at him and pulled him into a headlock. "Grimmjow, you bastard! We waited forever for you to wake the hell up! Don't you ever, ever do that again, got it? I was so, fucking, _worried _you stupid—!" and Kyoshiro shut his mouth instantly. Weed smiled widely and Blue beamed at him. Ulquiorra shut his eyes, a small smile on his face. Bastet appeared in the doorway, holding a dish in her hand and a dishrag. "Huh? What happened?" she asked.

Kyoshiro's face was very red now and he ran a hand through his silver hair and scowled. Grimmjow looked around at all of his smiling friends and then scowled and spread his arms. And Blue, Weed and Ulquiorra all hugged him but were all careful not to hug him too tightly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." Blue said sadly and Grimmjow shrugged. "Ah I deserved it. Actually, you should have yelled more." Grimmjow said, resting his head against her hair.

Grimmjow glared at Kyoshiro and said, "Oi, get over here." And Kyoshiro's frown vanished and he grinned and hurried over and hugged his four friends. Grimmjow held them all tightly, unable to keep the wide grin at bay any longer and he only held them tighter, emotions constricting his heart when he remembered he might never have seen any of them again.

And then they all fell out of bed and onto the floor but rather than getting upset they all started to laugh in a way that none of them had laughed in weeks, the tension, fears and worries leaving them in an instant.

And the day passed by in bliss.

* * *

_Egypt, 10:00 PM_

Bastet's palace was truly grand. Every room was massive, gorgeous and beautifully decorated and it was pretty-much fit for a King. Or fifty Kings.

Blue set down her glass of water and turned towards the guests. She smiled slightly. They were back in Egypt to celebrate Bastet's engagement party. Her birthday had been weeks ago but she had yet to be married but she had finally found someone worthy of her romantic dreams. A gorgeous God named Gonzalo who was as sweet as can be.

Bastet also seemed to be acting strange. She had invited people in her Kingdom who didn't like her and whom she didn't like, she was being courteous to all the guests rather than snobbish and even her father noted she was acting strangely! _That_ was definitely saying something.

Weed was watching Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro interact awkwardly with the guests. He turned to Bastet and said, "Congratulations, Bastet!" and she smiled and said, "Thank you, Weed! I'm very happy!" Weed smiled widely. "That's great."

Bastet sipped her wine and said, "You know, I haven't seen Grimmy-Grimmy around. Where is he? In the bathroom? He'll get lost in there for sure!"

Weed chuckled. "No, he just couldn't come." Weed frowned, _more like he didn't _want_ to come…_he thought. Grimmjow had refused the invitation to the party because he had no intention of coming back to Egypt after what had happened. Bastet gasped and said, "Oh, that's right!" she had forgotten.

Though, surprisingly Bastet hadn't been offended and forced him to attend. She had even apologized to them…many, many times every day before returning to Egypt. Something was different about her and Weed was beginning to suspect that being kidnapped by Apep had made her consider things more. And Bastet said, "I had a nice surprise for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra too, I wish he could have come!" she whined good naturedly.

Weed said, "You aren't angry at Grimmjow for what he said to you?" and Bastet shook her head. "No. I really was…I really was incredibly rude to you all, Weed. And Grimmjow was right. I never will have friends or marry for love alone if I continue to behave the way I did. I don't want to die alone. So, I'm giving all my servants the day off work to go and buy me stuff!" and Weed inwardly face-palmed.

Weed however said, "A respected Queen is a powerful Queen!"

"I'm just sorry I could not have learned sooner before so many horrible things happened to Grimmjow."

Weed smiled. "It doesn't matter. Bastet. If you can feel sorry now, then there's hope for you, really!"

"Oh, you think so? Yay—!"

And the wall behind them exploded and every head in the room turned. Grimmjow entered the ballroom clothed in a white tuxedo with a single rose tucked into the front. The rose looked slightly crushed as if he had been reconsidering and got into an argument with himself. Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra turned around and their eyes widened in surprise.

Grimmjow said, "Yo. Am I late?" and Bastet exclaimed, "The door was right next to you, you know!" and Grimmjow said with a cocky grin, "Who uses doors anymore?" and he strode in and Bastet sighed and used a spell to repair the wall. "Welcome! Yay, now I can surprise you!" and she ran off to find something. Weed ran to him excitedly and said, gripping his sleeves, "Somehow, I knew you would come!" and Grimmjow ruffled his hair and his friends hurried to him.

Kyoshiro started laughing. "Nice exaggerated entrance, as expected!" he said, punching the air and Blue sighed and closed her eyes with a wry smile. Ulquiorra crossed to Grimmjow and said, "I thought you said you'd be caught dead going back to Egypt." And Grimmjow grinned but said a little flustered, "Yeah, well…I figured I never got to see you dress up often enough so, yeah…" Ulquiorra tugged at his tuxedo's collar a little as he spoke and Grimmjow grinned widely. All of his friends looked great, to be honest. Blue was wearing a gorgeous purple ball gown with white gloves and Kyoshiro was wearing a tradition tux which made him look rather handsome and Weed also wore a tuxedo that he looked adorable in.

Ulquiorra wore an almost old fashion but very fancy tuxedo with tails. The tux differed in looks from the others and it looked amazing on him. And he looked even _more_ amazing _in_ it. Just before Grimmjow could contemplate on which article of clothing to remove first the instant they were alone together, Ulquiorra said, "Stop staring. I know I look ridiculous."

Grimmjow walked over to him and went up behind him, resting his chin against Ulquiorra's shoulder. His arms wrapped around Ulquiorra's chest and he murmured, "You look…" he thought about a word. There really was only one word to define how Ulquiorra looked in his eyes right now and Ulquiorra probably wouldn't like it. "…Beautiful." He felt Ulquiorra jolt in his arms and turn towards him. Grimmjow was smiling at him.

Ulquiorra's entire face felt warm and he wasn't sure how to respond. Grimmjow wasn't even grinning. He was smiling. He was being utterly sincere in every sense of the word. Ulquiorra coughed and removed himself from Grimmjow's arms, looking over at the handsome man behind him as he began to walk away to the refreshments table.

Ulquiorra said, "You too." And Grimmjow stopped walking and turned towards him with wide eyes to find that Ulquiorra's face was turning slightly red. Grimmjow grinned widely. "That's one hell of a compliment." He said with an arrogant smirk and Ulquiorra for some reason could not find it in him to regret saying anything.

Because he didn't regret it. Grimmjow looked beautiful too, in his eyes. Perhaps even more so than Grimmjow himself liked to think. And without warning the music stopped and Bastet called, "I would like to have the honor of dedicating this next dance to two very special people here! Others will be allowed to join in but wait until I let you know, please! Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, please take the floor!" she called, beaming.

And a spotlight fell on Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and both men instantly began sweating. Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra and said, "What the hell is up with her?" Ulquiorra didn't respond and Grimmjow called, "No way in hell, I don't dance!" and everyone groaned and Blue called, "Grimmjow, come on! You won't get another opportunity like this!"

Before Grimmjow could argue back, Ulquiorra tapped him on the shoulder and Grimmjow turned towards him. Ulquiorra said, "Dance with me." And Grimmjow gulped. "Huh? Hell no, I can't dance. I'm fucking terrible!" and Ulquiorra said, "So am I. Grimmjow, dance with me." And Grimmjow knew he couldn't refuse. Even he wouldn't miss out on an opportunity like this.

Grimmjow walked to him and said with mock seriousness, "May I have this dance?" and Ulquiorra said, "You may." And Grimmjow paused, unsure of how to start the dance. Ulquiorra walked to him until they stood so close together that their chests touched with each breath they took.

Ulquiorra gently placed a hand on Grimmjow's waist and Grimmjow swallowed nervously. Ulquiorra took his hand and they stood in a formal waltzing stance. "Hand on my waist." Ulquiorra instructed and Grimmjow hastily placed his arm around Ulquiorra's waist. And before Grimmjow had time to consider stopping, Ulquiorra began to move in a slow circle, moving left.

Grimmjow staggered, not sure how to keep up with Ulquiorra's footwork. A gentle song began playing. Bastet had chosen the song Inori by Lena Park. Grimmjow frowned as he trod on Ulquiorra's feet and he groaned and said, "Shit, sorry." And Ulquiorra shook his head to brush it off. "Watch my feet. You move like this, its three steps, see? One, two, three. Do you see?" and Grimmjow nodded, watching Ulquiorra's feet move elegantly.

He slowly began to get the footwork, listening to Ulquiorra count gently for him and Grimmjow smiled and pulled Ulquiorra close.

They were inches apart, their chests touching and their eyes staring into each other's. This felt amazing. The lighting in the room was just right and the candlelight reflected in his partner's eyes, making them shine. Ulquiorra moved so elegantly too. Grimmjow chuckled and rested their forehead's together, no longer watching his feet and was more than content to watch Ulquiorra as they moved gracefully across the floor together.

Grimmjow moved around Ulquiorra in a slow circle, their hands still entwined. Ulquiorra spun along with Grimmjow as the man walked slowly around him and then he moved gracefully back into Grimmjow's arms. Ulquiorra led him to the left and Grimmjow followed, waltzing in a quick circle as they moved left and right.

And the thing Grimmjow found strangely special was that he didn't want to do this with anyone else. He would never dance with anyone else. When he danced with Ulquiorra, everything felt right, like they were supposed to do this. Grimmjow pulled him closer and took the lead in their dance and Ulquiorra followed him this time. Grimmjow's heart leapt when he looked down and found Ulquiorra's head resting against his chest, a small smile on the man's face.

Grimmjow's heart was singing…freaking singing. Everyone in the room was watching, all of them with smiles on their faces. Even at this distance the feelings they both had for each other were as plain as day. And Grimmjow's friends were all equally surprised by just how graceful Grimmjow himself was. It seemed that with Ulquiorra, that side of him just naturally showed.

And the really strange thing was, neither Grimmjow or Ulquiorra could keep the smiles off their faces, nor did they want to. Their dance had slowed as the song slowly began to come to an end and they both stood there now, simply taking small steps to the left and right. They both had their arms around each others waists, their hands entwined and their bodies pressed close together. Grimmjow moved in and claimed Ulquiorra's lips in a soft kiss, his eyes closing as he felt their foreheads press very gently together. He felt Ulquiorra tenderly kiss him back and Grimmjow pulled him close, the both of them swaying on the spot.

The fact that their position was so intimate but that their kiss was so gentle made Grimmjow feel so happy for some reason and he could tell Ulquiorra felt the same because of the beautiful smile that lingered on his face as they separated just slightly. They continued to sway on the spot as the music slowly came to a close and Grimmjow pulled him into a dip as the song ended and everyone around them burst into applause and Grimmjow jumped.

He had seriously forgotten they were all there!

"Oh." Ulquiorra said simply and Grimmjow grinned down at him. "Well we gave them a show huh?" and Ulquiorra nodded and Grimmjow gave him a quick kiss as he pulled him to his feet and both of them made to exit the dance floor and Bastet said, sniffing, "That was so romantic! Oh my Gosh, you two are so _cute_!"

Grimmjow grinned at her and dragged Ulquiorra away by the hand towards refreshments. Blue ran to them and said, "That was amazing, you two!" and Weed nodded eagerly. "Did you two practice?" Weed asked and Grimmjow said, "Hell no, not unless I practiced in my sleep." Kyoshiro thumped them both on the back and he said, "Seriously, you two that was awesome." And Ulquiorra said, draining a glass of wine, "Thank you."

Blue exclaimed, "I can't wait to dance as well, watching you two really got me excited!" and Kyoshiro made to say something along the lines of 'Will you be my partner?' but stopped himself as Bastet called, "Now, everyone! It's party-time!" and a song began playing and everyone swarmed onto the dance-floor to watch Bastet and her smiling fiancé start the dance.

An electric guitar started and Kyoshiro shrieked, "NICKELBACK!" and Grimmjow said, "And Santana." And Blue seized Kyoshiro's arm and pulled him away and they both began to dance, Kyoshiro in shock and Blue enjoying herself immensely. The guests mingled and frequently changed partners, linking arms and spinning in a circle and kicking their heels out. Grimmjow cackled, drained a glass of wine and nudged Ulquiorra and Weed. "Come on, get the hell out there!" and he tore into the crowd with Ulquiorra. "I could never enjoy myself dancing such a ridiculous dance." Ulquiorra said but allowed Grimmjow to pull him along.

Weed ran after them and linked arms with a younger peasant and began dancing with her, not sure what the heck he was doing and not really caring. Blue and Kyoshiro meanwhile were having the time of their lives, spinning rapidly and laughing their heads off at how bad they probably were.

Ulquiorra meanwhile was trying to learn the crazy dance-step from Bastet. It was sort of like a mixture between a jig and a square dance. "It's a dance I made up!" Bastet called and Ulquiorra frowned, not sure how to get it. And Grimmjow hurried by, grabbed his arm and called, "Just dance, Ulquiorra!" and they saw Blue spin by, dancing across the floor and spinning joyfully without a partner due to the fact that Kyoshiro had been snatched away by some weird girl.

Kyoshiro square danced his way back to her and they linked arms and skipped in a circle, occasionally kicking out their heels. "I am not doing that." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, "Me neither its stupid!" but he tried it and started to laugh, finding the stupid dance strangely fun. They both spun in a circle and Grimmjow occasionally kicked out his heels and Ulquiorra tried and almost slipped! Grimmjow caught him, spun him back on his feet and started to tango with him.

And then Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed began to dance together in a circle, linking arms and kicking out their heels. Weed started laughing and they began to dance amongst themselves. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow danced with Blue and Kyoshiro danced with Weed. And then they all skipped back to each other, linked arms, kicked their feet and paired off again.

Grimmjow swore he saw Ulquiorra smiling. The little liar. He _was _enjoying himself with this retarded dance! "Conga line!" Grimmjow called and the five of them formed a conga line for a few minutes before going back to the square dance/jig again. Grimmjow danced with Weed and Ulquiorra danced with Kyoshiro and Blue. And then Kyoshiro and Blue rejoined and the Egyptian Gods formed a line and Kyoshiro and Blue sashayed down the line, laughing and smiling at each other and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra ran down the line, arm-in-arm, and Weed skipped down after them and Bastet and Gonzalo twirled after him and the dance ended with a cheer!

And even after the party was over, all the way back in New York City Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed could be seen occasionally dancing down the moonlit streets towards their home, all of them arm-in-arm and talking eagerly to and smiling joyfully at each other, their laughter filling the air.

* * *

I was really excited about writing this chapter for a number of reasons. For one thing, I was excited about writing Ulquiorra as a jealous character, that is just too adorable. I was also excited about writing about the Egyptian Gods/Goddesses and including my version of Bastet, which would probably offend a ton of people. sorry. lol

I was excited about writing about Grimmjow trying and failing to control his temper. The idea to me was very funny but sweet, since he would never do that in canon bleach. I also really LOVED writing about Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's dance and how Ulquiorra finally cried in front of a conscious Grimmjow. I really love a lot of scenes between these two in this chapter. I only wish Grimmjow could have been in his release form longer, but writing fight scenes in this chapter was kinda difficult for me for some reason. :/

I was also really happy to write about Apep, since he's a giant serpent!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! next chapter is a lot calmer and more focused on Grimmjow and Kyoshiro, but mostly Kyoshiro. You'll see why! :D

Till next time! Have a Merry Christmas!


	24. Adventure 24

**Adventure #24**

**The 12****th**** Hour**

_New York, 11 AM, December 30__th__._

Kyoshiro burst out from his room, tore down the stairs into the living room and yelled, "Tomorrow is New Years! Isn't that great?" to Blue, Weed, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. All of them looked at him, and then looked away.

"Meh." They all said at the same time. Kyoshiro blinked. "The hell?" and Grimmjow said, "It's not even 2012 yet! It's still 2011!" and Kyoshiro said, "You guys…don't care? You guys don't care that tomorrow night will be the start of another year alive for us?"

"So what if it's the New Year? Life won't be any different! And besides, doesn't the apocalypse happen next year?" Grimmjow said, falling back against the couch with a grumpy sigh. Ulquiorra said, looking up from where he sat next to Grimmjow, "We've just given the year a different name to make things more interesting but the months just repeat themselves over and over. There might not even be months, just days. So, is there ever a _true_ end to the year if the days just continually repeat themselves?"

Kyoshiro stared at them, mouth agape. "Why the hell do you over-analyze everything, Ulquiorra? Weed, are you excited?" and Weed said, "I'm kind of depressed about the year ending. There will never be a 2011 again. It's just…_gone_ after this…it will cease to exist. Gone… Isn't that kind of sad? But I am looking forward to watching the ball drop in Times Square! It's always nice to see people walking about with flashing glasses and hats and there's so much joy in the air! Ah, now I'm excited! Sort of…ugh, this was such a good year!" Weed said, slumping against the table with a sad sigh. Kyoshiro, after looking worriedly at Weed, looked at Blue. "Aren't you excited?" and Blue said, "Yes, very much. I'll miss the New Year's celebration in Japan though."

Kyoshiro stared at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "You guys suck." Grimmjow sat up with a growl and, to prevent him from standing, Ulquiorra lay his head back in Grimmjow's lap, still reading his book. "Speaking of things that suck, some stupid retard stopped to have a sneeze-fit in the middle of oncoming traffic. The driver wasn't looking. Guess what happened?" Grimmjow asked, staring at the newspaper lying on the coffee table.

"The idiot is the driver who wasn't watching the road, not the victim. Have some empathy." Blue said, sipping her tea. "And speaking of sneezing, there's a virus going around, two different ones, actually. One for dogs and one for humans. We should see about getting vaccinated." Blue said after a moment. Weed nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea, I think I heard about that, too. It's difficult to treat when caught, right?"

Ulquiorra sat up and said, "We all are free today. We could go." Blue nodded. "I think that would be the best idea."

Grimmjow growled and said, "I'm not getting a vaccine. I'm not getting sick and if I was gonna get sick, it would have happened! It's a waste of time!"

Kyoshiro glared at him and said, "Will you think the same way if you refuse to vaccinated and end up getting sick and infecting Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra and frowned, seeming to think about what Kyoshiro had just said. "Tch. Fine."

And so, minutes later to Grimmjow's chagrin, the five of them were walking through the freezing streets of New York to go to their doctor's appointment. The clouds were gray and promising heavy rain. Weed shivered and wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck to keep warm. Grimmjow stopped walking behind them and frowned, his eyes squinting and his sudden frown deepening. Ulquiorra looked around. "Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow scowled and continued walking. "I feel dizzy." He mumbled, wincing as sunlight hit his eyes. Blue said, "Did you eat?" Grimmjow nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. "Well, if you pass out you'll be in the right place." Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow saw Blue and Kyoshiro walk past a billboard that instantly caught his eye. Ulquiorra saw his eyes widen in surprise and he and Weed stopped to look as well.

The billboard was for a Japanese rock-band that was famous in America. Ulquiorra recognized them. Grimmjow was a_ massive_ fan of theirs, though he liked to pretend otherwise. Ulquiorra had bought various albums for him in the past but Ulquiorra himself had never listened to them. "They had a tour here but it ended last week." Weed said, reading from the poster. Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow's jaw clench. "The list says that they stop in Japan on the 28th and leave on January 1st. They start at 10 PM and leave at 11 PM." Weed read.

"Yeah, well, that means they will leave Japan tomorrow and I ain't traveling half way across the world just to see 'em." Grimmjow said, walking away. Ulquiorra followed him. The instant Weed was further ahead, Grimmjow clenched his fists. "_Fuck_! Ulquiorra, I missed them! They were here performing in _this_ city and I _missed_ them! Where was I? Did I have my head shoved down a toilet?"

Ulquiorra said, "We were busy, don't you remember?"

"And they are splitting up! They're doing one last tour for their stupid fans and then they go separate ways! Dammit!" Grimmjow exclaimed angrily.

After a quick trip to the Vet's office, where Kyoshiro decided to try and worm his way out of getting injected by saying that he had Trypanophobia, they continued walking. "Our doctor's office is close to here. Only five blocks away. We'll be right on time." Ulquiorra said, glaring at Kyoshiro as Kyoshiro began barking at some dog that growled at him.

Within seconds they were sitting in a waiting room to…well…wait. Ulquiorra frowned, listening to people cough and sneeze around him.

"Yeah, I hate it too." Grimmjow said. "Its freaking annoying and unpleasant." Ulquiorra glanced out the window behind them and saw Weed staring out into the streets several feet below them. Grimmjow suddenly pulled Ulquiorra towards him, kissing his cheek. "Fuck, I'm bored." He mumbled, nuzzling Ulquiorra's neck.

"Hospitals in general are boring as hell." Kyoshiro said, looking around the white walls and gray carpeted floors before landing his gray eyes on Blue as she talked to Hige on her cell-phone. A bearded man—Doctor Suwabe—entered the room, clothed in a white coat. He called, adjusting his glasses, "Ulquiorra Schiffer, come and see me, please." Ulquiorra stood and walked off.

A few minutes passed.

Ulquiorra emerged around the corner, hands in his pockets. "Done." He said, sitting down beside Grimmjow and fighting back a yawn. The shot had made him a little drowsy. Grimmjow chuckled and ruffled his hair before walking off with the doctor.

After receiving a quick jab in the shoulder, Dr. Suwabe said, "So, Mr. Jaegerjaques, is there anything you would like to tell me. Anything out of the ordinary?" the doctor asked as Grimmjow seated himself across the doctor's desk.

Grimmjow said, "Yeah. Since this morning I've been feeling pain in my chest." Dr. Suwabe looked over and said, "Any dizziness or drowsiness? Trouble breathing? Pain when you lie down?"

Grimmjow answered, "I've been feeling dizzy and drowsy occasionally and sometimes my chest hurts if I breath in or out. Lying down is almost painful, before I left today I went to lie down on the coach and felt this stabbing pain around here." He said, pointing towards his chest. Dr. Suwabe nodded, frowning. Grimmjow frowned as well, feeling a spike of worry for himself. "That ain't good, is it?"

"We'll see. I can take an X-ray and call you later to let you know the results. Follow me, please!" he said and Grimmjow stood and followed him. They walked back through the waiting room and he saw Ulquiorra look up from his book. He saw a shimmer of concern cross Ulquiorra's face when he walked through the doors with Dr. Suwabe to start moving down the hall, rather than back to them.

Dr. Suwabe led him to a white tiled room with a bed and instructed him to remove his shirt and wear a white hospital gown. Grimmjow did and lay back on the bed and then he noticed Ulquiorra, Weed and Blue and Kyoshiro in the doorway. The doctor finished the scan and they all saw him say something to Grimmjow. They saw a look of surprise cross his face to then be followed by a concerned frown. Grimmjow said, his chin in his hand, looking concerned, "It's treatable—right?" they heard him say and Blue saw Ulquiorra's brow furrow in concern. "It's a serious condition, but we have caught it early. But then, of course, we can't even say for sure that it is one until this scan has finished developing. We'll see in a moment, I believe."

The machine was halfway through printing the scan and it froze halfway out. Dr. Suwabe scowled and said, "I thought I asked you to start fixing this printer, Lucy. I'm sorry, but the printer _still_ isn't fixed but the scan will come out. It's just a matter of when! No, do _not_ pull on the scan, Lucy!" Grimmjow said, "I can go then?" Dr. Suwabe nodded and Grimmjow removed his gown and proceeded to look for his shirt. Dr. Suwabe glared at Lucy and said, "Give him his shirt!" and she jumped and, blushing madly, handed Grimmjow his gray and red shirt which he pulled on. Blue hurried to him and asked, "Is everything alright?" and Grimmjow said, "Hell if I know."

Weed looked very worried and he said, "What does that mean? What does the doctor think it is?" and Grimmjow said, "I told him about my chest pains and I won't know what's wrong with me until I've gotten the results of the X-ray back. Don't freak out. I ain't dying."

As they began to leave, Ulquiorra turned towards Dr. Suwabe, not knowing just how much concern was showing in his eyes. Dr. Suwabe said, "I'm suspecting a blood-clot in his heart. It…it could be very serious." Ulquiorra felt his heart beat quicken and felt a jolt of panic shoot through his stomach. "If it was a blood-clot, could it be treated?"

"Yes, he said it started this morning so we have caught it very early. But blood-thinners take a while to start working. And one in the heart can be very complicated."

Ulquiorra unconsciously bit his lip. "Can we have the blood-thinners?"

"Not until I have confirmed that it is indeed a blood-clot. We don't want his blood to get too thin as that could prove fatal. The results _will," _a glare at Lucy, "be ready by tomorrow and I'll call you to let you know to come down and get the medicine needed to help him. Until then make sure he avoids any excessive activity and make sure he rests. But do not let him lie flat on his back, he'll need to sleep in a chair if it is a blood-clot."

Ulquiorra nodded, sighing. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry. I'll be praying it isn't a blood-clot but…but if it is, I'll do whatever I can to help him." Ulquiorra nodded, too nervous to answer properly before leaving to go after his friends.

* * *

Tomorrow would be New Years Eve but the house was quiet, all of them too worried about Grimmjow to really feel excited. Ulquiorra had just finished eating and was starting up the stairs towards his room. He paused when he heard a loud hacking cough from Grimmjow upstairs and he frowned when he realized his whole body had tensed up from that small sound. He sighed and took in a deep breath, surprised by just how fast his heart was racing.

Today had been stressful for him. Almost every second he had been fighting back negative thoughts about what could happen to Grimmjow if he did have a blood-clot in his heart. He bit his lip outside the bedroom door.

He suddenly wondered what it would be like if he never saw Grimmjow stomping through the house or never heard his voice echoing through the rooms. The urge to just see and confirm that he was alright grew and Ulquiorra pushed open the door and walked inside and saw Grimmjow sitting on the bed with his guitar.

Ulquiorra felt his heart slow just a little and he felt his shoulders relax at the sight of him in his gray sweatshirt and blue sweatpants, a concentrated look on his face as he attempted to play the right notes on the guitar. "What?" Grimmjow asked, not looking up.

Ulquiorra said nothing. He felt such a strong urge to tell Grimmjow how worried he had been the entire day but he felt that if he did, they would be useless. Words wouldn't help him get better and if anything, talking about how concerned he was might make his fears worse. Grimmjow however was giving him a searching stare, those glorious blue eyes almost seeming to X-ray him, searching through his very soul for the answer.

Grimmjow looked down at his guitar with a gruff sigh and said, "Don't you dare underestimate me, Schiffer. This is nothing compared to some of the shit I've gotten myself into in the past. I'll be fine. Got it? Stop standing there looking like some lost puppy, it's pathetic." And he knew, without Ulquiorra even having to say a word.

"Sorry." Ulquiorra's voice was small and Grimmjow looked up and felt his heart beat faster when he saw the emotions in those eyes. Eyes were truly the windows to the soul, and for Ulquiorra even more-so than others. Just by staring into his eyes, Grimmjow could see the fear and anguish he was feeling. All for him. All for Grimmjow.

"Hey...ah hell…look…" Grimmjow's voice was no longer gruff but soft and almost nervous. He really sucked at comforting words…

Grimmjow sighed, stood and pulled him into a tight hug, resting his cheek against Ulquiorra's hair. He was tense, he had to be in some sort of pain right now. Ulquiorra's heart jumped and he swore he heard him give a slight intake of breath when their bodies made contact. Ulquiorra instantly made to release him, but Grimmjow held him tighter with an impatient growl.

"Let go." Ulquiorra said, anxious for him.

"Forget it ."Grimmjow replied, nuzzling his hair. Ulquiorra lay against him, listening to the beating of his heart. _It could stop any second. _A sense of dread washed over him as he realized that there could be something inside the other man trying to take him away, trying to kill him. _Why is this happening? This shouldn't be happening. _

"I'm gonna be fine, you idiot." Grimmjow said, "Do I seriously have to tell you to relax?" he kissed gently at Ulquiorra's neck, his hands massaging his back. "Do you know how serious this could be?" Ulquiorra asked coldly, annoyed by Grimmjow's apparent lack of concern. "This isn't something to be taken lightly, at all. Are you even aware of—?"

"Shut up and listen to me!" Grimmjow snapped. "You think I'm not worried? But he isn't even sure himself that it _is_ a blood-clot! So why the hell are you jumping to conclusions? Until I get the word that it is a blood-clot, I'm not going to jump to conclusions and start freaking out!"

Ulquiorra looked away, his normally stoic voice insecure and worried. "I just don't think it could be anything other than serious." Grimmjow sighed. He really couldn't stand the look of worry on his face. Ulquiorra wasn't supposed to look worried. "Alright, well either way, I'm not gonna have you falling to pieces over me. Stop worrying about me, if it is serious, we've caught it early, alright?" Ulquiorra just nodded but was unable to force his thoughts to more positive things. His chest clenched when he saw Grimmjow's eyes widen in slight pain as he fell back against the mattress. "You shouldn't—," Ulquiorra began.

The phone rang and Ulquiorra instantly answered it. "Hell—?"

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!" a woman shrieked and Ulquiorra held the phone away from his ear, immediately recognizing it as Grimmjow's mother's voice. Grimmjow scowled and pulled a pillow over his head. "Damn woman…" he mumbled.

"I called you _ten_ times during the past few months to let you know and you didn't answer at all!" Grimmjow scowled and Ulquiorra handed him the phone. "It's for you." Grimmjow seized the phone and yelled, "Dammit, woman, knock it off! I was never home to answer any of those stupid calls! You always call at the wrong time!" Grimmjow yelled and then winced slightly.

"Listen to me, jackass! Your sister Ayame is going to have her first baby tomorrow and I want you here _now_!" Grimmjow's entire body froze and Ulquiorra heard him gasp. The surprise was instantly smothered by confusion. "What—? Wait, when did she get a boyfriend? It's only been—what…a year? The slut." Grimmjow's mother shrieked something at him and Grimmjow held the phone away from his ear.

"Okay, okay, Jesus! I can't come down, I'm busy! I have medical problems and plane tickets are expensive!"

"What, my poor baby has medical problems?"

Grimmjow said, "Yeah," he coughed. "Pretty damn serious. The doctor says I might—okay, okay." Grimmjow's voice softened a bit. "Alright, alright, fine I'll think about it."

Ulquiorra suddenly saw a look of great surprise cross his face. He said numbly, "Yeah, bye."

"Grimmjow wait, dammit!" and Grimmjow hung up silently. Ulquiorra suddenly felt eyes on him and saw Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue standing behind him. Kyoshiro said, "What's happening? What did your mom want?"

Grimmjow said, "Alexia just called. Ayame's pregnant, she's having a baby tomorrow. And I'm going to be an uncle." And it was strange how suddenly the stressful day could turn itself around as everyone in the room gave some sort of exclamation.

Blue gave a huge gasp of surprise and said, "Are you serious?" Kyoshiro's mouth fell open and Weed eyes widened in shock. "Really, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Weed said, hugging him and then instantly letting go only to realize Grimmjow was in too much shock to growl at him. "Holy crap, that's awesome! Congratulations!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, clapping him on the back.

Weed said, "I wonder what he or she will look like…! This is too cool!" Kyoshiro started laughing, "Oh God, a little Grimmjow running amok all over the place! That'll kill me!" Blue said to Grimmjow, "We have to fly down and see them, Grimmjow! You can't miss this!" Grimmjow said, "You kidding, no way! If they care so much, they'll come down and let the kid meet us. I am not going half way around the world."

"When is the kid supposed to arrive?" Ulquiorra asked, sitting beside him. "Sometime tomorrow. HA!" Grimmjow said and suddenly punched the mattress and everyone jumped when they saw the ferocity of his punch. Ulquiorra was the first to see the massive happy grin that spread across his face. He slumped over, laughing so hard it hurt. Ulquiorra found it hard not to chuckle at his display of joy.

"Ah, screw it. I'm flying down there tomorrow. She'll still be in the hospital the day afterward anyway. And if she isn't, I'll be pissed. Guys, we're leaving sometime in the morning. Go the hell to sleep." And Weed gasped and tore off yelling, "Goodnight Grimmjow, I'm so happy for you!" and he slammed the door to his room and Kyoshiro chuckled and said, "Goodnight you two! Pleasant dreams and all that stuff..." he left muttering something about 'Uncles' and 'Grimmjow' and then started laughing gleefully with Blue beside him.

The door closed and Ulquiorra said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm a little late, but congratulations. I was in some state of shock otherwise I would have congratulated you the instant you announced it." Grimmjow only chuckled, still grinning hugely.

"And I thought you said you hated children." Ulquiorra said with some amusement. "I can't hate my own nephew are you stupid? Members of my family are an exception. Heh, I can already tell he'll be a feisty one!" Grimmjow cackled. "Well, he _better_ be or I'll be disappointed." There was a wide, happy smile on Grimmjow's face now as he stared up at the ceiling and Ulquiorra almost wanted to smile as well. It had been a while since he had seen Grimmjow this happy about anything. And he was beginning to feel more hopeful now. Whatever it was that Grimmjow had, they had caught it. They would take care of it and he was going to be fine. Life would return to normal. Everything was going to be alright.

Ulquiorra, very gently, draped himself atop Grimmjow and kissed him deeply and he felt his heart soar when Grimmjow leaned into the kiss. Ulquiorra's fingers tangled in his light blue hair and he heard Grimmjow let out a contented moan, his strong arms wrapping around Ulquiorra's shoulders, his warm hand holding the back of Ulquiorra's head to prevent him from moving away too soon.

"Hey." Grimmjow grumbled when Ulquiorra moved away. "Are you still doubting me? If you are, then get offa me." Ulquiorra said, "No. I'm feeling more positive since the news about your nephew came to us. I'm merely expressing my relief." Ulquiorra said, "Anyway, you're an Espada, any blood-clot you did have would be extremely painful but nothing you couldn't recover from speedily. You'll be fine."

"Alright, I'm gonna be fine and if we both know and acknowledge that by now, I want to sleep. I'm tired as hell." Grimmjow said, falling back against the mattress with a growl.

Ulquiorra nodded and lay down beside him and Grimmjow turned off the lights and the room got even darker as Ulquiorra pulled down the shade. They lay there in the darkness, listening to the occasional car drive by. Their street was so quiet and peaceful…He could make out Grimmjow's silhouette in the darkness and felt a pang of worry hit him again and he attempted to brush it away. It was useless. Until he was absolutely certain Grimmjow was going to truly be alright, he was going to worry.

Grimmjow suddenly sat up with a slight gasp of pain and Ulquiorra asked, "What?" Grimmjow said, "Dammit, its nothing, alright? Would you stop worrying already?" Ulquiorra scowled. "I am not. If you don't want me to worry, stop making a scene."

"Well, it hurts—! Just a bit, it was just a sudden pain so that's why it took me by surprise." Grimmjow added awkwardly, not liking how much he had just admitted to his partner.

In the darkness, Ulquiorra's hand clenched the blankets and he fought back a worried sigh. _Does it hurt that much? He _shouldn't_ be hurting there, _why_ is he hurting there? Why? _If Ulquiorra had thought Grimmjow wouldn't see just how much worry there was in his eyes, he was wrong. Grimmjow let out an angry growl and pulled Ulquiorra into his arms. "Listen up, Ulquiorra. _If_ there is something wrong with me and if something _does_ happen to me, you'll move on."

_I can't see it. I cannot see my life without you in it. _

Ulquiorra murmured against his shoulder, "I don't think I could."

Grimmjow scowled and said, "Yeah you could, dammit. You'd get over it, that's just how the world works. You're the Fourth strongest Espada for crying out loud! You're—You're stronger than me. There, I said it. I bet you could get over it in a month!"

"Strength has little to _nothing_ to do with this. I have nearly seen you die enough times to know that I could never truly get over it." Grimmjow gripped his shoulders and said, "You'll get over it. And so will Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed. Alright, what my point is, just don't get all depressed and shit, alright? Otherwise I probably won't rest easy. And don't you dare blame yourself, alright? But this is all just guessing right? And it isn't going to be fatal. It's a blood-clot. They'll treat it. I'll recover quickly, I'm an Espada, remember? Like some stupid blood-clot will get rid of me!" Grimmjow added with a wide toothy smile.

And when he saw that Ulquiorra still looked worried, Grimmjow's expression softened. "Ah hell, Ulquiorra. Can nothing convince you?" Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra's jaw tighten, saw the pain and fear in those eyes intensify. Grimmjow pulled him close, pressing his lips gently to Ulquiorra's and he felt Ulquiorra's arm encircle his neck, his fingers clenching in his hair. Ulquiorra leaned into the kiss instantly and Grimmjow hungrily kissed him back, his arms wrapping around Ulquiorra's shoulders as he gently slid atop the smaller man.

Grimmjow separated by inches and only realized he wanted more the instant he moved away and kissed him again and he wrapped his arms around Ulquiorra's neck, pulling Ulquiorra flush against him. Ulquiorra broke the kiss and whispered, "The doctor requested that you avoid doing anything that would get your heart beating too quickly. And the doctor said you can't sleep lying down so go and sleep in the armchair downstairs."

Grimmjow said, "_Fuck_ him. It pretty much hurts like fuck even when it's beating regularly." Ulquiorra scowled, annoyed at the man's stubbornness and moved away from him and rolled over onto his side, ending the conversation. He heard Grimmjow growl but relaxed when it seemed Grimmjow wasn't going to argue. Grimmjow instead put his arms around Ulquiorra's shoulders and nuzzled his face against the crook of his neck. "G'night you cold bastard." He mumbled tiredly, kissing his cheek.

Ulquiorra, feeling just slightly guilty, turned his head and gently pecked his lips. Grimmjow grinned. "Get some sleep. We have to get to your doctor tomorrow." Ulquiorra said. "Got it, nurse." Grimmjow teased and Ulquiorra was too tired to respond.

* * *

_December 31__st__, 8:00 AM._

Grimmjow awoke in terror when he made to take in a breath and realized he could barely breath and instantly doubled over, his hand clutching his chest as what felt like a coil wrapped around his lungs. He took in large gulps of air out of instinct and instead felt as if a knife was stabbing at his lungs. His heart racing and his ears ringing, he took in a few deep breaths and just when he thought he was about to pass out, he felt the tremendous pain slowly start to fade and felt the oxygen return to his lungs. Gasping, he made to fall back against the bed but stopped when the pain hit him again.

"Grimmjow?" he looked over and saw Ulquiorra sitting up. "_What_ are you doing in bed you _fool_? I thought I _told_ you—!" Ulquiorra said incredulously and Grimmjow said, still panicking, "Shut the hell up, alright? I was half asleep by the time the words came out of your mouth! Ugh, _Christ_, that hurt like fuck!" Grimmjow exclaimed through clenched teeth.

Grimmjow staggered out of bed and took in a shaky breath and Ulquiorra could see his arms shaking. Grimmjow walked to the closet and fumbled about for clothes, finally finding a gray V-neck and jeans and pulling them on somewhat clumsily. Ulquiorra peered out into the streets. The streets were turned golden with the light from the rising sun and everything was quiet.

"Today is the last day of the year." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow hummed, leaning against the wall and waiting for his heart-beat to settle. The phone rang and Grimmjow frowned and said, "What dumb fuck is calling at this hour?" and he answered and said, "What, its _seven_ in the morning you—! Oh. Hey." Ulquiorra could hear Mrs. Jaegerjaques on the line.

Grimmjow frowned when she said almost tearfully, "Hi, Grimmy." Grimmjow normally would have protested towards being called anything other than his real name but the sadness in her voice was alarming. "What's up?" And then a thought occurred to him. _Oh shit._

"The kid? Is he—?" Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra sit up a little and Grimmjow felt his stomach turn over as he waited for his mother to stop crying in order to answer. "There were complications and—,"

_Oh come on, no. No. No. No._

"It's just so horrible, I don't know what to do or say—Ayame is so upset, we all are. Grimmjow, I'm so—,"

"Is he alive?" Grimmjow asked, not sure he even wanted to hear the answer. Her voice was choked when she responded. "He died an hour ago. His eyes hadn't even opened before he—,"

"I didn't ask for the details."

"Grimmjow—," she began gently.

"What? It's _her_ kid that just died, you should be talking to her. So why don't you save your condolences for her because I don't need to hear 'em. Go talk to someone who cares." And before she could protest Grimmjow hung up. "Stupid woman."

Grimmjow glared at the phone, lips pressed tight together. _I did not, fucking want to hear that messed up bullshit. Thanks, fucking, thanks. Why are you even telling me this? Am I supposed to care? Because I don't, it was not my _fucking_ kid that died before his stinking _eyes _could even open! _

Grimmjow threw the phone across the room and slammed his fist down on the dressing table so hard, the floor quaked. "_Fuck_!" and now all he could feel was bitter disappointment and anger. And for the life of him he couldn't figure out just why this news had hurt him so much, it hadn't been his kid that just died and he had always claimed to dislike children so why—?

His hands were shaking now and his knuckles were white from clenching the phone. Grimmjow could feel Ulquiorra's eyes on him and he knew Ulquiorra wouldn't say a thing. Because he knew Grimmjow didn't want to hear apologies or sympathies. Ulquiorra knew and he wouldn't hear of asking him if he was okay and he even knew that right now, Grimmjow wanted his space and would not tolerate being held or comforted like any other person would right now. And that, to Grimmjow, meant the world to him.

Kyoshiro, Blue and Weed were awake now and standing in the doorway and none of them asked what was wrong either. They had to know too, but none of them asked. Feeling just slightly soothed, Grimmjow slumped against the table, feeling drained of any energy.

_I could have been an uncle. _

Christ, he was so disappointed. He could feel his throat tightening and he turned and left the room, not even bothering to pull on a jacket as he reached the doorway. He unlocked the door, stepped outside and jumped the fence and walked away down the street, not even knowing where he was going.

Behind him, Weed ran to the door and caught it just in time to see Grimmjow round a corner and disappear from sight.

* * *

Grimmjow walked the strangely quiet streets, listening to the distant sound of street cleaners just a few blocks down. The only people really around were joggers—whom he casually tripped—and the occasional cleaner with his garbage can and broom.

He stopped and as soon as he thought no one was around, he leaned against a lamppost with a deep sigh. He ran his hand over his closed eyelids and hung his head, suddenly lacking energy from his out-burst. That rarely ever happened.

He just stood there, unwilling to lift his chin from his chest, slumped against the lamppost. God dammit this had really hit him hard. And now he knew why. It was only after he had been given the idea of hanging around a young relative that he had suddenly found the idea of parenting so strangely welcoming.

It had put the idea in his head and now that his nephew was dead, he felt as if he had been denied an experience and a privilege that only came around maybe once in a lifetime.

_Don't be a retard. She'll have more kids, knowing her. She won't give up because something went wrong. Ah, dammit, why the fuck do I care so much?_

But Christ, he would have _loved_ to have Ulquiorra, Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro meet his nephew!

He winced as a sudden jab of pain went through his ribs and he snarled and said, "Fuck, would you cut the—?" Grimmjow sighed deeply and murmured, "Get over it…"

The day itself was starting to look gloomy. The sky was getting grayer and a chilly breeze was now in the air and the sky was getting cloudy. Perfect. Even the weather was miserable. It was cold now but he was unwilling to return home and have to sit around with nothing to do. As long as he was doing something, anything, he wouldn't have to think about what had happened.

He finally left the lamppost and started to walk away down the street. And then his cell-phone vibrated and Grimmjow growled and reached into his back pocket. It was from his doctor. With a gruff sigh he answered the call, "What?"

"Grimmjow, this is Doctor Suwabe. I…I'm calling about yesterday."

Grimmjow nodded, feeling a little more alert. "Yeah, how are things?" Doctor Suwabe was silent for a moment and then he said, "Not good, I'm afraid. I don't want to have to tell you this through the phone, Mr. Jaegerjaques, so…could you come down to my office?"

Grimmjow felt his stomach tighten and felt something cold run down his back. "And bring your friends, too. This is—," Grimmjow scowled when Suwabe's voice was suddenly cut off and he said, "Are you there? Hey, would you answer me?"

His battery had died and Grimmjow cursed aloud for not remembering to take his phone out of pocket and recharge it. _He's overreacting. It's a blood-clot. Unless it's not just one, its two, and they've gotten to the point where blood-thinners won't work. No. Just relax. Is that why it hurts so much? Because there are actually two of them and—what is it? Why the hell is it so bad he can't even tell me through the phone? What's—what's wrong with me? Nothing. I'm fine. I'm going to be fine._

Anxiety twisting his stomach, he walked home to get his friends. _Alright, it's okay. It's just a blood-clot. One in your heart. But it isn't anything else. Blood-clots are treatable, alright it's in a serious place, but they are treatable. He'll tell me I have a blood-clot and then he'll give me something to treat it. I'm going to be fine._

He stopped walking when he remembered the fear in Ulquiorra's eyes the night before.

_I _have_ to be alright._

* * *

And only minutes later, Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Ulquiorra and Weed and Blue were sitting in the waiting room of the emergency room, all of them uneasy and glancing at their friend who sat in between Weed and Ulquiorra. Weed looked over at him and said, "Grimmjow, are you alright?" Grimmjow's jaw clenched.

Ulquiorra watched the man's fingers drum against his knee and saw his blue eyes dart up every time a doctor emerged from the room. Grimmjow scowled and said, "I'm going to be fine, alright?" Kyoshiro scoffed. "Yeah right. Why is it so serious he had all of us come down here?" Blue said, "Relax, alright? Getting impatient won't fix anything."

Weed forced a smile onto his face and said, "Whatever it is, we'll help you through it. And he said blood-clots are treatable so—so everything will be alright." Weed's face fell when he saw how nervous all of his friends looked. Weed's heart sank and he said, "You'll be alright. I know you will." But no one seemed to be listening to him anymore.

Not even his older friends were convinced and knowing that they were so afraid and didn't seem to believe the same thing he did, made him feel terrified. _They_ were supposed to be the one telling him everything was going to be alright, but they weren't. Weed simply stared down at his knees, his hand clenching the seat and he rested his head against Grimmjow's shoulder.

Silence fell. The most intense silence of their existence. The minutes ticked by on the clock and Ulquiorra slid his hand over to Grimmjow's and the man jumped and glanced over at him. "You'll be fine." Ulquiorra said firmly and Grimmjow only grunted, feeling as if he couldn't move his lips even if he wanted to.

Kyoshiro scowled. "We shouldn't be here for a damn blood-clot for crying out loud. What's going on?" Grimmjow mumbled, "Shut up." And Kyoshiro glanced over at the clock and sighed shakily. "This is stupid…" he mumbled shakily. And then Doctor Suwabe emerged from the room and said, "Come in and have a seat, Mr. Jaegerjaques."

Grimmjow stood to his feet and moved slowly towards the room and his friends slowly and nervously followed. Grimmjow stepped inside and saw two seats in front of the table. "Who wants to sit?" he asked, not really caring. Weed said, "You can sit." And Grimmjow sat when Kyoshiro and Blue didn't move to claim the seats. Ulquiorra sat beside him.

They waited.

Doctor Suwabe entered the room and said, "Thank you for coming down here together. I have never wanted to tell my patients through the phone about their condition so…thank you for understanding."

Grimmjow's heart rate increased and he said dryly, "Just get to the point." Doctor Suwabe said, "Mr. Jaegerjaques, the X-ray results finally came out this morning and…I don't know how to tell you this, Mr. Jaegerjaques, but—," and the Doctor hesitated and finally Grimmjow said, "It's not good, is it?" all of his friends waited with baited breath and Doctor Suwabe said, looking Grimmjow straight in the eye, "You have cancer, Mr. Jaegerjaques."

And just like that, everything came crashing in on him, from above and from below. And suddenly he couldn't breathe, his brain had shut down and for a moment, he thought that this had to be some cruel joke, that someone had sensed that he had just lost a family member and decided to screw with him.

Because this just couldn't be happening. Life couldn't just throw two things at you like that and expect you to take them, things just _couldn't _work that unfairly.

"What?" his voice was so quiet, a complete contrast to the thoughts racing in his mind. The doctor said, "For the past few months there has been a tumor growing in the left atrium of your heart. By the time it reaches this growth stage, anyone who has one would be confined to bed so I am truly surprised that you haven't felt it. I—," he stopped, unable to continue and said, "I'm so sorry. If I could find a way to fix this—,"

_Why?_

Grimmjow could feel his heart racing and was mortified by the idea that right now, something that was supposed to keep him alive would eventually end up failing him and he would be unable to do anything about it. And he felt cheated, wronged and betrayed.

_Why is this happening to me? _

And now the doctor was showing him a picture of the thing growing inside him. Surgery was an option, the doctor was saying, but it would be so risky, it could lead to even more complications. He felt numb.

_What is happening to me? Do I deserve this?_

"How long do I have?" Grimmjow asked, his voice dry. The doctor said, "You have seventeen hours left."

"Seventeen hours?"

Hours. Only hours. Not days, or weeks or months. _Hours_. Seventeen hours and then—and then he would be dead. He would be _dead_ by midnight tonight. And it still hadn't sunk in. He was still unwilling to believe this. But then he felt it, the agonizing ache in his chest as he breathed in. He looked up at the x rays and felt a sense of dread building within him. His anger faded and within seconds he realized it.

If this was a mix up, that ache wouldn't be there. His hand clenched upon the chair arm and he felt sick with sudden fear, a fear he had never felt when facing an enemy upon the battlefield. Because this time, the enemy was within himself.

His body was destroying itself.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Jaegerjaques. If there is anything I can do for you then please let me know. I'm so—," and Grimmjow finally couldn't take it anymore. Why? _Why_ was this happening? Had he messed up? He was healthy, so why the _fuck_ was this happening to him? _What_ had he done wrong?

"Anything you can do for me? _Anything_ you can do for me? How about you get off your ass and fucking help me! What is this shit? You just sit there and tell me I have seventeen, fucking, hours alive and that's all you have to say? _Help_ me! You're a doctor, find a way to help me! That's what you're supposed to do! Do something! Say something to me!" Grimmjow roared, close to hysteria, looking around at his friends. None of them spoke, all they could do was stare at him.

"Come on!" Grimmjow yelled. They were completely unresponsive. The only one who made an effort to speak was Weed but then he went silent again, unable to look up. Grimmjow seized the front of Doctor Suwabe's coat and roared, "You can't just tell me I'm done for without offering me a way to save myself! Help me!" And the doctor was silent.

Grimmjow could feel his arms start to shake and he slowly loosened his hold on the doctor, his eyes widening and fear slowly sinking in. "Come on…" his voice was weak now, the anger turning to fear as everything slowly sunk it. And he couldn't take it anymore.

Grimmjow raced from the room, the door banging against the wall behind him as he sprinted away down the corridor. _Why is this happening? _He ran past people, barely missing them as he sprinted past them. The ache only intensified and he slumped against the wall with a gasp of pain, his hand clutching his chest, gasping hugely for the breath he lost during the run. _Why is this happening to me, why?_

Where was the exit? _Why_ was this place so huge, _why_ couldn't he find the exit? He needed to get out, he _had _to get out, he couldn't _breathe_!

He was gasping now, his heart racing and his thoughts running in every direction. And he kept running, nearly slipping in his desperation to get out of the building and be by himself if only for a little while.

And, just when he thought he would never find it, he flung open a door and was greeted by rain-washed streets and freezing cold wind and rain. He shivered and stepped out into the streets and just stood there and looked around him, silently taking in the deserted and cold streets. It was amazing how, just with a little bit of rain, the city could make you feel so alone, unwanted and uncared for.

And then he slumped over as a stab of pain went through his chest, forcing a gasp from him. _This is real, isn't it? I really am…I really am going to die, aren't I? _And sudden fear wracked his body. _No. No, I'm not, alright? This can't be happening to me, this isn't happening to me! I took care of myself, I'm healthy! Healthy people do not…get this! I'm…_

_My body is destroying itself. The one thing that is supposed to be keeping me alive is killing me. I can't—I can't die like this, I can't. I can't. I don't want to. God, why is this happening to me?_

Grimmjow wanted to scream, to howl aloud his fear and anger at the absolute unfairness of his situation. But he couldn't even scream. All that came out was a choked whimper and he fell onto his hands and knees and knelt there as the rain poured down upon him.

He didn't know how long he knelt there, listening to the unsteady beat of his heart, waiting for it to suddenly stop. Because what was to stop it? Hours didn't even make a difference. What was to stop it from stopping right now just to fuck him over? Why not end it now if that was how it was going to be, why just torment him with hours?

What could he do with hours?

Grimmjow slumped over, his face pressing against the soaking floor beside his clenched fist and he let out a soft whimper. And then he heard the door open behind him and knew who it was. He couldn't care less how they saw him now, weakened and terrified. He didn't have time to care.

"Grimmjow…" it was Ulquiorra's voice, almost unrecognizable due to the emotion in it. Grimmjow felt his throat tighten. "I'm so…" Grimmjow felt his chest tighten.

"I'm sorry."

Grimmjow couldn't respond. He felt utterly, completely shocked.

"Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra called out again, his voice broken, but Grimmjow didn't move. _Seventeen hours and I'll be dead. Seventeen hours. I can't fucking die like this! I can't! _Grimmjow beat the ground with his fist, scrunching into himself. _And it isn't even an honorable death either! It's a fucking tumor, my own body is fucking destroying itself and all I have left is seventeen god damn hours! Why? Why the hell is this happening to me? WHY?_

He didn't feel like himself anymore. The possibility of dying had never scared him before, it had made him sad for the people he was leaving behind and for the life he was leaving behind. But he had never been scared. But now he was. He was absolutely _terrified_!

_I haven't done everything in my life that I wanted to do, I'm not fucking, ready yet! This can't be happening to me, dammit! I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die! I have _seventeen_ hours left, _seventeen hours, and I_—! Then…why am I lying face down in the rain? _And Grimmjow's breath stopped and his eyes opened. _Why am I sitting around sulking and feeling sorry for myself when I only have seventeen hours left alive on Earth? _

_Don't you get it? I've got to go down in history. I've gotta do something that will get me remembered by every man and woman in this stupid city. I've got to get in the goddamn _newspapers_! And even if I can't, I'm going to do every single stupid, crazy and life-threatening thought that has ever popped into my head! Because what the _hell_ have I got to lose? If I'm going to be dead in seventeen hours I am not holding back a single second! Get the _fuck _ready, world! Because until the sun rises tomorrow, you are _mine_!_

And Grimmjow was already on his feet and marching towards his grieving friends and for a moment, their sorrow almost tore him down again and he forced the thought to the back of his mind and said, his voice less powerful than he had wanted it, "Listen. I've only got seventeen hours left, alright? I don't want to waste them sitting around moping. Stand up, cheer up and let's rock."

Weed said, his voice choked, "But, Grimmjow I couldn't be happy, not knowing that—!" Grimmjow snapped, "Then get over it, got it? Because I'm not spending the last seventeen hours of my life alone, alright? I want your company and that will be the last time you ever hear me say that. With that crap said, get up." Weed gave a stiff nod but didn't stand.

And then Weed glanced at Kyoshiro and saw an angry look on the Kishu's face. "This is stupid, alright? You aren't dying! This is bullshit!" Blue placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him imploringly. "Kyoshiro, please, not now."

"Fine. I'll do it alright? Get off my back." Kyoshiro said, letting out a shaky breath and Grimmjow frowned, not sure if he liked the idea of Kyoshiro possibly crying over him—or crying at all for that matter. Blue was already on her feet, shivering. She said, "You have my full support as well, Grimmjow. This is very brave of you."

Grimmjow made to speak to Ulquiorra but the man was already standing up. He said, "I'm with you." They stared at one another for a moment and Ulquiorra's slight hope faded when he saw that despite his resolution, the fire in those blue eyes wasn't there. Ulquiorra said, in an effort to bring some sort of light to those eyes, "I just have a feeling we all are going to get hurt."

And despite himself, Grimmjow laughed, a grin breaking across his face. "Ulquiorra, why the hell would you think otherwise?" And then his grin slowly faded and he saw Ulquiorra's face fall as well. Ulquiorra handed him a small package of pain medication "The doctor wanted you to take one of these anyway." Grimmjow just scoffed. "The hell will that do, Ulquiorra?"

"Just do it." Ulquiorra's voice was small and Grimmjow felt something in his throat tighten. "Okay, okay." He took the pill and the bottle of water and hastily washed the pill down. He looked back at Ulquiorra and saw the man hastily wipe his face clean of any emotion that may have just been there and, for a moment, his fears returned.

_I don't want to die._

And to keep from weakening himself, he hastily turned away from his friends and said, "Let's wreck this joint." And headed off through the rain.

* * *

_1:00 PM_

The rain had stopped now and Grimmjow sat in the front seat of a small plane, his eyes downcast. He frowned. _Don't think about it, alright? Just stop for a second. _He glanced over at Ulquiorra who sat on a soft seat in the back of the plane with Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro.

Grimmjow grinned excitedly and stood up as the pilot said, "Alright, we are getting into position. Get ready, guys." Grimmjow clapped Ulquiorra on the knee as he walked by and Ulquiorra stood to his feet and Blue beckoned to Weed as Kyoshiro stood.

"Everyone's parachutes are attached, we all know how to use them? Alright, I'm opening the doors." Grimmjow couldn't stop the thrilled grin as the doors opened and he realized how high up they were. Weed shuddered and Kyoshiro grinned excitedly.

They all stood at the opening in the plane, staring down over the world below them. They braced themselves, waiting for the signal. "Alright, go!" and Grimmjow's heart leapt and he and his friends charged and leapt from the plane and fell through the sky! He opened his eyes and laughed aloud as he looked over the world beneath him, the land beneath him was patches of green and brown. There were countless rivers and lakes dotting the landscape as well.

But the biggest thrill was looking ahead towards the absolutely endless horizon and realizing that, if he wanted, he could go there and nothing could stop him from going there. Hell, he could even fly there now. What was waiting there for them? What would he find if he went there?

And he looked over his shoulder and saw Blue falling beside Ulquiorra who looked down with wide, wide eyes. Blue herself was grinning hugely. Weed was covering his eyes and Kyoshiro shook him and Weed opened his eyes and Grimmjow saw him gasp hugely and smile widely as he looked around ecstatically. "WHOA!" he exclaimed.

And Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra reach out a hand. Grimmjow took it and within seconds, all of them had linked hands as they fell, all of them watching with wonder and excitement as they slowly neared the ground. Grimmjow grinned when he realized that Ulquiorra now looked completely relaxed despite his reluctance before.

And then Kyoshiro called, "Where are we landing?" and they all looked at one another. And then Grimmjow pulled his parachute as they neared the ground, wincing as his entire body was jerked on by the force of the wind catching beneath his parachute, causing it to fly open behind him. The dogs opened theirs as well. Before Ulquiorra could pull his open, Grimmjow had seized him around his waist and pulled him towards his body.

"Grimmjow, where are we landing?" Kyoshiro sighed as Grimmjow ignored them. "He'll answer eventually." And then Weed said, "Texas!" And Kyoshiro called, "How do you know?" Weed pointed. "See the sign?"

Grimmjow removed his sky-diving suit and straightened his clothes out before walking into the crowd. Grimmjow looked left and right and then he walked up to someone and asked him something. The man pointed down the street and Grimmjow hurried away and his friends followed. They headed towards a crowd of people gathered around a large fenced area.

Kyoshiro gasped. They were staring at a bull and atop the bull was a man holding onto his rope for dear life as the beast ran, bucked and kicked, twisted and spun violently. He only lasted 3 seconds before he was thrown off and down into the dirt and he had to dodge the creature as it ran at him. He jumped the fence and tore away and the crowd booed and cheered.

"You aren't gonna do that, are you?" Weed exclaimed. Grimmjow grinned. "It's the most dangerous sport in the world. You bet I'm gonna do it."

Grimmjow strode forward and raised a hand and the man turned towards him and said, "Ah, you're the one who joined last minute, right? Well, let's see how long you last." Ulquiorra looked towards Grimmjow and said, "Try not to get hurt too badly." And he picked up the previous rider's fallen hat and placed it on his head. Grimmjow smirked and lowered the brim and strode forward. The man handed Grimmjow some equipment such as a glove and a vest. "I assume you know the rules. You are only allowed to use your riding hand, if you touch the bull with your free hand at any point you will be disqualified. You need to try and stay on the beast for 8 seconds. When you hear a whistle, that means the round is done. Don't break your neck, son." The man said as Grimmjow mounted the bull and gripped the flat, braided rope tightly in his hand as he waited for the doors to open.

And the whistle sounded and the instant the doors were open, the beast below him tore into the stadium and bucked and Grimmjow was nearly sent flying clean off and he gripped the rope and felt his head collide with the bull's neck and he gritted his teeth to stop the yelp as the bull leapt and twisted right in the air and he felt himself being jerked to the right so hard, he was surprised he didn't break his riding arm.

He was sent flying to the side and nearly flew right off and before he had time to recover, the bull was bucking and he was being thrown left and right but he kept his hand gripping the rope so tightly it hurt. Grimmjow felt himself flying to the left and he maneuvered himself just slightly to the right only to be nearly be thrown off as the bull ran in circles. Just as he flew back, he was being thrown forward again, his chest ramming hard against the bull's neck and with a yell of pain, he was sent flying right over the bull's head and landed flat on his back on the ground and the breath was knocked from his lungs. And he was suddenly in so much pain, he couldn't move. He could feel the ground shaking as the bull raced away and wondered momentarily if it would trample him.

"Oh, so close! But look at _that _folks! One more second and he would have won! Give a nice big round of applause for our nearly victorious loser!" the man yelled and the crowd cheered. People were running to him and trying to help him on his feet and Grimmjow scowled and shoved them away and slowly heaved himself up, eyes wide. _I…I lost? _He had hadn't even gone eight seconds on that thing?

He staggered, dizzy and nauseous and light headed and he could make out a big red 7.5 on the timer. He had gone seven and a half seconds on that monster? Well, that had to be close enough, even if he was annoyed he wasn't up to his expectations. _Whatever, I can win at whatever I do next. _Grimmjow staggered from the rodeo and was instantly greeted by his friends. Weed had given himself nail marks on his face and looked utterly relieved that he was alright and Kyoshiro was grinning.

"That was so stupid of you," Blue said as Grimmjow snatched the water offered to him by Kyoshiro and drank half of it and continuously flexed his hand. "But you were the closest out of all the contestants, not that it matters! It's the experience that counts." Weed said, "Absolutely! Are you alright?" Grimmjow said, "I feel like I just broke all of my ribs, and it wasn't even worth it. Hey, Ulqui, how'd I do?" Ulquiorra looked like he was in some sort of shock. "Good." He said stiffly.

"He was freaking terrified, you should have seen his face!" Kyoshiro said, laughing shakily and Blue elbowed him playfully. "You weren't any better." Grimmjow grinned and clapped Ulquiorra on the back and Ulquiorra jumped and said, "Good job I suppose, but if our day is going to consist of you taking suicidal risks, then I'm going to have to pass." And Grimmjow chuckled and placed his cowboy hat on Ulquiorra's head.

* * *

_2:50 PM _

The pilot Grimmjow had hired was currently flying them away from Austin, Texas, and somewhere else, but Grimmjow wouldn't say where yet. Kyoshiro sat beside Blue, a scowl on his face and unable to even look up as the minutes ticked by. He could see Weed sitting by the window, looking utterly miserable.

Grimmjow was taking a nap and Ulquiorra, rather than sit beside him, was facing the window, his back to Grimmjow, refusing to look at him.

"Guys," Blue whispered shakily, "Guys, let's try and be at least a little cheerful. For Grimmjow's sake." Kyoshiro scoffed but didn't raise his voice at her. "Cheerful? How? He's going to be dead by tonight, how are we supposed to be cheerful?"

Blue said, "Then pretend. Let's not spend our last day with him in misery, alright? Oh for God's sake, answer!" Blue snapped and Kyoshiro only grunted. Weed said somewhat coldly, "How? How can we do that?"

Blue didn't respond. Ulquiorra said, "For one thing, you all can stop complaining." Kyoshiro said, "And you're his boyfriend, why aren't you showing any emotion over the fact that he's dying? What's your problem? You haven't so much as looked at him today!"

Ulquiorra's jaw clenched and a noticeable crease appeared on his forehead as his eyes narrowed just slightly. And Kyoshiro made to reply angrily but Grimmjow stirred and sat up beside them and Blue said, "How are you feeling? Was your nap pleasant?" Grimmjow said, "Yeah, plenty. I can't wait to get of this flying piece of tin though."

Weed asked, "Where are we going?" Grimmjow grinned. "New Orleans and then Paris." And Ulquiorra looked over with wide eyes. "Paris?" Grimmjow said, "Yeah. The one vacation I have regretted the most was that one. So I wanna relive it. We'll climb the Eiffel Tower and go sightseeing for an hour or two before we head to Japan. I want to see a live concert of my favorite band before they split."

Kyoshiro frowned. Grimmjow sounded so _cheerful_. How was the man who was_ dying_ managing to be happier than the ones who would be alive by tonight? He forced a grin on his face and said, "Sounds great!" and Grimmjow grinned wider. The pilot called, "We're here guys. Buckle up and return to your seats if you aren't already in them!" and within seconds they had landed in New Orleans.

It was incredibly warm in New Orleans, unlike in New York where it was still cold. Grimmjow really wasn't sure what to do here, it didn't look too interesting. He heard there were gators in the bayou, though.

Weed suddenly pointed to something and said, "Oh, look! A karaoke bar!" Grimmjow turned and saw a bar called Cat's Meow. "Can we go in?" Weed asked excitedly. Grimmjow said, "No. I'm not doin' karaoke. That shit's lame."

"Grimmjow, it'll be fun." Weed said. Kyoshiro began to walk towards the doors to look inside. "It sure looks like people in there are having fun." Ulquiorra frowned, not sure he would like all the noise. Grimmjow sighed. _Well, what the hell have I got to lose?_

Grimmjow pushed open the doors and stepped inside and Blue eagerly followed. Ulquiorra stepped inside and winced at the horrible singing he heard. God, was it awful! There was a woman on stage who was practically screaming some song and everyone was booing and finally, she had to be removed from the stage to save the eardrums of the innocent listeners.

Grimmjow removed his finger from his ear and heard his other ear pop. "Christ." He grumbled. Weed suddenly said, "Hey, this looks like fun! Can we try it?" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra frowned. Neither of them wanted to sing. At all. Weed browsed the list of songs out of curiosity.

"Come on, Grimmjow! What have you got to lose?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, climbing onto stage. Grimmjow sighed and said, "Nothing." And Kyoshiro went first. He frowned. Most of the songs were in French. He found an English song but he didn't really know it. Oh well.

"Uh, hi! Name's Kyoshiro, uh…yeah. I'm gonna sing a bit of this song, Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida. I know nothing about it! Bring it!" and the song started and Kyoshiro watched the lyrics on the screen above him. Blue whispered, "Maybe we should all just sing bits of songs to save time?" and Weed nodded to show he heard as Kyoshiro started singing a little awkwardly.

"You know I know how—to make 'em stop and stare as I zone out! The club can't even handle me right now. Watchin' you watchin' me I go all out…uh…the club can't even handle me right now." And did an awkward dance step and then as the beat kicked in Kyoshiro began bobbing his head and tapping his feet and then he frowned when the singer started rapping really fast!

"Oh shit, uh…uh, holy crap what's he saying? Uh…I own the night and I don't need no help—uh, Scarface felt—goin' wild—Like yeah, girls just melt—walk too many all know me like twelve—bottles, models stuff—uh ,fall out cause that's the business, all out it's so ridiculous, scream out _I'M_ IN THE _BUILDING_, BITCH! They watching, I know this! I'm rocking, I'm rolling, I'm holding, you know it! I know it! You know I know how, to make 'em stop 'n stare as I zone out! The club can't even handle me right now, watching you watching me I go all out! Yeah, yeah, yeah! The club can't even handle me right now! Hey! I'm outta control, more shots let's go!"

He actually had a pretty good voice, except he was mostly saying gibberish and laughing at himself.

And he began moving his feet left and right, shaking his shoulders, singing gibberish as he attempted to keep up, only coming in when the chorus came back and then he attempted to break dance while Grimmjow roared with laughter as he ridiculous dance moves and Blue laughed as well but more good naturedly. Kyoshiro sang, pointing to the ladies in the club, "You got me watchin' now, got my attention now! Got everybody in the club wantin' the know now!"

He slid on his knees and ended up in front of Blue and sang to her with a charming grin and she watched him with a slight blush on her face, "I'm a ladies' man, come be my lady and, we can ball, so, ah~! Bring ya body up and let me switch up your atmosphere, take you out of the club and up in my new limo! Fly you around the world, what you want baby girl? Are you ready to go, now? WHOA!" and he did a back flip and began strutting across the stage and got so involved in dancing to the music he forgot to sing up until the last part and just ended up singing, "Put your hands up, you know who shut 'em DOWN!"and ended up doing a split accidentally and people in the club applauded and Kyoshiro bounded off stage and avoided the girls trying to get to him. "Next!" he called.

"That sucked!" Grimmjow called between laughs and then elbowed Ulquiorra and said, "You gonna do this?" and Ulquiorra shook his head. Weed climbed onto the stage and said, "Hello, my name is Weed." Some people chuckled but Weed ignored them. "Uh, for—since we're in a hurry I'm only singing part of this song. Enjoy!"

And Weed selected his song and cleared his throat and jumped when the wrong song came on! It was Dancing Queen by ABBA and he frowned when he realized he didn't know how to turn it off. He at least knew the song, if only a bit of it. "Uh, um—you can dance! You jive, having the time of your life!" Weed sang, grinning sheepishly and shuffling across the stage in an awkward sort of dance. "Having the time of your life! Oh~! See that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!"he sang, pointing into the audience

"Friday nights and the lights are low! Looking out for a place to go! Uh, something-something right music! Getting the swing! You're in the mood for a dance!" Weed felt somewhat encouraged when he saw people swaying in the audience. He smiled widely and began to shift his weight from one foot to the other and move his arms. Grimmjow frowned when he realized he was swaying a little too.

"And when you get the chance! You are the dancing queen, young and sweet only seventeen!" Weed sang, clapping his hands in time with the beat and the audience joined slowly. Kyoshiro began clapping and stepping forward and back and he smiled when he heard Blue singing along too. "Feel the beat from the tambourine, yeah! You can dance, you jive!" Blue sang along with Weed.

"Having the time of your life! _Oh_, see that girl! Watch that scene, digging the dancing queen!" Weed sang loudly Grimmjow finally stopped trying not to move his hands and he clapped along too, rolling his eyes at himself and he glanced at Ulquiorra and smiled when he saw his foot tapping. Grimmjow actually began to move his shoulders along with his hips now, swaying his arms and he could see Kyoshiro bobbing his head and moving his feet as well.

Weed turned down the volume and said, "Thank you!" and he jumped from the stage and Blue ran on and said, "I'm Blue! Let's heat this place up a bit, shall we?" and Blue sang, her voice parodying the original's singers successfully and humorously, "Let's go to the beach-each, let's go get away, have a drink, clink, found the Budlight! Bad women like me are hard to come by!" Grimmjow noticed she didn't curse like in the original song. "The Patron, own, let's go get it on! The zone, own, yes I'm in the zone! Is it two, three? Leave a good tip! I'mma blow all my money and don't give a—!"

"I'm on the floor, floor! I love to dance, so give me more, more, 'till I can't stand! So get on the floor, floor, like it's your last chance!" the lights began changing color and Kyoshiro gasped excitedly and began to dance as well and Grimmjow grinned at Ulquiorra and beckoned for him to dance and Ulquiorra just shook his head. The beat picked up and Blue began to move her hips and bob her head and people in the club began to dance as well. Kyoshiro meanwhile watched with wide eyes as she danced.

And Blue rushed forward, slowly lifting her hands into the air, her hips swaying left to right slowly as she sang, "Starships, were meant to fly~! Hands up! And touch the sky~!" People slowly began to raise their hands and Blue smiled encouragingly as Grimmjow and the others, except Ulquiorra, flung their hands up. "Can't stop, cause we're so high~! Let's do this one more time!" and people in the club began to sing along with her.

"Starships we're meant to fly~! Hands up, and touch the sky~! Can't stop, were higher than a mother—!" and the music turned wild and people began to dance around the room and clap their hands in time with the beats. Blue didn't dance much but she didn't move her body in time with the music and then she reached over and paused the song and people groaned in disappointment and Blue waved and exited the stage and called, "Grimmjow, are you next?" and Grimmjow set down his menu which contained a list of songs.

"Yeah." And he jumped onto the stage, his heart beating. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was something completely unlike him, both song genre and lyrics wise. But he wanted to do it. "Sup. The names Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and I would like to have the pleasure of doing a duet with Ulquiorra Schiffer." And Blue gasped excitedly and Kyoshiro shoved Ulquiorra forward.

"No. I don't sing."

"Yeah you do, get up here." Grimmjow said, extending a hand. Weed whispered, "Do it Ulquiorra!" And Ulquiorra suddenly realized he would never be able to do this again and felt his heart clench. He took Grimmjow's warm hand and stepped onto the stage and Blue and the others applauded and Kyoshiro even whistled before whispering to Blue, "I liked your song." And she smiled widely at him. "It's _definitely_ not my first choice, but I wanted something to dance too."

Ulquiorra stood beside Grimmjow nervously and Grimmjow selected the song and said, "Read off the TV above us if you want. I just memorized the lyrics and all." Ulquiorra grunted, licking his lips. "I'll point to you, you join in. Relax. I'll start." Grimmjow said, completely confident. Ulquiorra just nodded, looking at anyone except the audience.

Grimmjow hit play. A cheerful beat started up. Ulquiorra blinked. Grimmjow had actually chosen an upbeat song that sounded strangely like a country song? How surprising…! A guitar started up and Grimmjow tapped his foot in time with the beat, grinning slightly. "Absolutely no one who knows me better," and Ulquiorra flushed a little when he realized he was actually really hearing Grimmjow sing for the first time. Just like his speaking voice, his singing voice was a deep baritone.

Grimmjow was rocking forward, tapping his foot and snapping his finger in time with upbeat music. "No one that can make me feel so good. How did we stay so long together? When everybody, _everybody_, said we wouldn't?" Grimmjow sang with a wide happy smile, his bright blue eyes drinking in Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra turned towards him. He had chosen a song that even sounded like them. That was…strangely adorable.

"And just when I, I start to think they're right. That love has died." And the chorus jumped right in and Grimmjow sang, "There you go making my heart beat again, heart beat again, heart beat again! There you go making me feel like a kid, won't you do it and do it one time?" Ulquiorra wanted to smile, fighting back shivers at the sound of his voice. Ulquiorra glanced at the screen to see the lyrics and joined in a little shyly and nervously, "There you go pulling me right back in, right back in, right back in," and Grimmjow actually stopped singing for a second, completely taken aback by how clear and soft Ulquiorra's deep voice was. Grimmjow actually bit his lower lip, smile widening. He sounded fucking adorable.

Grimmjow hastily jumped back in and sang along with him, surprised by how well their voices blended together, Ulquiorra's voice just slightly softer than his and making him grin widely, "And I know, whoa oh! I'm never lettin' this go, whoa oh! I'm stuck on you!" they both moved to stand beside one another and stood shoulder to shoulder and Grimmjow moved forward and sang, "Whoa oh,"

And then Ulquiorra moved forward and sang right after him, "Whoa oh," and they both joined at, glancing at one another and sharing small excited smiles, Grimmjow actually holding his microphone in order to properly look at him, "Stuck like glue, you and me, baby, we're stuck like glue! Whoa oh, whoa oh~! Stuck like glue, you and me, baby we're stuck like glue."

Both of their feet were tapping now, both of their fingers snapping and Ulquiorra's voice was slowly coming to life as he sang with Grimmjow whose lively voice was bringing him out of himself. Ulquiorra was even moving his shoulders a bit while Grimmjow's were moving up and down.

Ulquiorra found himself singing the next part by himself, "Some days I don't feel like trying. Some days you know I just want to give up." and Ulquiorra and Grimmjow sang, "When it doesn't matter who's right, fight about it all night," and Ulquiorra sang, "Had enough. You give me that look," He glanced at Grimmjow and saw the man watching him with a wide smile. "I'm sorry, baby, let's make up. You do that thing that makes me laugh, and just like that,"

And they both sang, "There you go making my heart beat again! Heart beat again, heart beat again! There you go making me feel like a kid!  
Won't you do it and do it _one _time?"

"Do it and do it." Grimmjow echoed.

"There you go pulling me right back in," and Ulquiorra gently shoved him and since their hands were linked, Ulquiorra ended up being pulled against him. "Right back in," Grimmjow gently shoved him and staggered into him with a chuckle, ending up catching Ulquiorra in a bit of a dip. "Right back in and I know, whoa oh," Grimmjow leaned their foreheads together and he smiled widely when Ulquiorra gently caressed his hair. "I'm never letting this go, whoa oh." They both sang, straightening up in order to hold both of their hands up in front of their faces and entwine them.

"I'm stuck on you, whoa oh, whoa oh," they both sang, Grimmjow cocking his head to the right with each 'whoa oh' and Ulquiorra chuckled. "Stuck like glue, you and me baby we're stuck like glue." They repeated that, Grimmjow with a wide, happy, grin and Ulquiorra with a tender smile on his face, their hands still entwined and held up.

And the music stopped and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra both snapped their fingers, leaned in close until there was no space between them and sang, "Whoa oh, whoa oh~! Stuck like glue, you and me, baby we're stuck like glue." And everyone in the room burst into applause. Ulquiorra pulled Grimmjow's head down for a quick but deep kiss and Grimmjow playfully nipped his lower lip.

"Can't believe I just did that. I think they liked us though." Ulquiorra mumbled, glancing towards the audience and Grimmjow cackled. "You think _they_ liked you? Your voice just gave me the biggest fucking boner of my life."

Ulquiorra wanted to role his eyes but he would have been half lying if he said he didn't find Grimmjow's voice appealing as well. "You really know how to ruin a moment." And Grimmjow kissed him passionately again and shivered when Ulquiorra replied with just as much zest as Grimmjow. He had _loved_ watching Ulquiorra come to life, it had been amazing.

And outside, the clock stuck 4:00 and Ulquiorra remembered what was to happen tonight and he moved away, face wiped clean of any emotion there had been seconds ago and he said, "Our plane's waiting. Let's go." And he left Grimmjow standing there, frozen. Grimmjow heaved a sigh and then turned towards his friends and saw them still smiling at him. Kyoshiro called, "To Paris?" and Grimmjow said, "To Paris."

* * *

When they arrived in Paris, Grimmjow was instantly asked to have his portrait painted by a smiling French man and Grimmjow agreed and while he had his portrait speedily painted, Blue went with Ulquiorra to get coffee. When they returned, Grimmjow's portrait was nearly done. Grimmjow was also reading from a book on various French words.

"Will you try and learn the language?" Weed asked and Grimmjow nodded. "Oui." Weed frowned and Ulquiorra said, "That means yes."

The portrait was done. "Combien?" Grimmjow asked and handed the man the right amount of money. "Tres bien, merci." Grimmjow said with a grin and he stood and beckoned for his friends to follow him, all the while going through his book.

Weed said, "Are we heading to the Eiffel Tower?" and Grimmjow responded, "Yes—I mean, oui." And he stopped what looked like locals and said, "Excusez-moi? Est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider? I'm looking for—ah crap." He began to ask for directions to the Eiffel tower. "He's strangely polite when he speaks French." Ulquiorra said and Kyoshiro said, "Probably because there are no curse words or rude terms in that book."

Grimmjow called, "Follow me—agh fuck. I mean, suis-moi. " and Blue giggled, amused by how he kept switching. "Monsieur Grimmjow," Ulquiorra called, "Ou est Eiffel tower?" Grimmjow looked over and said, looking perplexed, "Je ne sais pas." And Ulquiorra chuckled and assumed that Grimmjow actually hadn't understood the directions since he was only just starting to speak it. Ulquiorra had been able to understand however and he said, "Je fais, de cette facon." And Ulquiorra took his hand and led the group down the street and they walked until they could see the tower.

"Wow, sure is high up! Beat you there!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and he tore away up the stairs and Blue gasped and followed him and Weed frowned but decided to follow. Grimmjow grinned and said, "See you at the top! Uh, I mean—!" and Ulquiorra tore by him and Grimmjow growled and hastened to follow him but winced as he felt the ache in his chest. He pushed aside the thoughts racing to his head and pelted away after him.

Blue reached the top and gave a happy sigh as she over-looked the city beneath them. She was beginning to think this was the most romantic city in the world right now. She could see beautiful parks and buildings beneath her and she could feel a gentle breeze caressing her skin, the heat from the sun was so warm, too. And then she saw Kyoshiro and Weed come up the stairs, panting and she said, "Oh, I guess I won."

Kyoshiro pretended to scowl and then hurried over to stare out over the edge. "We're so high up! Damn, look at this view!"

"I know, it's _gorgeous_, isn't it?" Blue agreed eagerly and Kyoshiro nodded, loving the way the sunlight lit up her eyes. "It's alright, I guess."

Weed rested his head against the railing and smiled slightly. "Will we have time to see Notre Dame?" he asked and Blue said, "That's all up to Grimmjow." And Kyoshiro grinned when he saw Ulquiorra and Grimmjow emerge up the stairs, last. "Well, look who lost?" and Ulquiorra said, "I did not lose. Grimmjow was the last up." And Grimmjow snarled, "Only because I tripped, don't gloat! Want a rematch?"

"No thanks." Ulquiorra said somewhat breathlessly and he walked briskly to the railing to stand beside his three other friends and looked down below. Grimmjow hastened to join them and whistled when he looked down below at the city. To the left he could see a river flowing swiftly past the city, boats floating slowly and gracefully across the water. To him, all the buildings looked rather like slices of cheesecake because of the way they were shaped. He smirked a little at the thought.

He could see the shadow of the tower stretching over the buildings and he sighed. It really was actually pretty nice up here. Blue and the others walked away to go get a look at the other side and Grimmjow said, "This is fucking awesome, isn't it? I wonder why we didn't do this the first time?"

And Ulquiorra looked over and saw the smile on his face and the peaceful look in his eyes and couldn't hold back his question anymore. Just as Blue, Kyoshiro, and Weed descended the stairs, Grimmjow prepared to follow and Ulquiorra asked, "How can you be so cheerful?" and Grimmjow stopped and looked back.

"I can't understand this. I cannot comprehend how you can smile and—and just carry on like this with something like…_that_ hanging over your head. Do you even care or are you even acknowledging the fact that by tonight you will—?"

"What do you mean _do_ I acknowledge it? I acknowledge it just fine, thanks. And what about you, you haven't been able to so much as look at me, all day!" Grimmjow snapped. "And then when I do get your attention, you act like nothing happened!"

"At least I am being realistic. You need to acknowledge the fact that by tonight, you—,"

"I do acknowledge it!" Grimmjow barked and Ulquiorra said, "Then how are you able to even have the strength to keep going?"

"Why don't you _look_ at me when you're talking to me?" Grimmjow yelled and Ulquiorra suddenly couldn't speak, his throat felt tight.

And Grimmjow knew why and the realization hit him hard in the heart, making his throat tighten. Ulquiorra was trying to distance himself. Because the realization that Grimmjow would be dead tonight was so painful to him, he decided it would be better to try and distance himself than to fully accept it. And Grimmjow had been doing it too, trying so hard to avoid being intimate with him because he was afraid to admit that he would never see him again after tonight.

Even though he knew that there was no way he would be able to truly do that. It was too late for that, neither of them could do it. And it was stupid. He had nine hours left alive, they shouldn't be trying to distance themselves, they should be doing the exact opposite.

And Ulquiorra tensed up when Grimmjow pulled him close, his arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. Grimmjow rested his chin against Ulquiorra's hair. Ulquiorra held him tightly and Grimmjow leaned into him. He didn't know how to put it into words. He wanted to fall completely in love with this man, for a day. No gentle words held back or regretted. Because they would never be able to do this again.

In other words he wanted to be so romantic it would make him turn over in his grave.

So he stopped trying to be distant and instead leaned down and kissed Ulquiorra and this kiss, he felt, was more different than any of the other ones. And it wasn't the kiss itself, but what they were both feeling. It was something stronger than either of them had ever felt before. And when they gently broke the kiss, Grimmjow whispered, "Nothing held back, got it?" and Ulquiorra pulled him close and whispered into his hair, "Got it."

And they stood there together, arms still around one another, sharing soft kisses until they decided to leave and head to their next and final destination.

Japan.

* * *

"Are you kidding? No! The water is _freezing_!" Blue called as Grimmjow tore down the beach towards the water. "Who gives a fuck? Get down here, Ulqui!" Grimmjow called but Ulquiorra had already jumped waist deep into the water and immediately started shivering and trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

Grimmjow plunge in and gasped as freezing water hit his skin, making instinctively hunch over to warm himself. Grimmjow sighed contentedly when the aching in his chest went away due to the cold water and submerged himself some more. Weed ran forward, barking and hesitating as the water lapped at his toes. Kyoshiro swallowed, grinned at Blue and said, "Here goes! WAHOO!" and he jumped in and slipped and fell underwater. Grimmjow started cackling and hurried to Ulquiorra, wrapping his arms around his chest and he felt Ulquiorra lean into him.

They were in Japan right now and standing just outside Tokyo on the beach. Blue called, hugging herself back on shore, "How is the water?"

"Fucking freezing!" Grimmjow said through clenched teeth and he splashed Kyoshiro as the dog swam closer and Kyoshiro yelled, "Ow, not in my damn _eyes_!" and Weed, looking highly reluctant, charged and was swimming beside them in seconds and shivering. "Oh my God, how can you guys do this? I can't it's too cold!" Weed exclaimed, tearing out and racing away down the beach, hyper with cold.

Kyoshiro rolled his eyes and said, "It isn't that—whoa!" and he began running towards shore. Grimmjow knew why. A large gray and white fish was swimming towards them and he and Ulquiorra began moving back. "It's a—a dolphin." Ulquiorra said, his teeth chattering as he spoke, and Blue hurried forward shivering as her paws were submerged. And then she charged in with a happy yelp and began racing around in the water.

The dolphin poked its head above water and stared up at them, almost looking like it was smiling. "Sup?" Grimmjow said, "You giant fish stick." Ulquiorra said, "Dolphins aren't fish, they're mammals."

"It still breathes underwater right?" Grimmjow replied a little moodily but extending a hand curiously and the dolphin sniffed it and let out a strange cry and then began swimming cheerfully away. "Aw, h-he's c-c-cute." Weed said, shivering.

Grimmjow waded further out to follow him and Ulquiorra said, "Don't get too cold, all right?"

"Like it makes a difference." Grimmjow said and Ulquiorra felt a jolt go through his heart and he fought it back, not wanting to think about it. "I—I suppose. But we should head to the city."

Grimmjow swam out a few feet and for the next few minutes he and the strangely playful dolphin swam around a bit and finally Grimmjow got too cold and headed back to shore and gathered his clothes and left the dolphin staring after them.

They walked into the city and Grimmjow suddenly stopped walking as a strangely nostalgic feeling crept up upon him. He was sure he had walked every inch of this city, seen every building and tree. He had only lived here for a year, but he was sure he'd recognize every street he walked down. And he wanted to go somewhere, back to his and Ulquiorra's first apartment, walk near Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed's old abandoned movie theater.

Grimmjow said to Ulquiorra, "Wanna go back and look at our old apartment? See if it's been renovated or somethin'?" Ulquiorra said, "I suppose so. Do you remember the way?"

"I could walk there blindfolded." Grimmjow said with a grin and he took Ulquiorra's hand and said to Blue and the others, "We're stopping at our old building." Weed said, "Oh, okay." And Kyoshiro looked around and said, "Was there something you wanted to do?" and Weed said, "Oh, no. We're here for Grimmjow, not me."

"Do whatever you want, its fine." Grimmjow said with a shrug. "Might as well make the journey worth it, right? Where do ya wanna go?" Weed said, "Uh…I…"

"Grimmjow, you said you could walk it blindfolded?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow said, "Yeah." Ulquiorra paid a man at a stall selling special handkerchiefs and walked behind Grimmjow and said, "Here you go." And tied the black handkerchief over his eyes and Grimmjow yelled out and Kyoshiro started laughing.

"Oi, what the—? What gives, Ulquiorra? Get it off!" but Ulquiorra was just too good at tying knots and Grimmjow, despite being annoyed and trying to feign annoyance, broke out laughing as he staggered away down the street, arms out stretched.

"You look like a zombie!" Weed exclaimed and Blue said, "Oh, he _does_!" and Grimmjow said, "The hell, no I don't!" and Kyoshiro rolled his eyes back, lolled out his tongue and stretched out his arms and groaned. "Braaaaaaiiiiinnns!" and Grimmjow snorted. "You gotta be kidding me…" Weed began imitating a zombie too and Ulquiorra said, "People are looking at us like we're complete idiots." And Grimmjow stuck out his tongue and began flailing his arms and staggering up the street, groaning.

Ulquiorra sighed, fighting off the urge to roll his eyes in amusement and looked to Blue in hopes of finding sanity and felt surprised when he saw her fumbling up the street, with her arms stretched out, wrists and fingers curled.

Ulquiorra hated to admit it but for a few minutes, he joined in, minus the tongue part up until Grimmjow, having freed himself of the blindfold, started bumping into him. Grimmjow groaned, "Tongue…" Ulquiorra said, "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes." Grimmjow nipped at his neck and murmured, "Come on, just be completely stupid with us for a few minutes. C'mon…" Grimmjow's voice purred and Ulquiorra sighed and poked his tongue out and Grimmjow grinned, pulled his blindfold back on, and began bumping into him, in zombie mode again.

They continued this for a bit until they started laughing too hard to continue and then they stopped and Grimmjow said, "What, are we here?" they must have been, even blindfolded he had recognized the turns they'd made and the pleasant smells from the restaurants he used to visit in the area. And Ulquiorra pulled the blindfold off and Grimmjow was hit by an unexpected wave of nostalgia.

He really wasn't a very nostalgic person, but he couldn't help the memories flooding to his head when he looked at the older building in front of him. It looked exactly the same and he felt slightly annoyed when he realized he could see people walking back and forth inside from the windows.

He and Ulquiorra had had so many issues upon first moving in together, neither of them could afford to buy their own place so they settled for just one and they had fought a lot while adjusting to living together. Over a ton of stupid stuff, as usual.

"It's damn strange isn't it? This feeling?" Grimmjow mumbled to his partner, looking over at him and noticing the strangely gentle look in his emerald eyes. Ulquiorra looked at him and replied, "It is, isn't it? It would be even worse it we were revisiting Heuco Mundo." And Grimmjow nodded, his hand slipping into Ulquiorra's. "Heh, that's true."

The old movie theater Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed lived in should be only a few streets away. Grimmjow, not liking how nostalgic he was feeling, said, "Let's check out the theater." And they all agreed.

It wasn't there. Grimmjow looked away from Kyoshiro's somewhat saddened face and towards the new restaurant they were building. Blue said, "Well, it is to be expected, I guess. That building was so old." Kyoshiro only nodded, a little depressed. "Yeah, and it was kind of a wreck." He mumbled and Blue smiled sadly at him. "I thought it was wonderful, anyway."

Weed seemed to be struggling to say something and Grimmjow said, "What is it?" and Weed said, "Uh…I know it might take a while to get there but…can we…would it be too much trouble if—?"

Grimmjow said a little impatiently over his shoulder, "What, spit it out would—?" and Weed said with a soft but sad smile, "My mother." And everyone went silent and Grimmjow turned to face the pup, his eyes wide.

Weed said, "I want to see my mother."

* * *

And only moments later, they were flying over the mountains in the helicopter as the sun slowly began to set behind them. Ulquiorra said, "I can see the old cabin down there. Set us down right about here." Grimmjow couldn't get over how strange this felt. The chopper landed and they all began to head towards the old staircase leading up towards the cabin Weed and his mother had lived in.

The sunlight shone down on them, peaking through the trees, sending their shadows flying across the ground nearly twenty feet to the side. Grimmjow glanced to his left and felt something stir in his chest when he saw Ulquiorra walking beside him, the sunlight turning his hair a beautiful auburn. Not long ago they had walked this path, holding feelings of hatred for each other, denying the slight fascination they felt towards one another and only seeing the bad in one another.

And look where they were now. And Grimmjow could tell Ulquiorra was thinking this too, because Ulquiorra took his hand, almost as if trying to redo the time they had walked through here, arguing and angry at one another. Grimmjow's chest tightened a little and he cracked a grin. _Dammit, _he thought, _being here is just way too nostalgic for me._

Ulquiorra's lips twitched as well and Kyoshiro said, "So this is where you grew up, huh? It's not bad." Weed said, "Yup, me and mother lived here for a few months. I never knew quite why she was there. She kept saying that it was dangerous and that father sent her away to keep her safe." Kyoshiro bit his tongue, not wanting to voice his real thoughts about his opinion on why Weed's father hadn't been there.

Weed understood however. "I believe her. I really do. I just wish I could have met him in person, but that's alright." Ulquiorra said, "He must have been important enough though, judging by how many dogs knew him and spoke of him so fondly."

"Yup. He must have been great. Mother spoke of him fondly, too."

_Oh yeah, _Grimmjow thought, _speaking of fond, I wasn't exactly the best person to this pup—or anyone else really. Dammit, never mind._ They had reached the staircase. Blue said, "Weed, once you're ready and you've spoken to her, can we meet her?" Weed said, "Huh? Oh! I'd _love_ that! I think she would love that too! You guys can come up, now if you like!"

Kyoshiro frowned a little. _He's so damn cheerful. I lost my mother at nearly the same age as him_, _how the hell is he so easily able to talk about her, when I can't even so much as think about mine? Granted, our histories are different but…even years after it happened, I still can't really think about it._

"You go ahead." Kyoshiro said and Weed looked over in surprise as Kyoshiro seated himself on a rock near the stairs. "You go and talk to her by yourself? It's fine by us." Weed said, "Alright. I'll call you when I'm ready, I promise not to take too long." And the Akita hurried up the steps and disappeared from sight.

Blue watched Kyoshiro just a little sadly and smiled softly as she watched him drift into thought.

* * *

The sunlight hit Weed full in the face as he reached the top step and he blinked, managing to open his eyes after a few seconds. And he felt his breath catch as the familiar scents drifted through his nose, and he smiled just slightly when he realized that the cabin looked exactly as he remembered. He stepped forward, paws crunching in the light snow that blanketed the ground.

He hurried to the porch and ducked underneath and gasped when he realized he could still find traces of his and his mother's scent that the rain and snow hadn't erased. _I can't believe it. Everything is exactly the same, even the scents. This is…_

He turned to look outside and saw the mound of earth where she had been buried, blanketed by a thin layer of snow. _Mother._

He could vaguely recall them playing chase close to the spot he had buried her. He could see her happy smile clear as day in his mind. He could see that smile falter as she coughed three times.

"_Mother, are you alright?"_

"_Yes—yes, my love. I'm…I'm alright." _ And her smile was back when she looked at him. He hadn't even been fazed by it, hadn't even taken into consideration that that cough would one day turn into hacks, that even smiling would become too much for her as the pain grew. And yet she would still try every time he asked with fear that grew day by day, she would still try, even if it was agonizing.

He seated himself in front of the mound and said, "Hello, mother. It's me."

* * *

Grimmjow looked up and sighed. "The kid's taking a while. Not that it matters. But we can't dally here all that long."

Kyoshiro frowned and said, "Uh…are bears still around this area?" and Grimmjow looked up sharply. "Ah, crap. Stay." And he turned and headed up the staircase.

* * *

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, I've been busy. I have a good life, really. A great one and…" Weed faltered, suddenly frozen. _And that will be gone by tomorrow._

Weed felt something tightening in his throat and he said, "One of my friends is…he's…he's sick. He's in pain nearly every second and…"

"He's dying, mother."

A chilly breeze blew by an Weed could feel the day's events starting to cripple him and he was suddenly back in his past. He was watching again as the one light in his life slowly slipped away.

And all he could do was ask again and again if she would be alright.

And then, one day she didn't say it like she was supposed to. Just like Grimmjow's doctor hadn't been able to.

Weed couldn't speak anymore and he couldn't lift his head as the weight of his friend's fate slowly pressed down on him. _And I can't do anything. And I'm sorry I couldn't take care of you when you were sick and in so much pain you couldn't even…I'm so sorry. And why did it have to be this way? Why did you leave, why did it happen? And why is it happening again? _

And he could feel tears pricking at his eyes and he fought them back. He couldn't cry. If he did, it would mean he was accepting the fact that his friend was going to die within six hours. His nails sunk a few inches into the dirt and he let out a sharp gasp.

_Can you…can you take care of him? For me and…and for Ulquiorra?_

He didn't want to wake up and face the day seeing Ulquiorra slowly fade, grow lifeless and filled with despair. The thought was heartbreaking to him and terrifying. He never had gotten over the shock of losing his mother, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he had every single day of his life, telling himself he had no reason to feel sad when he had so many wonderful people in his life.

And he was crying now, unable to hold back the emotions he had been keeping in throughout the entire day, watching Grimmjow hide behind his fear, shock and anger with nothing but a cheerful grin and knowing all too well what would follow no matter how hard he tried and tried to deny it. No matter how hard they all tried to deny it.

_Please take care of him._

He would feel the betrayal and cruelty of life in only a few hours for the second time in his life. And he would never be ready for the life that would follow without Grimmjow in it.

And he tensed when he heard footsteps on the ground behind him and he looked over his shoulder and found Grimmjow standing a few feet behind him. There wasn't even a look of annoyance on his face, just blankness. The look vanished and he put on his trademark scowl and said, "Damn stairs. Too freaking many, I tell you."

Weed didn't reply, trying to find a way to appear as if he hadn't been crying. It was no good. Grimmjow looked around and whistled. "Yeah, I remember this place all too well. Was a bit of a jerkass to you, wasn't I? Your mom probably hates me, heh."

Weed tried to breath in quietly and only let out a quiet sob when he saw the laidback grin on his face. Grimmjow stopped saying something about bears and looked towards him. "Hey? You uh…? Nah, I guess you probably aren't, are you?" Grimmjow foot kicked at the ground gently and the fact that Grimmjow seemed to know he was so upset made Weed only want to stop holding it all in and he sniffed loudly.

"Hey, don't, alright?" Grimmjow said a little awkwardly. "We haven't got time to sit around crying, got it?" Weed only sniffed louder and Grimmjow stopped trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. "Look, Weedy—," and Weed's choked voice silenced him. "I don't want you to die." It was a child's plea.

Grimmjow slumped a little, letting his shoulders loosen, his lips tightening. He had no clue what to say. Weed's soft sobs were audible now but he still tried to hold them in. Grimmjow didn't want to talk about this either. And if it weren't for the fact that he had people to live for now, he wouldn't be this terrified about the possibility of dying. He sighed.

_If it weren't for them, dying would probably be so much easier._

And he remembered that before Ulquiorra, Weed had been the first person he had showed any concern for. This dog had been his friend even when he himself wasn't aware of it or willing to recognize it. And Grimmjow could trust him to be there for the most important person in his life after he was gone.

Grimmjow knelt beside him and placed a hand on Weed's hand and the dog stiffened and glanced at him. Grimmjow said, his gruff voice just slightly wavering, "Can you look after Ulquiorra for me?" and Weed turned towards him with wide eyes.

Grimmjow felt himself blink and he said a little thickly, "I want you to look after him for me, alright?" Weed's look changed from surprise to sorrowful and he whimpered, "Grimmjow…" he was unable to say anything else to him.

Grimmjow said a little gruffly, "Can you?" and Weed sniffled and said, sobs in his voice, "Y—yes. I will, Grimmjow, I promise." And Grimmjow let out a shaky breath that he tried to turn into a cough and he said, "Thanks." And Weed pressed his little head against Grimmjow's chest and he felt Grimmjow tense up, felt him raise a hand slightly out of surprise.

"Grimmjow…?" Weed whispered looking up at him and Grimmjow just nodded. "Can I…can I call you father?" and Grimmjow felt his chest constrict as he remembered the nephew he had lost only hours ago. And Grimmjow slowly lifted his arm and wrapped it gently around the pup's shoulders, resting his chin against his soft head. Weed nuzzled his face against his chest.

And all Grimmjow managed to say through the emotion constricting his heart was, "Yeah. Sure you can."

* * *

Kyoshiro sighed and nudged a pebble gently across the ground.

"Maybe they did get eaten by bears." And Blue said, "Don't they hibernate though?" and Kyoshiro just shrugged. Ulquiorra was still staring towards the top of the stairs, waiting patiently.

Kyoshiro said, suddenly thinking about their blue haired friend, "You know…he annoys me sometimes but…the fact that he can still manage to smile and try and carry on with his life after he's been told he only has seventeen hours left alive is…is pretty damn incredible." Kyoshiro managed a small smile.

Blue smiled too. "It is, isn't it?" Ulquiorra looked over to listen to them. Kyoshiro said, "Heh…I'm kinda…I'm kinda gonna miss the bastard." Kyoshiro's tail stopped wagging and he hung his head a little as the thought slowly set in. "I'm…I'm really gonna _miss_ him." Blue looked over at the change of tone in his voice and she felt tears threatening to prick at her eyes.

Kyoshiro said a little shakily, "I, I actually never really thought of life without him. I've treated him like I found him to be nothing but a nuisance the whole time I've known him and…and really, he's been like a brother to me. What the _hell_ are we going to do without him?" Kyoshiro asked, suddenly horrified.

"He's not going to be there making up some crazy plan to catch guys who have wronged us, he's not going to stomp through the house with that annoying grin and that stupid cocky voice. He's…!" Kyoshiro's voice had grown and Blue watched with wide eyes as Kyoshiro slowly began to panic.

Ulquiorra was no longer looking but instead walking a little further into the trees, not wanting to listen.

"I can't _imagine_ it, it's…it's _wrong _to even think about it! And I can't fucking _believe_ it. I'm finding living without that asshole to be wrong and terrifying and—! God…I…" Kyoshiro had slumped over now, mouth hanging open and his gray eyes wide as he tried to contemplate it and accept it.

Blue bit her lip, blinking back tears as she imagined the house back home without him. The idea was…the idea was mortifying. And it felt…it felt somewhat familiar.

"It feels like I'm losing my family again." She whispered and Kyoshiro looked over. "And I imagine it must feel the same for Weed, too. No matter how difficult he may have been sometimes, I'm going to miss him so much. It really is just so hard to imagine life without him, isn't it?" Her voice was getting weaker and Kyoshiro looked away, not liking how hard he was blinking and just how difficult it was to breathe through the weight pressing against his throat. And the fact that Blue who was normally so strong was so close to tears made it all so more much real.

He raised an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. She rested her head against his shoulder and Kyoshiro pulled her closer, pressing his cheek against her hair. Blue could see the tears he was fighting back and she said, "You don't need to be strong for me. You can cry in front of me, it's alright." Kyoshiro said, "Nah. I'm gonna need to be there for Ulquiorra. We all are…_Christ_, that's going to be so hard to watch."

Blue wrapped her arms around him and Kyoshiro heaved a shaky sigh, and despite his misery he still realized with the tiniest smile that this was the first time they had ever really held one another. He suddenly heard footsteps and hastily wiped his eyes as Grimmjow walked down the steps with Weed beside him. "Come on, the chopper's waiting. I wanna get back to the city in time to see my band."

Blue said, wiping quickly at her eyes, "Your band? _Oh_, that's right. They were stopping in Tokyo. That's why you came here." Grimmjow nodded. "That's right. Hey, Ulqui, we're leaving!" he saw Ulquiorra heading back towards them. Ulquiorra lead them back to the helicopter and as they walked, Grimmjow reached over and ruffled Blue's hair and she jumped and looked over and flashed him a smile. Grimmjow smirked fondly and then said, "Oi, Kyoshiro, you know a lot about the woods, right? So is that a yeti?" and Kyoshiro looked where Grimmjow was pointing.

"What are you—?" Kyoshiro said, confused. Grimmjow grinned. "Made you look." And he tore off and he and Kyoshiro raced one another back to the helicopter.

* * *

They were back in the city now, eating dinner as they made their way towards the New Years Festivals. They all decided they wanted to be out in one of the meadows on a hill in order to see the fireworks. Ulquiorra set up the chairs for them to sit on and he said, "We still have a while until midnight." Grimmjow just nodded, setting the food down on his chair since he didn't feel like sitting.

"How long does the show run?" something in his tone was worried. Grimmjow said, "It ends at 11:00." Ulquiorra bit his lip and Grimmjow knew what was troubling him. He wanted them both to be able to spend proper time together before 1:00.

Grimmjow turned towards Ulquiorra who it seemed was troubled. Grimmjow felt worried too and was even doubtful of whether or not he should go.

Ulquiorra knew this for he said, "You should go. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you wanted to see it, we came here to see it. Go see it. I will meet you afterwards and walk with you to the hill and then…then we…" Ulquiorra's voice trailed away and Grimmjow felt that familiar sense of dread returning.

Grimmjow said, "So, if I'm gonna go, I should go now. Come on." Grimmjow quickly read the directions off the site and beckoned for Ulquiorra to follow him and Ulquiorra saw Grimmjow hasten to wave goodbye to Blue and Kyoshiro as the two hurried off the get drinks with Weed.

They had half an hour to get there but Grimmjow wanted to make sure the lines weren't too bad. Grimmjow just wasn't sure he felt right leaving Ulquiorra and the others on that hill. He was already feeling just slightly short of breath and every time he breathed in, it hurt just a little. He bit his lip, feeling torn. Maybe he would only stay for a bit?

Ulquiorra suddenly gripped his arm and Grimmjow looked over. "Hm?" Ulquiorra said, "You stopped walking. Come on, we've got one block left." And then Ulquiorra frowned and said, "Are you in any pain?" Grimmjow said, "No. Breathing feels…a little strange but I'm fine. Worry about yourself."

"What if I don't want to? Regardless of whether I ever made it sound like I feel otherwise, I enjoy worrying about you." Ulquiorra stated and Grimmjow didn't bother to fight the wide smile like he normally would have done. If anyone else had said that to him, it only would have annoyed him more. Coming from Ulquiorra, Grimmjow actually felt strangely giddy. _Must be the lack of air…no, fuck that. It's because he's cute as fuck, that's why._

He also found it adorable because Ulquiorra was smaller than him and yet would be able to protect him if needed. Not that he ever should have too, since Grimmjow was still fairly confident in his own abilities.

Grimmjow slung an arm around the smaller man's shoulders and pressed his lips very gently to the man's soft hair, his thumb tracing circles against Ulquiorra's shoulder. Grimmjow wanted to talk about something. About anything. But he had no clue what to say. He felt Ulquiorra put his arm around his waist and he held him a little tighter.

Neither of them had really been ones for words anyway. To them both, actions spoke louder. Grimmjow supposed it had never really helped that they were both so different. After a while though, he had grown to rather accept that neither of them would ever like the same thing and he had even started looking forward to hearing Ulquiorra's different views of life and anything in general.

Over time he had began to think that maybe, just maybe, how different they were hadn't mattered, because if it had mattered, would they have apologized after every single stupid mistake they made?

Ulquiorra said, "We're here." The concert was held in an extremely crowded park and the gate was only being let open to those with tickets. Ulquiorra said, "I'll come and get you after the show is over."

Something felt wrong. Ulquiorra felt strange leaving him here.

"Thanks, escort." Grimmjow said with a coy grin. An awkward silence fell. "So, see you later then, right?" Grimmjow said, looking away and feeling as if he should say or do something.

Ulquiorra took Grimmjow's chin between his thumb and index finger and Grimmjow instantly leaned down into the soft kiss Ulquiorra gave him and instantly felt as if he were melting. Ulquiorra whispered, "I'll be back five minutes before the show ends, right outside the gate. Alright?" Grimmjow nodded, mesmerized by those gentle emerald eyes and he shivered a little. "Yeah, alright, I got it." Grimmjow grinned excitedly and said, "See ya, Ulqui." And he grinned wider at the gentle smile slowly crossing Ulquiorra's face before he kissed him again, handed the man at the gate his ticket and hurried inside with the happy crowd. The gate swung shut behind him and woman ran by and accidentally rammed hard into Grimmjow's side and suddenly he couldn't breathe.

He froze and gave a loud hacking cough as he suddenly felt the air leave his lungs. He momentarily panicked and coughed some more, doubling over. Had that small hit made him _that_ breathless? Why? Suddenly he was biting back a yell as his ribs clenched with his frantic coughing. Christ that _hurt_!

Why were his _ribs_ hurting, too?

He could see spots popping in front of his eyes and for a moment he was terrified for his life. What if the doctor has miscalculated? Had he even really considered how much time Grimmjow had left or had he just guessed? Was he dying _now_? He couldn't even hear himself coughing because of the screaming crowd and his foggy mind half wondered if there was just so many people there was no oxygen left in the air to breath and he desperately attempted to shoulder his way through the crowd.

_No, you can't do this, do you understand me? You _cannot _die here, Grimmjow! This is not how I wanted to die, not here! Oh Christ, I knew I shouldn't have left! Now I'm going to die here and people won't even notice, they'll walk all over me, come on, not here, please! Please…I need to see him again, dammit! If I was going to die, it would have been beside him, not in some stupid crowded park alone! I need…to see him again…_

And suddenly he was able to take in more oxygen as the pain began to fade. Grimmjow's heart slowly began to return to normal and he nearly broke out laughing out of sheer relief, only able to register the thought that he might still have a chance of seeing Ulquiorra and his friends again later.

Grimmjow slumped against a tree, shaking and gasping, still in too much pain to breathe as normally because of the aching in his ribs that shouldn't have been there. Or was it in his chest? It was impossible to tell and Grimmjow could care less.

And then cheers started up and he looked up and his eyes widened when the five band members appeared on stage. Grimmjow just leaned against the tree, feeling strangely claustrophobic as people pressed in around him and nearly knocked into him to get a better view. "Thank you, Japan! Thank you all so much for coming out here on this wonderful evening to celebrate New Years with us! In honor of this special day, we will be extending the concert by two hours!" and Grimmjow felt a sense of dread wash over him.

Two hours? But they had only promised one! He had come all this way to see them and they were extending it by two hours?

In two hours, he would either be dying or dead. And judging by the way he had been unable to breath only moments ago, it could happen in less than hours. Even as he stood here, he could see spots starting to reappear, his head was throbbing and coughs were threatening to break from his already aching lungs.

And he knew why he and Ulquiorra had been reluctant to leave now. Because they both had been wondering if Grimmjow would leave at all, Ulquiorra had been being so nice to him because he was worried if he would ever see Grimmjow alive again after the show was over. And like the selfless _idiot_ Ulquiorra could be, he hadn't even considered trying to make him stay. He shouldn't be here. He _couldn't_ be here and he didn't want to be. Screw this. And a bell in the distance chimed 10:00 and Grimmjow was fighting his way through the crowd.

"Move it, alright, out of my way! Move!" Grimmjow snapped, shoving his way through the endless crowd and towards the metal gates. He broke free of the crowd, gasping for air and coughing and he forced himself to stop and rattled the gates and to his horror they didn't open and he shouted, "Let me out!" and the two men guarding the gates turned. "Did you hear me, open these gates!" Grimmjow yelled, frantic and one of the man glared at his friend and said, "You _locked_ the gates? You idiot!"

And Grimmjow growled and quickly climbed the gates and landed hard on his feet before pelting away through the streets, leaving the men to stare after him with wide eyes.

* * *

Ulquiorra leaned back in his chair, straitened his light green kimono, and finished the last of his drink with a sigh. Blue and the others sat beside him, watching the moon. Blue seemed the most content, being half wolf she felt at peace under the moon. "I wonder how Grimmjow's doing." She said. Kyoshiro said, "Probably going deaf, that band is pretty loud. Their song's are awesome though."

Weed reached for a drink in the basket and said, "Huh? How are we out already?" Blue looked at the basket as well and Ulquiorra glanced at it. "Oh dear. We'd better go get some more!" she said, standing and Kyoshiro said, "I'll go too. We'll need a lot more." And he hurried off with her and Ulquiorra frowned. "They forgot the basket." And Weed gasped, seized it and ran off after them. Ulquiorra chuckled a little and then looked at his watch. 10: 50.

He needed to leave soon. In fact he was tempted to leave now, ever since he had left Grimmjow on his own he had felt so unsettled. Unable to set his mind at ease. It had been this way all day and he was starting to get impatient.

Yes. He would leave now.

He stood and prepared to leave, looking up at the moon as it slowly peaked out behind the clouds. And just as he prepared to turn away from the moon and head down hill he heard someone shout, "Ulquiorra?" and he turned and he felt his heart leapt joyfully in his chest when he saw Grimmjow standing in front of him, panting for air, seemingly just having stopped running.

Grimmjow was breathless but still managed a wide grin. "Yo, Sexy." And he coughed hard into the back of his fist, his chest heaving. Ulquiorra said wonderstruck, "What are you doing here? Why are you here, I thought you were back at the concert." Grimmjow coughed again, shrugging. "Ah, you know—they…I kinda decided that I didn't like 'em last minute. Ran out…back here…" he wheezed, coughing harder.

That snapped Ulquiorra out of his daze and he said, "You idiot. You ran here. In your condition? Calling me would have been an option. Now look at you."

"Phone's dead. Has been since this morning. Ulquiorra, I shouldn't have left." Grimmjow said, striding to him. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels the same then. I was such an idiot to leave you there." Ulquiorra started to move as well.

"Doesn't matter. I just wasted half an hour of my valuable time and I don't want to waste another damn second."

And Grimmjow flung his arms around Ulquiorra's shoulder's, pulling him close until there was no space between them. He buried his face in Ulquiorra's neck, his hand curling in his soft hair as he breathed out a deep, happy sigh. He felt Ulquiorra's arms squeeze him gently, his back stroking his back and sending shivers up his spine. Ulquiorra's touch was so warm, his touch so gentle it was as if he thought Grimmjow were made of glass. Ulquiorra could practically see Grimmjow's wide, happy smile as he nuzzled his neck, breathing him in.

Grimmjow kissed him, opening his eyes just as they moved away in time to catch the happy smile that graced Ulquiorra's face. Grimmjow smiled toothily and laughed, feeling giddy at the sight. Ulquiorra found himself laughing along with him before he stood up slightly for a deep, joyful kiss. His hand took Grimmjow's and he felt Grimmjow instantly squeeze his hand, neither of them noticing that they were both swaying.

Grimmjow pushed any and all negative thoughts out of his head relatively easily and instead just focused on holding Ulquiorra, growling into his neck when he felt Ulquiorra place hot kisses against his neck. He felt Ulquiorra shiver at the sound he made, his fingers curling in Grimmjow's shirt. Grimmjow nipped his ear and Ulquiorra barely suppressed his soft laugh and Grimmjow grinned, his warm hands sliding down Ulquiorra's sides, tracing his figure. Ulquiorra felt his eyes flutter shut as Grimmjow's thumbs skimmed over every muscle, loving how he could trace everyone of them without even looking.

"Your laugh is fuckin' adorable." Grimmjow whispered and Ulquiorra rested his face against Grimmjow's shoulder, his hand playing with Grimmjow's soft hair. "Hm."

"Shut up, yeah it is."

Ulquiorra stopped holding back what he wanted to say and said, "You're much better at compliments than I am, you say them so easily. But I happen to think your smile is adorable."

Ulquiorra heard Grimmjow's soft intake of breath and felt bad when he realized he rarely complimented the man as often as he should have. "I do. There's more, if you are interested in hearing it." Grimmjow moved back to look at him properly, gently placing his forehead against Ulquiorra's like he normally did when he was content.

Ulquiorra stared up into his eyes for a moment, admiring the way the moonlight reflected in them. And he was reminded of something. "This is something I don't think I've told you, it's quite lengthy, but I think you should know this. Before I became an Espada, I was a Hollow living beneath the desert. I had others living there, completely colorless. They hated me, they didn't like how my armor was so pale while theirs was completely pitch black. I was like a caged circus freak to them."

Grimmjow scowled, sitting down into the grass and Ulquiorra joined him. "They hurt you?"

"No. But scars left by words tend to hurt and heal slower than wounds left from a fight. They stay with you."

"What then?" Grimmjow asked, putting his arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders. He felt guilty for insulting Ulquiorra when he got pissed off now. He wondered if that had made it worse. He frowned and kissed his pale cheek, putting his free arm around Ulquiorra's waist.

"I killed them and roamed the desert, not really knowing where I was going. They were right about one thing. I was mute towards nearly everything, I couldn't taste anything, feel anything, hear anything. Everything looked so empty, I remember thinking I was the only one there, that I was completely alone. I walked forever, and I found something. I still can't describe just what it was or what purpose it had. I had no reason to do otherwise, so I walked into it. I lay there for a while, only barely aware that my armor had been stripped away."

Grimmjow suddenly gasped and said, "Wait a minute, that's where I found you! You were lying in the desert."

Ulquiorra said, "Exactly. While I was immediately distrustful of you, I absolutely could not forget your eyes. There was so much fire in them, so much energy and life. Even when I thought I hated you back in Las Noches, I would look in your eyes and somehow managed to be swept back to when I lay in the desert, thinking that this world was completely devoid of life. I couldn't get over it, how I could be swept away just by looking into someone's eyes. But when I looked into them, I thought, I want to feel everything that he feels. I want to be in possession of every emotion that showed in your eyes. Because when you feel anything, anything at all, Grimmjow, they light up, they shine. They were the first and only color I ever saw in the world and in a way, I think they gave me some sort of hope. They reminded me of the sky I wanted to see, the life I wanted to have, how I wanted to be. If that made any sense to you."

And Grimmjow was speechless. He had had absolutely no idea Ulquiorra had felt—and still did feel—that way about him. "Wow…" he chuckled. "Well, shit, Ulquiorra…" He felt moved. He had never expected Ulquiorra to say anything like that. Grimmjow moved over and kissed his cheek, lingering a few seconds with his lips to Ulquiorra's skin.

And then they heard footsteps and Weed emerged on the hill, carrying a basket rather overflowing with drinks. Grimmjow said, "Whoa, you buy half the store or what?" and Weed exclaimed, "Grimmjow!" and he set the basket down and bounded over and immediately licked his cheek, tail wagging furiously.

Kyoshiro called, "Why are you here?"

"Didn't wanna stay, realized I'd rather be somewhere else." Grimmjow said, bumping Ulquiorra's shoulder as he spoke. Blue immediately began handing out drinks and she squeaked, "I'm so excited for the fireworks!" and Kyoshiro grinned as she squeezed his arm, his cheeks flushing.

"How many minutes?" Weed asked and Blue said, "Two!" and Grimmjow hastily opened his drink and waited, heart racing. He winced as he stood up and fought back a cough. Grimmjow suddenly noticed that Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro were also wearing kimonos. Blue wore a blue and pink flowered kimono while Kyoshiro wore a white and blue one and Weed wore an all blue kimono.

Ulquiorra suddenly nudged Kyoshiro and the dog exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Here, you go." And he tossed Grimmjow a blue and black kimono which he hastily threw over his clothes. That was better.

Ulquiorra of course looked lovely in his, the kimono was a very pale green and the sash and sleeves were cream colored. Grimmjow murmured, "Not bad, pretty boy." And Ulquiorra laced his fingers through Grimmjow's. One minute left to go and the entire world was holding its breath.

Grimmjow's friends were all watching him now, worried. Grimmjow said, "Stop looking at me that way. When the countdown starts, all of you shout as loud as you can, got it? No holding back." And Weed whispered something to Blue and she nodded eagerly and whispered it to Kyoshiro who then whispered it to Ulquiorra.

_One minute left, _Grimmjow thought, _Give this all you got, damn you._

And Weed gasped as he heard people starting to chant. Grimmjow jumped and called out with his heart racing in his chest, "Ten, nine, eight, seven!"

Weed started shouting it as well, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Six, five, four!" Blue shouted, gripping Kyoshiro's arm. "Three, two, one!" Ulquiorra and Grimmjow called.

And Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed all roared, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" and fireworks burst across the sky, spelling out the words in big bright letters as Grimmjow was instantly engulfed in the arms of all his friends who lifted him onto their shoulders and spun him around in a circle before releasing him and Grimmjow flung his head back, laughing aloud as Weed hugged him tightly around the middle. Grimmjow took a big swig of his sake before Ulquiorra pulled him down for a deep kiss that Grimmjow returned passionately, lifting him off the ground.

Kyoshiro looked from Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's kiss to Blue and she stared back awkwardly. Kyoshiro shuffled his feet, considering it. Blue stared back, seemingly knowing what he was considering it and thinking about it herself. Kyoshiro moved forward and planted a quick, chaste kiss to her cheek and she kissed his as well and said, "Happy New Year, Kyoshiro." And Kyoshiro nodded, smiling widely. "Yeah, you too." Weed gave him the thumbs up and Kyoshiro just shrugged, glancing over at her as she looked shyly away.

Grimmjow set Ulquiorra down, the both of them laughing more freely than they had all day, feeling as if all their problems and worries had just disappeared. Grimmjow pulled him into a tight hug and whispered, "Happy New Year, Ulquiorra." And Ulquiorra murmured, "Happy New Year, Grimmjow." And songs were being sung in the distance, people were dancing, drinking and shouting out to one another and Kyoshiro even started singing joyfully, not even knowing the words and Blue laughed and joined in as well.

Grimmjow said, "You wanna—?"

"I have no clue what the words are." Ulquiorra said.

Grimmjow said, "Me neither." And so he just wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra's shoulder's and rested his head against his soft hair as a wide smile spread across his face. Nothing had happened, he felt no different.

Ulquiorra didn't let him linger on it and instead kissed him gently on the cheek and Grimmjow, wanting more, angled his head in order to place feather light kisses to his soft lips. Grimmjow held him tighter, baring his teeth in a wide grin as they both stood on that hill together, watching the glowing lanterns below them, watching the city come to life in a mixture of sight and sound. The light all reflected in Ulquiorra's eyes, giving his emerald eyes a yellowish shine.

And he felt as if a knife was cutting deep into his lungs and suddenly, he was doubled over, in such much agony he couldn't even shout. He took in a breath to shout and broke down coughing, and realized he had hardly had any air to breath and his mind shut down and he was breaking out into a cold sweat, his heart racing.

And Ulquiorra turned towards him and a look of panic crossed his face. "Grimmjow? Are you alright?" his voice became more panicked as he began to register the situation and Grimmjow tried to smile for him, tried to tell Ulquiorra what he wanted to hear. He wanted more than anything in the world to say was.

And he couldn't. He couldn't hear over the ringing in his ears. He couldn't see as white fogged his vision. All he could do was clutch at Ulquiorra as his knees gave out beneath him.

And then he could see and hear as he was laid on the ground, his four friends gathered around him. And the pain was unbearable. Something was hurting and he didn't know what it was or how to make it go away. And he was more terrified than he had ever been in his life at this moment.

"Grimmjow, can you hear me? Grimmjow, answer me!" it was Ulquiorra. "Call an ambulance!" Ulquiorra reached into his pocket for his cell-phone and cast it aside when he realized it had died.

"Do something! _Help_!" Kyoshiro yelled and people began scrambling around, confused and afraid.

_What's the point? _Grimmjow's eyes opened and he breathed in deep through his nose, so little oxygen was getting through. Ulquiorra whispered to him, "I need you to breath, calm down and try to breath. Deep, slow breaths, alright? Can you do that?" Ulquiorra's voice was shaking.

Grimmjow breathed in and gasped as agonizing pain hit his lungs. "The reception is bad up here!" a voice called and Ulquiorra said, "Then give me a phone and I'll get to a place where there is reception! I have _got_ to help him!"

And in all the noise and confusion and as the ringing in his ears got louder, Grimmjow reached up and took Ulquiorra's hand. Ulquiorra looked down, eyes wide. Grimmjow managed to say, his voice low as he tried to use as little oxygen as possible, "You can't leave."

Ulquiorra said, "Don't be an idiot, Grimmjow. I am not about to sit here and watch you die. I'm going to call an ambulance and they'll—,"

Grimmjow held his arm tighter, afraid to let go. And his heart raced faster as he truly admitted it to himself for the first time that day. "I'm not going to be alive by the time you get back, Ulquiorra."

And he saw the fear rising behind those eyes, saw them widen as the thought began to process in his head. And Ulquiorra fought it back and said, his firm voice shaking, "That is not true. Don't even believe for a minute that it is, do you understand me? You're going to be fine, alright? You—,"

And Grimmjow's voice just slightly as he struggled to get Ulquiorra to understand. "Ulquiorra, there's no _point_ in denying it anymore! We've been lying to ourselves _all_ day! We need to grow up and face the facts and stop shoving them to the backs of our damn minds! We both have to accept that I'm—!"

"I will not sit here and watch you die!" And the pain in Ulquiorra's voice nearly shattered him. His voice wasn't supposed to sound broken. Tears were never supposed to be in his eyes. But they were, his lower lip was trembling as he attempted to fight them back and Grimmjow felt his heart break.

And Grimmjow would have been willing to do anything just to be able to say he was alright, for his sake. But he was cut short by a series of sharp stabbing pains as he attempted to breath and he grit his teeth, fighting back the shout as the pain got worse. And he had never been this scared in his life. He couldn't breathe, he was overwhelmed and starting to panic as he struggled to breathe through the agony in his chest.

And, through the pain, he felt Ulquiorra's hand close very gently over his. He felt Ulquiorra lift his head and set it in his lap and Grimmjow felt his head rest against Ulquiorra's arm. He looked up at the man and he could see everything slowly setting in. Ulquiorra took in a shaky breath and gently lifted a hand and caressed his cheek.

And they both stopped fighting it.

And his hands gripped Ulquiorra's sleeves, pulling the man closer as he drew in a shaky breath through aching lungs. And he didn't try to breathe anymore. He didn't try to deny it. He didn't even try to fight the fact that within seconds, he would never see any of his friends again. And he was pulled into Ulquiorra's arms, letting his face rest against his chest.

He whispered things to Ulquiorra, soft things, happy things. And Ulquiorra, blinking back his tears, whispered to him too. A beautiful smile was on his face and Grimmjow smiled back, letting Ulquiorra's soft touch soothe him.

He wasn't scared.

He had no reason to be scared.

Grimmjow whispered, "You know what I wanted, Ulquiorra? I wanted to spend the rest of my life beside you."

And Grimmjow couldn't stop the tears that gathered at the corner of his eyes as he heard Ulquiorra whisper, "I wanted that too. More than anything." Grimmjow let out a choked gasp of pain and Ulquiorra kissed his cheek, his voice growing fainter as he whispered, "Everything's alright. I'm here. I'm right here, Grimmjow."

_You've always been there. Whenever I needed you, you were there. _

And he wasn't scared even though he could no longer breathe. Everything was alright. And he was tired, letting Ulquiorra's words lull him to sleep. And the last thing he saw was Ulquiorra's broken smile, his friend's tearful faces. And he was smiling too.

_Thanks, Ulquiorra._

And Grimmjow's hand slowly loosened from Ulquiorra's and Ulquiorra glanced away as Grimmjow's hand fell against his chest. And Ulquiorra's breathing stopped. He whispered, "Grimmjow?"

_No…_

"Grimmjow?" he repeated, his voice choked. And Blue let out a strangled sob and Kyoshiro slumped over, his face in his hands. "Oh, Christ." Kyoshiro sobbed. And Ulquiorra leaned back, in a state of shock.

_No._

He couldn't even cry.

They all stood there, Blue with her face in Kyoshiro's shoulder and Weed sitting beside Ulquiorra, his face nestled in Ulquiorra's arm, soft sobs shaking his shoulders. And Kyoshiro was crying now, his arms wrapped tightly around Blue as he slowly accepted it.

And Ulquiorra was numb, unable to even draw breath as he stared down at the man seemingly asleep in his arms. And then he realized it. Grimmjow was gone. Ulquiorra would never see him again. Ulquiorra would never speak to him again. He would never touch him again. He would never hear Grimmjow's deep, sometimes arrogant voice or see that confident grin he always wore, even in the worst situations.

He was dead.

Grimmjow was dead.

And when he did breath in, all that he could let out was a choked gasp. And he was pulling Grimmjow towards him, pressing his face into Grimmjow's neck, feeling tears slowly run down his face as he admitted the truth to himself.

And he was crying, harder than he had in his life, clutching Grimmjow tightly to him as he tried to find space between heartbroken sobs to whisper the words he had been so foolish never to say to him. He couldn't. It was too painful. He kissed him gently, his fingers running through his hair. _Why did I never tell you this?_

And with a soft sob he closed his eyes and buried his face in Grimmjow's chest, his arms holding the man tightly as he tried through soft, anguished sobs to tell him again.

"I love you."

* * *

He didn't know where he was. He was sitting in blackness. He couldn't smell, feel or hear. He wasn't even sure he had eyes. He didn't know who he was or why he was there. All he knew was that something was missing. He was forgetting something. It then occurred to him that he could think. What was he? He also could very faintly register something attached to…

A lower part of his body?

And he suddenly felt himself blink, though his eyes didn't open. And he suddenly registered he could feel something soft and warm and he struggled for a moment to move what he realized was his hand. He clenched both of them, rubbing the soft material beneath him through his fingers. And he moved his hand further to the right slowly and it closed over something solid and warm.

He was cold. He was suddenly feeling cold compared to the warmth he felt.

He heard a soft gasp and he suddenly began to register sounds, mostly a soft beeping that seemed to match the exact rhythm of his heart. He heard a deep voice whisper something, a name, a word, he didn't know.

"Grimmjow…"

He swore he could match a name to that voice. It was so familiar. He heard another voice, male, deep as well. And then he heard a somewhat younger voice. And then a female voice. All of them were so familiar.

His eyes opened slowly, wincing as the sunlight and the brightness of the room hit his eyes. _Where am I?_

He had no clue how he had gotten here. Or what had happened to put him here. He let out a dry cough and heard people gasp nearby. He turned, his gaze falling upon four people sitting beside him.

They were all so familiar.

His gaze fell first upon the one closest to him, a woman and then slowly moved to the one sitting beside him. He could register the man's hand over his. His name was…

"Grimmjow, do you remember us?"

His name…

"It's no use, you guys." The white haired man whispered and he felt the man's hand grip his tighter. "We were warned his memory would be like this. He's never…going to remember us. He's forgotten."

_Forgotten what? _

"Ulquiorra, we have to accept it. It's been four weeks."

_Ulquiorra…?_

He could remember lying in the grass, seeing the man standing over him, smiling a broken smile as he whispered things to him. Comforting things. He could see them all sitting beside him. He could remember pain, sadness, all related to these people.

"I refuse to accept it."

"He isn't coming back! It would have been better to let him die than to keep him like this!" the male exclaimed, his voice pained. He heard the female trying to sooth him.

He could remember a man clothed in white pointing to pictures of red, inflamed things and could remember a sense of dread associated with those memories.

"_You have cancer, Mr. Jaegerjaques."_

Maybe that was why those people had been sitting beside him, looking so sad. Had he…nearly died?

And then something clicked. What little memories he had began connecting themselves so fast, it made his heart race as he attempted to follow the images speeding through his head. He heard the boy exclaim loudly as the beeping got louder. He could see flashes, glimpses of the people sitting beside them and every time he tried to remember them, they would vanish. He saw himself being cradled in the arms of the man sitting beside him. And just when he thought his head was going to explode, everything stopped.

He had been dying of cancer four days ago, he had been surrounded by his friends when he thought he was dying and—and somehow he wasn't dead? How could that be? Grimmjow sat bolt upright with a gasp, looking around the room, trying to find some way to prove himself wrong. There was no _way_ he could be alive! He wasn't willing to believe he would ever be so lucky!

He had seen the x-rays, listened in terror as the doctor told him he had seventeen hours left alive—how on Earth? He looked around the room. Blue, Kyoshiro, Weed were all staring at him. He tried to move his lips, to form some coherent sentence. He couldn't. He was speechless. Speechless! _Utterly_ speechless!

He turned to the man sitting beside him, the emerald eyes wide and his face frozen in an adorable expression of shock.

_Ulquiorra. His name is Ulquiorra. _

"Are…are you alright?"

And Grimmjow's chest heaved, his stomach contracting. He found that strangely funny. His mouth twitched before stretching wide in an almost vicious grin. And what burst forth was not the cough he had expected, but _laughter_, loud, giddy, _laughter_! And the expressions they looked at him with were so humorous, it only made him laugh harder!

And he laughed until he was sure his sides were going to split, falling back against his mattress, clutching at himself as he laughed.

"Grimmjow, are you alright?" Ulquiorra asked louder and Grimmjow could only grin up at him, unable to respond as he laughed until he felt like he was going to cry. "Am I alright? I'm fucking _AMAZING_!"

He wanted to stand up and _dance_, that was how joyful he felt! "Oh great! He's gone crazy!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Grimmjow only laughed harder, grinning up at Ulquiorra as the man stared down at him, afraid to believe it. And Grimmjow's laughter slowed, leaving only a grin on his face. Now his ribs hurt. Really badly.

He was laid back on the mattress by Ulquiorra and the man said, "Grimmjow, do you—do you remember us?"

Grimmjow felt a wide smile stretch across his face and he lifted a hand and pointed to his head as he said, "Sure and Kyoshiro, you can't break something that's already broken, you moron."

And wide smiles spread slowly and simultaneously across their faces. "Oh thank goodness." Blue whispered, heaving a relieved sigh and Weed let out a happy whimper and bounded onto the bed and licked his face. Kyoshiro sighed as well, letting out a chuckle. "Dammit, this has been way too stressful."

"Why the hell are you guys so—?" Grimmjow began and Ulquiorra said, "Because you were missing oxygen for so long that you were warned that either you would suffer brain damage or you would lose your memory. When you looked at us so blankly we thought—," Ulquiorra heaved a shaky sigh.

"Please don't ever look at me like that again, Grimmjow." Grimmjow felt himself soften a little at how pleading Ulquiorra's voice sounded. "Sure."

Ulquiorra then said, "But of course you couldn't suffer from brain damage since you already have it and—,"

"How am I still alive?" Grimmjow asked, not caring to engage in Ulquiorra's worried banter. Weed said, "The nurses did an x ray shortly after they got oxygen flowing through you. They said they'd get back to us, but you know how hospitals are. They are so busy."

Grimmjow frowned, worrying settling in. "Did they at least try and get the cancer out through surgery or something? Anything?"

Blue said, "No, they couldn't explain. But something is odd. How could cancer puncture your lung?"

Grimmjow felt a massive jolt go through him and he heard the heart monitor speed up. Kyoshiro jumped nervously and Grimmjow exclaimed, "My _lung_ was punctured? What the fuck happened to me?"

"Your heart stopped for forty seconds. You would have died if someone in the crowd hadn't been smart enough to run and find someone at the bottom of the hill to call an ambulance. It was also incredibly helpful that the hospital was only a one minute drive from the hill." Grimmjow's mouth was hanging open as Blue finished explaining.

"And you guys were planning on telling me this when?" Grimmjow exclaimed, not even really angry. Kyoshiro said, "As soon as we got enough information from the nurse! She still hasn't gotten back to us and it has been four days!" Grimmjow sputtered. "Four _days_? Jesus, you guys, what have you not been telling me?"

Grimmjow frowned again. "So, the tumor is still there. What's changed?" a nurse, standing at the far side of the room, rearranging some flowers, suddenly looked up. "What tumor?" she asked. Kyoshiro immediately said, "Yo, Kiyako-san, can you give us the information on how he's doing already? We really need to know."

She said, "Oh yes, Jaegerjaques-san. Just a moment, I'll go get his scans." But Ulquiorra gently grabbed her shoulder and she said, "Alright. The scan we took showed that the punctured lung was caused by a cracked rib that had been poking at his lung throughout most of the day."

Grimmjow's mouth fell open and he heard all of his friends gave some of excited exclamation! Grimmjow mumbled, "A cracked…rib?"

Not cancer. A cracked rib.

"He's a lucky man. The puncture wasn't very big at all, but if the rib had kept aggravating it any longer, it would have gotten bigger and more blood would have been able to get into his lung."

There was no cancer.

Grimmjow fell back against his pillows and Ulquiorra said, "Are you absolutely sure?" and she nodded. Kyoshiro said, "But our doctor back in Manhattan told us that he had heart cancer!"

"Well, I don't know what made him think that because we scanned him and found absolutely no trace of cancer anywhere. Apart from the rib, he's perfectly healthy. Would you like to see the scan for proof?" and Ulquiorra and the other three all nodded.

She returned seconds later with the scan and Grimmjow took it as she began to explain where the crack was. Grimmjow stared at the picture, in some state of shock. His left lung in that picture seemed to resemble a nearly deflated balloon. He searched for the crack and could make out a long and clearly deep white line over one of his ribs closest to his lung and it was much noticeably lower than all of the others.

_I'm not dying._

Grimmjow numbly handed the scan back and Weed hastily took it and heaved an enormous sigh of relief, his eyes tearing. Grimmjow shook his head, wide eyed. _I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere. I—I'm not leaving them. I still have time left, I have _YEARS_ left!_

_I'm—I'M ALIVE!_

He was no longer holding back his joy and the weight lifting from his shoulders was making him feel light as air! And his friends were starting to feel it too; Kyoshiro had slumped over laughing—or was he crying?—into his hands, Weed rushed over and hugged Grimmjow's arm, Blue was smiling radiantly at him as the tension slowly left her.

Ulquiorra was taking slightly longer to accept this, obviously too afraid to hope that Grimmjow had indeed been misdiagnosed. But he looked up at Grimmjow and it began to sink it. And Grimmjow was swept away by the emotion that showed on his face. A beautifully bright smile had spread across his face, his eyes lighting up. He let out an adorable shaky laugh and Grimmjow felt his heart clench when he saw the happy tears fill his shining emerald eyes.

And Grimmjow was laughing too, joyous, heartfelt laughter and Ulquiorra laughed a little louder, wiping embarrassedly at his eyes as the others joined in. And Ulquiorra had his arms tightly around Grimmjow's shoulders and Grimmjow held him back, almost afraid that his laughter nearly turned to joyful sobs as he buried his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder.

He heard Ulquiorra chuckled wetly, sniffing just slightly as he kissed Grimmjow's cheek and Grimmjow hastily hid his face in Ulquiorra's neck, hastily blinking away the tears as he realized just how happy he was to be able to hold him again after being certain that he never would. God, he was so lucky. So, _damn_, lucky.

Grimmjow breathed him in, savoring the way Ulquiorra fit in his arms, relishing the vulnerability Ulquiorra was showing him and loving how Ulquiorra's display of affection was starting to move him as well, and he wasn't even trying to deny it. Well, maybe he was by hiding his face in Ulquiorra's neck. He wasn't about to break down in tears in front of that nurse anyway.

Ulquiorra removed his face from Grimmjow's shoulder and Grimmjow grinned, feeling his chest clench in affection at the sight of that adorable smile on Ulquiorra's face. And he kissed him deeply and felt his heart exhilarate when Ulquiorra kissed him back passionately but with all the tenderness in the world.

And even after their kiss ended, they continued to stare at one another, both of them drinking in the pure _life_ and emotion in each other's eyes. Grimmjow's happy smile widened into a grin and he nuzzled his nose against Ulquiorra's in what he had heard human's call an Eskimo kiss maybe once or twice before. The look of curious surprise on Ulquiorra's face made Grimmjow cackle and pull him into another tight hug and he heard Ulquiorra chuckle as he ran his fingers through Grimmjow's soft hair.

And Grimmjow suddenly felt someone latch onto his arm and he looked down and found Weed hugging his arm, a wide, tearful smile on his face as he wrapped his paws around Grimmjow's arm. Ulquiorra looked down and his gaze softened and he ruffled Weed's hair.

"I'm so happy, you're alright." Weed whispered tearfully. Grimmjow grinned, removing his arm from Weed in order to wrap it around the pup's shoulders. "Me too, kid." Blue hastily crossed over to Grimmjow's left and hugged him as well, letting out a soft, happy laugh. Grimmjow gave her a tight squeeze, feeling his chest tighten for what must have been the one hundredth time as he held her and Weed closer to him. And Kyoshiro just sat to the side, not sure what to do.

Grimmjow cocked a finger and Kyoshiro looked over with wide eyes. He smiled widely and within seconds, was hugging both Grimmjow and Blue. "I don't know what we would have done without you, Grimm." Kyoshiro murmured, his normally gruff voice trembling. Grimmjow just lay there, surrounded by his friends, knowing that there was no way on Earth he had ever felt this happy in his _life_.

He smiled widely and rested his cheek against Weed's fur, closing his eyes as he felt heard Ulquiorra kneel beside Weed. He felt Ulquiorra pull him close to him and Grimmjow leaned into him. Kyoshiro was the first to break the group hug, immediately wiping his eyes. "I didn't say anything, by the way." He said and Blue said, "Oh, Kyoshiro, no one is judging you." But Kyoshiro simply sat in a chair facing away from them with his cheeks flaming red and a scowl on his face.

Ulquiorra said to Grimmjow, "Are you hungry?" and Grimmjow said, "I could eat a damn Elephant. Hey, nurse, when will I be able to leave this place anyway?"

"Depends on your recovery time. Your oxygen took four days to properly return and normally the lung takes four weeks to heal." She replied.

"So, so my lung won't look like a piece of bologna forever?" Grimmjow asked, relieved. She nodded and said, "It stopped looking that way four days ago, don't worry! You'll still have to do deep breathing exercises though, just to be sure, but I have high hopes for you, Jaegerjaques-san. I'll go get you some food."

Weed suddenly asked, "How did you crack your rib anyway?"

Grimmjow said, "I have no damn clue. It must have happened before New Year's Eve. Christ, I don't care how it happened!" Grimmjow said, taking Ulquiorra's hand. Blue suddenly looked at Ulquiorra and walked to him and whispered, "Are you going to tell him what you said to him back on the hill?"

Ulquiorra tried to remember what he had said. He couldn't remember a thing. "What are you talking about?" he asked and Blue frowned and said, "You know—you told him that you loved—?" and Ulquiorra immediately said, "Absolutely not. I couldn't."

Blue frowned. "Why? I mean, you don't need to, but I think he would love to hear it." Ulquiorra said, "I am not about to tell him something that crucial when he is in a hospital bed, Blue." Grimmjow heard this. "Tell me what?" and Kyoshiro chuckled along with Weed. Grimmjow grew more aggravated. "What? Tell me _what_?"

"You'd prefer to tell him on a deserted street, illuminated by the light from the setting sun?" Kyoshiro said dramatically and Weed said, "Or under a tree with the moonlight peeking through the clouds?"

Grimmjow was getting annoyed and Ulquiorra was getting more embarrassed by the minute. "Ulquiorra, is it serious or—?" Grimmjow began and then he noticed the red flush on Ulquiorra's face that he was trying to hide.

Grimmjow smirked and purred, "Tell me what, Ulquiorra?" and Ulquiorra said, "Nothing."

"No, come tell me. What did you say to me?" Grimmjow asked with a teasing smirk and Ulquiorra was so eager to change the subject he said, "Your Elephant is here. Eat it."

Grimmjow's curiosity was already too high and Ulquiorra could see this for he picked up a scrawny piece of chicken from Grimmjow's tray and said, "Eat." And Grimmjow could see that there was no swaying him and he sighed and started to eat the rather odd tasting chicken. He glanced over at Ulquiorra and saw a strangely happy look appear on his face, saw those beautiful eyes soften. He smiled just slightly, fixing Grimmjow with a gentle gaze as he murmured, "But I'm certain I meant what I said."

Grimmjow scowled. "And there you go bringing it up just after _you_ tell _me_ to drop it." And before Ulquiorra could reply, Grimmjow's cell-phone rang and Grimmjow said, "You charged it. Great."

And Kyoshiro nodded and snatched it up since Grimmjow was too busy with one hand in Ulquiorra's and one hand holding his fork.

"Hey? Oh, Alexia, what's up? Heh, I'm great, actually. Grimm's in the hospital but he's—!"

"_WHAT_?" Grimmjow growled and hid his face in his hand as he heard his mother shriek in fright and he mumbled, "Oh Christ." And Ulquiorra's lips twitched at the sight of chagrin on Grimmjow's face. "Don't you _dare_ give it to me."

"He says he wants to talk to you." Kyoshiro said and Grimmjow flipped him the middle finger.

He took the cell-phone and said, "What, woman?" and Alexia said, "My poor baby! Are you alright?"

"Goddammit, I'm not a fucking kid! If you really wanna know though, I uh…have a cracked rib, nothing too serious."

"His lung is punctured. It's healing." Ulquiorra said into the phone and Alexia shrieked, "_What_? How the _fuck_ did you puncture your lung, you stupid kid? I told you riding on that motorbike would be too dangerous, and now look what happened to you."

"It wasn't the bike, alright? It was something else, stop screaming, dammit! Why'd you call me if all you wanted to do was holler at me?"

"Oh, that's right! I have the most wonderful news, Grimmy." Grimmjow said, "My name is not—! Fuck, would you—? Ugh…"he put his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder, his fist gently hitting Ulquiorra's chest. "What is it?" he asked tiredly and Ulquiorra's lips twitched upward in a small smile at the almost humorous expression of annoyance on Grimmjow's face.

Alexia said, "I was so upset at the time that I didn't tell you. Ayame's poor son, the one I told you about—he has a brother. They would have been twins." Grimmjow dropped his fork, eyes wide, unable to believe it. "Are you serious? Is he alive?"

Alexia sounded so happy when she responded, "Very much alive, Grimmjow. Strong, healthy, and he's already so feisty. You'd love him. We're calling him Katsuro."

Grimmjow could feel a wide grin stretching across his face. His four friends looked over at his sudden change in mood. Grimmjow let out a shaky laugh, combing his hand through his hair. "He's giving the nurses hell, eh?" and Alexia said, "He gave his _mother_ hell, he was nearly born feet first. Can you hear him?"

Grimmjow listened and could make out loud crying on the other side of the phone and let out a loud laugh. "This is fucking awesome! When can I see the little hell raiser? I'm in Tokyo!"

"We can come down and see you once Ayame is feeling better! Where are you?"

"Where are we?" Grimmjow asked and Kyoshiro replied, "Mercy Hospital." And Grimmjow replied to her and she said, "We're only a few blocks from there! I'll call you and let you know as soon as Ayame is better, oh Grimmjow, this is so—!"

"Yeah, 'kay, bye." Grimmjow said, hanging up. All of his friends looked bewildered. Weed said, "What's happened?" Grimmjow didn't know what to say. There were so many things he could say, but none seemed good enough to express the absolute joy he was feeling right now. "There was a second kid. A twin."

And life was so strange. One day it suddenly seemed like you had lost everything, that everything was hopeless, that life hated you. And the next…the next it was doing things like this. Somehow out of that despair came hope, new life and what sorrow that remained turned to joy. And he didn't even understand how it was possible that things could go from terrifying, confusing and sad, unfair and cruel to—to _this_.

_But even then, when I thought I was dying…things weren't that terrible…were they?_

And that was true, too. He had grown even closer to Ulquiorra, Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro. He had done things he normally never would have done and didn't think he could have done, ridden a bull, gone skydiving, learned a new language—and he had spent every second of the day being the best possible person he could be to Ulquiorra—to all of them, actually—but he had seen so much from Ulquiorra, shown so much to him. They had both faced death together with nothing but happy smiles on their faces, he had felt _happy _as he lay in Ulquiorra's arms, believing that he was dying. He had fallen completely in _love_ with him, if only for a day, and he had _adored_ every second of it. And he felt annoyed that he and Ulquiorra had only done that because they both believed he was dying.

_I want to do more of that, I think. No, I fucking _know_ it. I want to do that more often, I don't want to bitch about things with him as often, I don't want to waste our time arguing about stupid things. And I have all the time in the world to do that! I have all the time in the world to get to know him more, to open up to him—I have all the time I need to get to know each and every one of them better—even Kyoshiro._ _And I wanna to do it. I want to do all of those stupid, crazy things again, _every single day of my life_! Even for an Espada, life is short. So why waste it?_

Grimmjow said with a wide grin, "I'm an Uncle!" And Kyoshiro let out a joyful whoop and Blue and Weed both let out a joyful exclamations and began congratulating him. Grimmjow caught sight of the beautiful smile on Ulquiorra's face and the sight of that smile set his heart racing, and he couldn't stop the vicious but ecstatic grin.

_Get ready world, because until I meet my death either at the tip of a sword, or in my sleep beside him—_

Ulquiorra's small smile widened at the sight and he chuckled, wide eyed at the possible meaning behind that grin. And Grimmjow laughed and pulled him close for a deep, chaste kiss, moving away only for a second to glance into Ulquiorra's eyes before he cackled and moved back in for another more heated kiss, shivering as Ulquiorra's hand caressed his cheek.

_-You are mine!_

* * *

This chapter was partially inspired by true events in my life. My father had knee surgery shorty before Christmas and the surgery was complicated and he had several blood-clots that went to his lungs. It was probably the worst time of my life because we all really thought he might die and he WOULD have if he hadn't caught it so early. More people die from blood clots than from any other kind of medical problems because sometimes you barely feel them. We are so, so, so lucky to still have my wonderful father with us. I can't imagine how my life would have been without my dad. Luckily, he is all better and still with us! But it was so painful and scary to watch him, he looked like he was dying from the pain and so writing the part where they think Grimmjow had a clot was kind of hard.

As for this chapter, this was the most deep chapter ever with possibly the most mood whiplash ever. I know most scenes are really long and kind of drag, but I think that if I were to chance it, I wouldn't be too happy with it. Next chapter will be light-hearted and fun...oh yeah and Weed probably won't call Grimmjow "Dad" lol. That would be kinda weird but in any case we know that he sees Grimmjow as the father he never had, or if he does call Grimmjow "Dad" Grimmjow would get annoyed. x3 It was so sad to write the scene where Grimmjow "died" especially writing his friends reaction to it._  
_

This chapter is LONG by the way. O.O

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! I'm really excited to write the next chapter! Till next time!


	25. Adventure 25

**Adventure #25**

**To Infinity Part 1**

It was four in the morning and Grimmjow awoke with a groan as sunlight peeked beneath the curtain he had forgotten to pull down all the way. He blinked harshly and reached a hand up and yanked the shade back down with a growl before rolling over onto his side and finding Ulquiorra asleep beside him. Grimmjow chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Naturally the small sound roused him and Ulquiorra's eyes blinked open and he found himself staring at Grimmjow. Ulquiorra said, "What?" his voice groggy. Grimmjow assumed he was asking about his wide grin and he purred, "Didn't see you last night, Ulqui. Where'd you go?"

"I had to work late." He responded sleepily, hugging his pillow closer to him as he began to drift off again. "I thought I told you that." Grimmjow shifted closer to him and Ulquiorra's stomach fluttered excitedly when he felt Grimmjow place a deep kiss to his lips. Ulquiorra responded fairly quickly, blaming his sleepy self for how quickly he pulled Grimmjow close to him. Grimmjow let out a pleased sound deep in his chest and held him tightly, effectively deepening the kiss since there was barely an inch of space between them.

"It really is too early for this…" Ulquiorra whispered but he made no effort to move away and instead returned the strangely gentle kisses Grimmjow placed to his lips. Every now and then Grimmjow would tease him either with a gentle nip against his lower lip or with a tantalizingly quick stroke down his side, his fingertips just barely touching his skin. It was brief and just enough to get his heart racing and then Grimmjow would stop.

For a few moments Grimmjow taunted him rather evilly with his tongue which he would run over Ulquiorra's lower lip and Ulquiorra would open up only to have Grimmjow pull back at the last second. Ulquiorra got sick of this and, when Grimmjow attempted it again, stopped kissing him and received an annoyed growl from Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra smirked at Grimmjow's annoyance and decided that two could play at this. He pushed Grimmjow onto his back and slid atop him. Ulquiorra sat there for a moment, pondering. Ulquiorra moved forward so that his lips just barely brushed against Grimmjow's and shivered when Grimmjow's hot breath ghosted over his lips, warming them. Ulquiorra very gently nibbled and nipped at Grimmjow's lower lip and he closed his eyes when he heard Grimmjow moan quietly.

Just when Grimmjow was getting excited, Ulquiorra separated by mere inches and licked his lower lip before softly blowing cool air over it and he was surprised by how much that made Grimmjow shiver. Ulquiorra then moved his lips down to Grimmjow's neck where he gently chewed and sucked on his skin. He felt Grimmjow's hand clench in his hair and Ulquiorra bit down harder and Grimmjow let out a contented hiss and Ulquiorra stopped as soon as Grimmjow gave the slightest inclination that he was enjoying himself.

"You little dick." He growled and he gave a jolt when Ulquiorra's hips moved very slowly against his. "Hm. I think I am even better at this than you are." Ulquiorra said and then had to bite his lip to fight back a soft gasp as Grimmjow's hips suddenly bucked beneath him. "You think so, do you?" Grimmjow said, pulling Ulquiorra's face closer to him as he said with a wide, vicious grin, "That's because I don't get to practice. Because you never want it slow. Do I need to remind you?" Grimmjow growled into his ear.

Maybe it was the way Grimmjow said it, maybe it was the fact that Grimmjow's hips had increased their movement or maybe it was both, but Ulquiorra found himself unable to deliver a more composed reply. "God, yes." And Grimmjow shoved Ulquiorra onto his back and crushed their mouths together with bruising force, his hips grinding against Ulquiorra's. And despite the obvious roughness in their kiss, Grimmjow couldn't stop the fluttering in his heart when Ulquiorra's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Grimmjow put his arms around him as well, breathing in his comforting scent and relishing in the fact that he was the only person in the world who had ever been able to get _this_ close to Ulquiorra.

_I'm such a lucky son of a bitch._

And the shrill sound of the phone ringing shattered the silence that otherwise would have been filled with softer, more pleasant noises and both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra jumped nearly two feet and Grimmjow ended up falling out of bed and landed hard on his wrist. And it hurt even more because Grimmjow had forgotten to remove his watch last night and the hard metal object ended up pressing hard into his left set of ribs.

Grimmjow seized the phone and snarled, "What the fuck do you want, dumbass? Its four in the fucking morning!"

A high pitched female voice shouted, "Grimmy-Grimmy, I was just calling to wish you a Happy Birthday!" Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow and asked, clearly annoyed at the interruption, "How did she get our number?" and Grimmjow asked, "How the fuck did you get our number, Bastet?"

"Like, I'm a Goddess, so let's just assume I know all the phone numbers in the world—not really, it would be cool if I did! Weed gave it to me during my engagement party, don't you remember?"

Grimmjow cursed. "Damn kid. And no, I don't!" And then he said, "What the hell was that about my Birthday? It's not my birthday!"

"Well, it _nearly_ is, so I got excited and called you to tell you early because I'll be busy with my friends and stuff!"

"_How_ do you know when my birthday is? Fuckin' creep." Grimmjow muttered.

"Ulquiorra told me during the engagement party, of course!" Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra. Grimmjow asked, "And how did _you_ know?" Ulquiorra said, "The first time I visited your family's house. Your brother told me." Ulquiorra said, resting his chin against Grimmjow's shoulder and reaching over to remove the phone and spare Grimmjow's ears from Bastet's loud, girly voice.

"So, like, are you going to have a party or something, because, like that would be awesome, it isn't everyday you turn thirty—! Wait, you were _twenty-nine_ when I was crushing on you?! _EW_!" and Grimmjow hung up with wide eyes.

He was going to be _thirty_? What?! He was _that_ old? That was only a few years off from being fifty! Middle-aged! He couldn't be thirty! "You knew?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "I did. But it isn't until July 31st and that is two months away."

Grimmjow's jaw clenched and Ulquiorra said, "I take it you aren't happy. Why? Does age matter to you?"

"…Sort of." Grimmjow said through clenched teeth. "Why, it doesn't bother you that I'll be old enough to be your inexistent father next month?" Ulquiorra said, "Well, as I don't have a father like you just said, no I don't mind. _Thirty_ isn't old, don't be an idiot. Sixty is getting there." Grimmjow still looked annoyed. "Whatever, I don't wanna talk about it anymore." Grimmjow said. He lay back down atop Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra lifted a hand to his cheek, seemingly thinking about something. "I'm just happy there_ is_ a birthday to be celebrating. How old you are makes no difference to me." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow felt some of his bitter anger melt away when he remembered the events back on New Year's night.

Grimmjow decided to continue where they left off but found himself kissing Ulquiorra more gently than before. He heard Ulquiorra sigh and felt him take his hand, the small gesture of affection making Grimmjow's heart race. The phone rang again and Grimmjow kicked it and sent it crashing to the floor and breaking apart, but neither of them really noticed or cared, though Ulquiorra did remark, "You're buying another one." And Grimmjow replied, "Shut up." Before allowing himself to be swept away.

* * *

Around two o' clock, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro found themselves in a store looking for a new phone. Kyoshiro kept yawning and Grimmjow said, "Would you shut up? It's making me yawn too!" and Kyoshiro said, "Listen, jackass, I wouldn't be yawning if I hadn't been woken up at _five_ in the morning by you two in the next room humping like—!" and Blue shushed him loudly and called, "Will this phone work?" and Grimmjow just shrugged.

"And you two broke the telephone and dragged the rest of us out here to fix it!" Kyoshiro said and Blue replied, "That isn't true. We're all out because we need to buy groceries remember, it just so happens the phone store is only a few blocks from the grocery store."

Kyoshiro spotted a phone and said, "Hey, Grimmjow, will this phone do? It looks _old_!" and Grimmjow said, "Stop talking unless you want that phone shoved up your ass!" Weed said, "I'm looking forward to celebrating your birthday, Grimmjow. Birthdays are fun! You get treated like a King!"

Ulquiorra found a phone and paid for it and said, "We also need to get Grimmjow's and mine's watches updated. His broke his morning and Shizatte said that we should come and see her after a few months with these."

"What do they do?" Weed asked as they left the store and Ulquiorra said, "Instead of leaving our Gigai's lying around when we leave them for our Espada forms, which causes a huge panic in crowded areas as people believe we have died, they simply make us turn from one form to the other on the spot at the push of a button. I cannot explain how she managed to do this because when she tried to explain it, I got a headache."

Kyoshiro said, "So Grimmjow broke the watch _and_ the phone? Nice." And Grimmjow said, "You think you're perfect? You nearly caused me to wreck my car getting us here!"

Kyoshiro said, "Alright, alright. It was an accident."

Weed said, "Actually—!" and Kyoshiro said, "_Hey_!" And Weed went quiet.

They drove all the way down to Hell's Kitchen (AKA Clinton) and found her apartment and Kyoshiro pressed the buzzer for her apartment and waited. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "She gave us a key, you know! Not sure why…" Kyoshiro said, "I'm not about to burst into someone's apartment." Grimmjow opened the door while Kyoshiro said, "She's probably in the basement, that's where she experiments, right?"

Weed hurried to the basement and Grimmjow opened the door and Weed hurried down the stairs, his tail wagging as he began to sniff around for rats to chase. Blue called out, "Hey, are you here, Shizatte?" and she knocked on the second door. Grimmjow opened it and frowned. All the lights were off. The lab itself looked like it hadn't been touched in days. There was a thin layer of dust over everything. Kyoshiro frowned. "Something isn't right. Where is she?"

Grimmjow muttered, "Who knows. Damn, it's just like her to tell us to report back to her in June and not be here." He scowled and casually kicked en empty glowing can across the floor. Ulquiorra turned on the lights and spotted a note taped to a cold metal table and he approached it while the others looked around.

Kyoshiro looked up at the lamp on the ceiling and said, "Is that an Earthquake detector?" and Weed said, "What's this?" and Kyoshiro looked over and saw that he was looking at a strange mixture between a lava lamp and a snow globe. Blue checked the refrigerator when she detected a hideous smell coming from there and instantly closed it. There had been huge amounts of fungal growth and rot in there.

"You find something?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "I did. A note." He read it aloud, "Dear Grimmjow—spelled with one M—and Ul—is that my name? Anyway, –lower case I—have stumbled, hmm… spelled with two Es. How can she be a scientist and not know how to spell?"

"Just read it and ignored the mistakes!" Grimmjow said impatiently. And when Ulquiorra looked with distaste at the grammar errors and misspells, Grimmjow snatched it and read, "Dear Grimm—God dammit, she misspelled my name! Idiot. Dear Grimmjow and Ul—the hell? Oh, okay. Dear Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, I have stumbled upon a remarkable discovery and had to leave as soon as possible. If your watches are indeed malfunctioning, as I figured they would, leave them on the table right next to the helmet. I'll let you know when I get back to them. Sincerely, Shizatte."

Weed said, "I wonder what she discovered?"

"Probably that she has no brain. Let's go." Grimmjow said, starting to remove his watch. Kyoshiro said, "You know, I once stayed with a human who repaired and made watches. Maybe I could—?"

"Try it." Grimmjow said with a shrug and Kyoshiro took Grimmjow's wrist, seized a screw driver and began fiddling with his watch. "Uh, let me see…"

"Do you know what you're going?" Blue asked and Kyoshiro said, "No, but, I'm trying to locate the source of the problem and—!" and then Grimmjow's watch suddenly crackled with electricity and shocked Kyoshiro and Grimmjow so bad, they all saw their skeleton's for a split second! Grimmjow was left in his Espada form and Kyoshiro with frizzy hair.

"Good job." Grimmjow said and Kyoshiro coughed sparks. Weed said, "You can change back, right?" Grimmjow said, "If I have my Gigai then yeah, I can. It's back home. I personally don't care if these watches broke, they were kind of more annoying than the Gigai itself!"

Blue said, "Let's leave then, wherever Shizatte has gone, she should be back sooner or later." And the five friends headed to the grocery store with Ulquiorra driving since questions would probably be raised as to why a car had an invisible driver.

* * *

Today had been dull, incredibly dull. The weather had been crappy, too. Grimmjow, now in his Gigai, lay on the couch in the living room watching TV with the dogs, tired and ready to sleep. He sighed tiredly and glanced towards the door as he waited for Ulquiorra to come home. His cell-phone rang and he reached into his pocket and saw that the number was unknown. Frowning, he answered. "Hello?"

"Grimmjow! Thank God I got the right number!" He winced. It was Shizatte. "Shizatte, how the hell did you get my number?" Grimmjow asked for the second time that day. Shizatte said, "I had to do some hacking, but no time to explain, this isn't exactly legal! This is urgent! I need you and your friends to come and meet me in Germany, leave immediately! This is serious!"

Grimmjow said. "What?! I'm not going to Germany, are you _crazy_?!"

Kyoshiro looked over, a brow raised.

"Please!" she begged, "You have to! The world could be at stake if you don't! I'll text you the directions!" and before Grimmjow could protest, she had hung up. Blue said, "What on Earth was that about?" Grimmjow said, "No clue, she called up, screamed at me to come to Germany and she just texted me directions."

Kyoshiro shrugged and continued watching TV. "You know her, she's nuts." Weed climbed onto the sofa and looked at the directions. "Why does she want us to go so badly? Do you think it could be she is in trouble?" Grimmjow said, "I could care less. She's the mother of Ulquiorra's _stalker_, I ain't rushing to her aid anytime soon!" Weed said, "I have to agree she isn't my most favorite person in the world, but—,"

"What about my stalker?" They looked up and found Ulquiorra standing in the doorway. Blue said, "We just got a frantic phone call from Shizatte telling us to head to Germany immediately for unknown reasons."

Ulquiorra sat beside Grimmjow on the couch and stared at the directions Shizatte had texted him. "These directions are telling us to head far away from civilization. What the hell is going on?" Grimmjow said, confused. Weed said, "Guys, she said she needed help. It sounds really serious. I think we should go. And it would benefit you guys too, Grimmjow could get his watch replaced."

"Hey, if you want to go, go. Don't try and drag me into it. I'm _not _helping the mother of Shizaa." Grimmjow said and they could tell he had no interest in going. Ulquiorra said, "But I am confident that she, unlike her daughter, can be trustworthy. I'm going."

Grimmjow burst out, "Are you stupid?! You're going? After what her daughter did to you? This is clearly a shitty idea, we don't help our enemies!" Ulquiorra said, "That was three years ago. Her daughter is under twenty four hour surveillance in France, her mother is dense but not untrustworthy and not enough of a threat to count as an enemy. Grimmjow, I am safe."

A look of anger and absolute incredulity appeared on Grimmjow's face as he took in what Ulquiorra said. "Are you that fucking _dense_, Ulquiorra?! Fine, go to Germany and tell her to take this back," Grimmjow said tossing his ruined watch at Ulquiorra. "I don't want anything from her and we _shouldn't_ have had anything to do with her stupid inventions! I should have said no when she forced her past inventions on us!"

Kyoshiro said, "You know what, I have to agree with Grimmjow on this. This seems like a really stupid idea, Ulquiorra. Especially when you take into consideration that she does have some hints of malevolent behavior! Remember Grimmjow's hallucinations?"

Weed said, "But we have known her for a long time. Long enough to know that she wouldn't really hurt us, at least not intentionally. Even the hallucinations she gave Grimmjow were scary, but they never harmed him physically. I want to go, I'd feel just a little bad if she was in danger and got hurt. I kind of think of her as an intelligent, just slightly wacky, infant."

"Don't talk for me, alright kid? Those hallucinations didn't harm me _physically_ but they did a pretty good job encouraging me that any second I could be killed and I wouldn't be able to defend myself! Anyway, I just can't get over the idea of marching down to help her after the shitty history we have had with her daughter!" Grimmjow said angrily, feeling rather like he was being treated unfairly.

"As I have said, I do not like her and for the record, I don't forgive her for anything she did to you, and I don't want you to get the idea that I do. I am curious as to what she wants, I want to go and you are being paranoid."

"I am _not_ being paranoid!" Grimmjow yelled infuriated at the suggestion and Blue said, "Grimmjow, the past is the past. We should go and see what she wants. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you are being just a little overprotective, and I completely understand why, but Ulquiorra is attempting to move on and you, rather than being supportive, are being—,"

"It was not _your_ boyfriend that got kidnapped and locked inside the catacombs to rot with a psychopath, who would have been content to _starve_ herself just to stare at him every day of his life down there!" Grimmjow shouted.

Ulquiorra said, "I'm going." And Grimmjow looked over to him and could see the resolution in his eyes. "If anyone should be paranoid, it is me. But I am not. I am going. I won't live in fear—"

"You are _not_ going." Grimmjow said, his fists clenching.

"—I will not _stand _to live in fear or slightest mistrust of people related to that woman." Ulquiorra said, his voice rising as he spoke over Grimmjow's, "I am going because it has been three years of me almost constantly looking over my shoulder when I am on the streets at night, checking behind curtains when I am alone and hesitating to answer every time the phone rings and I want it to stop and that is why I am going. None of you have to come with me. But I'm going."

Weed turned to stare at Grimmjow, hoping that he would go with them. Grimmjow's knuckles were white and his lips were pressed in a thin line. Grimmjow chewed on the inside of his lip, his eyes narrowing. His upper lip curled and he said, lifting his arms up out of exasperation "Fine. Fine. Go, I don't care. But I'm not going near them, not after what she did to me and not after what her daughter did to you."

"What a loss that is." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow yelled over him, "I can't understand how you would _willingly_ go to assist the mother of your stalker but what the hell, maybe I'm just _stupid_! Go to Mars for all I care and when you pass France, why don't you walk on up to Shizaa's cell and let her _loose_ while you're at it?! You know why, because to me, this is the _same_ thing as assisting the woman who kidnapped you! Call me paranoid, but I don't care, anything is smarter than this! Have fucking fun in Germany, jackass." And Grimmjow stormed upstairs and slammed the door shut.

Ulquiorra sat upon the couch, surprisingly not feeling very annoyed by what Grimmjow had said. He knew how Grimmjow was feeling, he felt like he had been betrayed in some way because they had both been in agreement about their mistrust and dislike towards Shizatte and her daughter and now, he felt like Ulquiorra was picking sides. He felt like all of them were. Ulquiorra said, "None of you have to go."

He knew they would, though.

Weed seemed to be feeling bad for he said, "Maybe I should stay behind with him?" Kyoshiro said, "Either way, he'll feel like we're picking sides. I kind of feel that way right now too, but I know for a fact that Shizaa isn't getting to us. He's being paranoid. Kyoshiro said with a scowl, sitting on the couch. "Whatever you want Ulquiorra, but I really have to admit I have mixed feelings about going. But—I guess I'll go, too. Besides I don't want to be left alone in the house with that guy. What about you, Blue?"

She said, "I'm all for Ulquiorra going in order to get over what remains of his fear and I'm all for getting away from New York every once in a while. Of course, I'll go. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Blue said, "Alright. I just hope Grimmjow won't be too sore at us when we get back."

Ulquiorra frowned at the thought. _I do, too._

* * *

And so, the following day, Ulquiorra woke and began packing his suitcase while Grimmjow busied himself with avoiding any and all eye contact from him. In other words, the day started out pleasantly—

Not. Blue was the first to finish, excited to head to Germany. She could already tell Ulquiorra was starting to worry about Grimmjow.

"He'll get over it. It's just his way of showing he cares, albeit obnoxiously." She said reassuringly, watching Ulquiorra chew his breakfast thoughtfully. "Hm."

Weed said, "You don't think I should stay with him?"

Kyoshiro said, lugging his suitcase down the stairs, "Oh stop worrying about him already, Weedy! He's not worth it." Weed still continued to frown. Blue said, "If you are worried, call him when we get on board the boat. Weed, he won't stay mad forever. Though, really, you'd think he'd be more accepting towards Ulquiorra's decision." She said, her tone somewhat angry.

Blue checked her watch and said, "You guys have everything? We need to leave in two minutes." And Weed gasped and tore upstairs to get something.

Ulquiorra frowned and stood up and hurried up the stairs and opened the door to his room and found Grimmjow with his guitar. It was upside down. Ulquiorra said, "We're leaving now."

"Go." Grimmjow said moodily.

"Try not to get into trouble while we're away. I don't know how long we'll be gone." He saw Grimmjow's fingers slip on the strings. "I'll do whatever I damn well please while you're away. Go."

Ulquiorra didn't feel right. He felt it would be wrong to leave him when things were so tense between them. "I just want you to know—I understand you. I do. But this is something I think I should go through with."

"I get it, alright?! Stop repeating yourself." Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra gave up trying to speak with him. In an effort to try and ease some of the tension, though he knew it wouldn't work, Ulquiorra lifted Grimmjow's chin and leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was brief and just as he prepared to move back, Grimmjow gripped his elbows and he seemed to want to say something.

"Ulquiorra, we need to leave now!" Blue called, poking her head around the corner and Ulquiorra nodded and briefly turned to stare back into Grimmjow's eyes, unable to figure out what he had been considering saying. "Goodbye, then." Ulquiorra said and as he moved away he felt Grimmjow's hands tighten on his arms and glanced back up and found Grimmjow with a deep crease to his forehead as he seemingly pondered something, his scowl a little more pronounced.

"What?" and Grimmjow was silent, leaning back after a moment and he said, "Scram." And unsure whether anything he said wouldn't fall upon deaf ears, Ulquiorra stood, seized his suitcase and headed to the door. He stopped. He felt strange leaving like this. He said, "I'll call you tonight. Goodbye." And he hurried down the stairs just as Weed suddenly dashed into the room and said, "Um…I know your birthday isn't for a while but…I don't know when we'll be back, so I went out and got you this a few hours ago."

Weed jumped onto the bed and dropped a large rawhide bone next to his toes and Grimmjow stared, surprised. Weed wrapped his paws around his arm in a tight hug and said, "I know you don't want me to call you this—but, goodbye, Dad. I'll miss you!"

Grimmjow felt his lips twitch but he continued to scowl. "Yeah, Ulqui's calling me tonight, you can talk to me then, alright? Go, Weedy."

"You can keep this, too. To keep you company." Weed said, pulling his favorite white, fluffy, toy from his bag and dropping it in Grimmjow's lap with a wagging tail. Grimmjow honestly felt overwhelmed. "Uh…" Weed was leaving him his favorite chew toy? Really? "Thanks?" Weed smiled and said, "Goodbye, Da—uh…Grimmjow!" Weed licked him on the cheek and bounded from the room, carrying his small suitcase.

Grimmjow sat there on the bed, feeling strangely happy. He stared at the bone Weed had left him and, out of curiosity, picked it up and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed on it for a moment. He spat it out and fell back against the bed, frowning. He hated to admit it, he was starting to miss Ulquiorra and the others already.

* * *

Ulquiorra and the others arrived at Chelsea piers to catch their boat. The sun was beating down upon them but the waters were calm. Weed called, panting, "Where's out boat?" Ulquiorra pointed to a huge white cruise ship somewhere ahead of them.

They got into the line and handed their tickets to the man standing at the front of the ship and then they walked along a metal ramp to board the boat. Kyoshiro immediately began to explore with Weed while Blue and Ulquiorra walked to the railing and admired the water.

Blue lay in one of the chairs and relaxed, pulling the white umbrella closer to her for protection from the sun. "This is a good ship, Blue. Much better than the other one." Ulquiorra said and Blue smiled and said, "Told you so." Ulquiorra had wanted to pick a rather dull, much less expensive boat since it didn't make much difference to him, but Blue insisted on the best for their first boat trip. He had to admit, he thought she had made a good decision.

Blue said, "I want to go see our cabin. Are you coming?" Ulquiorra shrugged. Blue frowned. He was much less talkative when Grimmjow wasn't around. Ulquiorra followed them to the cabins and saw Blue searching for theirs. She found hers and opened the door and Ulquiorra peered inside. It looked like a small hotel room. The floors were neatly polished, there were two small beds and a bathroom to the left. It was cramped, but nice enough.

Ulquiorra saw her walk in and set the bags down and she called, "Kyoshiro, I'm taking the one on the left, by the window. Is that alright?" Kyoshiro said, "Sure, I don't care." And he charged forward and flung himself on the bed. Weed set up his small dog bed on at the end of Kyoshiro's and curled up on it. He said, "Wait, Ulquiorra, where's your cabin?" Ulquiorra said, "Three rooms down from yours."

Blue said, "How about we get set up and then take a walk around the upper decks?" Kyoshiro said, "What the hell could be interesting enough to look at?" Weed said, "The water!" and Kyoshiro just shrugged and walked to the window to stare outside at the streets of New York.

Ulquiorra said, "I'm going down to my cabin." And he dragged his suitcase away down the hall. He swiped his card and opened the door and stared at his small room. It only had one bed, though fairly large, and the view was decent. There was also a small bathroom next to the entrance. Not wanting the sunlight to flood the room, Ulquiorra pulled down the shade, filling the room with darkness before he lay down upon his bed and sighed.

He was tired. They had all had to get up incredibly early. The boat was also tilting left and right and his stomach was starting to feel strange. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he had let the boat rock him to sleep.

At least until the horn blew and he was jolted out of his dose.

He drifted off again.

* * *

He was awoken by a knock on his door and he heard a man call, "I am here to deliver your menu for dinner. Hello?"

"Under the door." Ulquiorra mumbled and he heard the man say, "Alright. A waitress will come and take your order in two minutes. Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine." Ulquiorra mumbled, pressing his face into his pillow and shivering as his stomach tilted left and right along with the boat.

He heard the man walked away and Ulquiorra opened his eyes half way and then closed them, still half asleep. How long had he been asleep? He turned on the lights and crossed to the door to pick up his menu. He made his choice and the waitress came by to place his order and he could hear Kyoshiro a few doors down giving his order as well.

Ulquiorra ordered a small Caesar salad and mint tea and went back to lounging on his bed while he waited. The waitress came back a good twenty minutes later with the wrong thing and Ulquiorra coldly sent her away to get the right order. He waited nearly an hour. She brought him the wrong thing a second time. Ulquiorra impatiently sent her away and she hurried off.

_How difficult is it to remember a Caesar salad and tea? Idiots._

Half a minute later, there was a knock and Ulquiorra stood and walked to the door and opened it. There she was with the tea but with the wrong salad. Ulquiorra gave up and sat upon his bed to eat. This was a high quality ship, why were the waiters so bad? He took a bite of the salad and spat it into his napkin. How much vinegar had they _put_ in this? Buckets? And the cooks themselves didn't seem to know what they were doing. Either that or they had gotten sick of hearing from him.

_Well, this trip is already going well. _

He frowned. He wondered if he had made a right choice doing this. Anyway, how was he supposed to get over his mistrust of Shizatte by doing this? _Well, I suppose doing anything but ignoring her is a start, though I am starting to feel really idiotic for doing this. And if anything, we'll get a decent vacation. I suppose._

He sighed, drumming his fingers on the mattress. He sipped his tea and realized that they had also got him the wrong kind but he didn't particularly dislike this kind of tea, so he sat up and sipped it, feeling his doubts about leaving grow. It was stupid how just a few simple mess ups made him doubt his decision. It also made him feel annoyed at himself.

He heard someone staggering around in the hallway, mumbling and cursing and he frowned. They even had drunks on board this ship. Perfect. He heard a knock on his door and he looked up, curious. Maybe the waitress was back? He doubted it, but he stood and walked to the door and opened it. Feeling dizzy, he closed his eyes as he opened the door, hoping his vision would readjust in a moment.

"I just want you to know, I will not be charged extra for the extra meals you brought me." He said, his eyes opening just a little.

"Yeah, they better not charge you or I'll kick their asses. The service here is shit. It was like pulling teeth to get this to you, so you better spread 'em when you're done." And Ulquiorra's eyes shot open, all drowsiness gone as he processed what he had just heard, the familiar, not to mention lewd way it was spoken and the deep voice the words belong to and the fact that there was no way that he could actually be here.

Ulquiorra looked up and found Grimmjow leaning in the door way, his usual scowl in place and he was holding a tray that contained two plates of food on it. The scowl was gone and a wide grin spread across his boyish face. "Well, don't you look happy to see me."

"How did you—?" Ulquiorra said, unable to believe his eyes. Grimmjow said, "I got online, ordered a ticket and ran here. You gonna take this?" Grimmjow asked, his arm shaking as he continued to hold the tray and Ulquiorra remembered his food and took his plate and his tea and held the door open for Grimmjow as he slipped inside.

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow sit down on his bed and start to eat his steak and Ulquiorra felt a tightening in his chest that he had come to associate with feelings of affection or happiness. But he still asked, "Why are you here? I thought you weren't interested in joining us."

Grimmjow said with a grin, "I was nearly dying of boredom after you left and I—no. No, fuck that, that isn't what happened at all. Listen up." Grimmjow's grin had vanished to be replaced by a frown and Ulquiorra walked to him, setting his bowl of food down on the bedside table as he waited for Grimmjow to tell him. Ulquiorra sat beside him, setting his chin in his hand as he waited.

Grimmjow looked up and he took a moment to reply, chewing his food. He glanced at him and then at the floor, seemingly not wanting to say what he was about to say. "Yeah, thing is—I _was_ being a little paranoid." Grimmjow mumbled, avoiding eye contact as he admitted this.

"And after you left I began to feel like a pathetic, cowardly asshole for not going. I mean, what the hell was I on?! I sounded like some little pussy! If anything, _you_ should have been the one acting paranoid, not me! Did you _hear_ me?! God…" Grimmjow seemed genuinely embarrassed.

"I didn't want to look like a paranoid coward by not going, so I packed up my stuff and ran down here. So, I guess I was more of a jackass than you were." Grimmjow said, staring down at his plate of food, not happy to be admitting any of this. Ulquiorra said, "It's fine. I understand why you were so bothered by my going. I was just starting to feel bothered by leaving home." Ulquiorra said. Things still felt awkward between them.

Grimmjow looked over at him and Ulquiorra returned his gaze. And a grin resurfaced on Grimmjow's face and Ulquiorra felt his own lips twitch. "And I knew that if I didn't go, you would have just sat here in the dark and ate the wrong food." Ulquiorra said, "How did you get a hold of my food and find my room so easily, by the way?" Grimmjow said, "See, that's the funny part. I was eating downstairs and this female waitress kept talking about this gorgeous, green eyed guy up in cabin 406 and she kept repeating your order to try and not forget it, I know what you eat by heart anyway so I just knew it had to be you. I figured I'd better get up here before she stole you from me and I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring you your food. I had to ask for it—fucking fifty times, but I got it."

Ulquiorra said, "Thank you, then." And Grimmjow could see that he truly appreciated the gesture. "Whatever, just eat it already." Ulquiorra began to eat his meal beside Grimmjow, unable to keep his eyes off Grimmjow for more than a few seconds. And finally he stopped holding back and he set aside his food, leaned over and kissed him gently.

And Grimmjow returned it with zest, eager to get rid of the tension hanging over their heads. Grimmjow tasted fiery, the taste of natural spices lingering on his lips from his unfinished meal. Ulquiorra found himself instantly liking the combination and pushed Grimmjow onto his back, his arm wrapping around his waist to keep them closer together. He felt Grimmjow's warm arms wrap around his shoulders and Ulquiorra rested his face in Grimmjow's neck.

They lay together for a while, taking in each others presence. And there was a knock on the door and the waitress pushed open the door and said, "I have your right order, sir—Oh! I'm so sorry!" she said, her face turning red as she spotted them in the rather compromising position on the bed. She closed the door and sprinted away.

Ulquiorra put his face in Grimmjow's chest with a growl, his face red. Grimmjow broke out laughing. "You forgot to close the door? Really?!" Grimmjow said, laughing. He kissed Ulquiorra on the forehead and Ulquiorra, despite his embarrassment, chuckled into Grimmjow's chest.

He had to admit, he was feeling more up to the journey now that Grimmjow was here.

* * *

The five of them spent the next week on the boat. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra got into a few arguments since the space was so enclosed, but other than that the trip went smoothly…aside from Grimmjow realizing that he got seasick on boats.

It was also incredibly dull on the boat and so Grimmjow had found himself hoping that a whale would hit the boat just to make things exciting. Finally, they arrived in Cologne, Germany.

Grimmjow stepped off the boat with quivering legs and leaned against the railing, his head aching and his stomach screaming to get rid of the bacon and eggs he had just eaten. Ulquiorra had been nice enough to sit with him during his bought of seasickness though, so that had made it a bit more bearable.

Blue looked around with wide eyes, taking in the area. It was a rather gray day so everything looked a little less than welcoming. Kyoshiro said, "Damn, it's good to be off that boat!" and Grimmjow staggered over and Blue said, "How are you feeling?" Grimmjow said, with a bright grin, "Great, everything is—!" and he gave a violent dry heave and Blue hurried away from him with a shriek and Grimmjow started laughing and she glared at him. "Very funny."

Ulquiorra said, "What are the directions to the place we're going?" Grimmjow said, "Uh…let me see…" he opened his phone. A car honked a few feet ahead of them and Blue looked up. "Is that man waving at us?" she asked and Ulquiorra found what she was looking at. A man was sitting in a black car, his hand beckoning.

Kyoshiro pointed at them as if asking "Are you here for us?" and the man nodded. "Shady looking guy." Blue murmured with a frown. The man said, "Are you friends with Shizatte?" and Weed nodded. "I need to see ID." Confused, they handed their wallets to him and the man looked at their pictures and then up at them. "Does anyone know you are here?" Grimmjow replied firmly, "No. What's this all about?"

The man said, "Get in the car, I will take you to Shizatte."

And within seconds, they found themselves in the back of the strange man's car driving up into the mountains far away from civilization. All of them were tense and in deep suspicion of the man driving them to their destination. Blue looked over her shoulder and saw a black car driving a few feet behind them. Blue whispered, "I don't like this. That car has been following us since we left the docks." Kyoshiro said, "Yeah. This whole thing reeks of creepy."

"Driver, where are you taking us?" Ulquiorra asked and the man was silent. Grimmjow snapped, "Answer the question!" Weed jumped and said, "Is that a helicopter?" and they all looked over their shoulders. A military chopper was flying a good few feet above the road. "What the hell is this?" Grimmjow growled.

There were approaching a roadblock ahead of them and the driver rolled down his window and showed the man his ID and the five of them were asked to step out of the car and present their IDs. Grimmjow briefly caught sight of a large white sign that read,

_YOU ARE NOW ENTERING A RESTRICTED ZONE. TURN BACK NOW. ANYONE FOUND TRESPASING WILL BE SHOT ON SIGHT. NO QUESTIONS ASKED._

Grimmjow said impatiently to the guards, "I don't suppose I'll get an answer if I ask where we're going, right?" and they were ushered back into the car. "Thought so."

They drove another mile, Weed staring out the window. "What is this, a fucking warzone or something?" Grimmjow asked as they drove through yet another security checkpoint. "What if this is a trap?" Weed asked, eyes wide. Blue said, "Calm down, alright, let's not assume anything drastic until we've seen Shizatte." She murmured, "I'm really starting to get worried though. What is it that is requiring all these safety measures?"

Ulquiorra said, "Knowing her it could be anything."

Grimmjow's tension was turning to anger and he said, "Where are we going, answer my question or I'll make you!" He was silent. They reached the end of the road and saw an armed guard waiting in front of a large white building. The driver presented his ID and the guards lifted the block and one of them strode forward and typed in a code and a white garage door opened and the car drove though, stopping to allow the guard to open yet another door ahead of them. They drove down the dark tunnel and reached a parking lot where the man parked the car and said, "Go to the guards by that door and they will take you to your friend. Behave yourselves."

Grimmjow threw open the door and stomped out and the guard immediately ordered him to call himself to which Grimmjow only grumbled. The guard placed his hand on a handprint scanner and then scanned his eye and opened the door for them.

Two other guards hurried forward from the inside to escort them up the stairs and to yet another door that required scanning. The door was opened and Grimmjow and the others found themselves walking through a crowded white tiled room. People were running back and forth either carrying massive amounts of paperwork or running by in orange suits. "Where are we, an insane asylum?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

They stopped in front of a door and the man unlocked it and beckoned them inside. "Shizatte will be with you in just a moment. Wait there." And the door was locked from the outside. "Hey, why are you locking us in? What's going on? Ugh…" Blue sighed, leaning against the door. Grimmjow paced the room and stopped in front of the window and punched it. The glass was hard as a rock!

"What is this place?" he asked, overlooking the environment. The yard below was practically empty and the only people down there seemed to be guards. Ulquiorra seated himself at the desk, drumming his fingers upon the table while Weed curled up beneath his chair. Kyoshiro scowled, pacing the room as well. "Looks like some sort of site. I just want Shizatte to get here!" Kyoshiro grumbled. "Why the hell did we get into that guy's car in the first place? That is the number one safety rule and we broke it!"

And then they heard footsteps ahead of them and the door unlocked and was swung upon and they found themselves staring into the face of an astronaut! Kyoshiro yelled out and Weed shrieked and dove back under the table while Grimmjow and Blue prepared to attack. Ulquiorra was the only one who didn't give any sort of emotional response.

"Whoa, wait, don't attack!" shouted a deep, unattractive female voice. And The helmet came off and revealed to them an even more unwanted sight—the face of Shizatte! Grimmjow said, "Yeah. Put that helmet back on." And Weed exclaimed, "Phew…I think I nearly got a heart attack! What are you doing in that outfit?"

Shizatte said, "Oh, me? I'm just testing out the fitting of my new space suit! Space suits no longer needs to have an oxygen tank on it, because I have installed it within the material of the suit itself! It even makes the suit more comfortable! But since there is air on Earth, I have yet to see if it will work!"

"Yeah, good for you. Listen, we want answers, now. Why are we here and what do you want from us?" Kyoshiro asked immediately before Grimmjow could. Shizatte said, "Alright, but you all must be thirsty! Here! Try some of my sparkling lemonade grape juice!" and she thrust a pitcher at them and poured them a few glasses full of it.

Grimmjow said, "Yeah, I would except I ain't in a hurry to have my insides explode!"

"Oh nonsense it is perfectly safe! Drink up and let me know what you think while I get out of this space suit!" and she skipped away, humming. Blue sniffed it and felt her nostrils burn and she said, "Nope, not for me." Ulquiorra sipped a little bit and instantly tensed up. The sweet sourness of the grapes, the tartness of the lemonade and the sparkling water made for an explosion combination that he was sure was rather like drinking acid.

"Don't drink it." Ulquiorra said, his tongue burning. Grimmjow looked around as the door opened and Shizatte emerged, wearing the same clothes she always seemed to wear. A white lab coat, rainbow socks and Mary Jane's. Her hair was as frizzy as ever and her eyes just as protuberant. She sat down, drank an entire glass of the strange juice and said, "Now then, what questions do you have?"

"Where the hell _are_ we?!" Grimmjow burst out.  
"What are we doing here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"What the hell do you want with us?!" Kyoshiro exclaimed.

"Why is this place under so much security?" Blue asked, watching troops marching back and forth outside the window.

"Where's the bathroom?!" Weed exclaimed.

Everyone looked at him.

Shizatte said with a smile, seemingly unfazed by the storm of questions, "Grimmjow's and Blue's questions can both be answered at the same time, so I'll get to those first! You are in the ESC aka the European Space Center, right in the middle of Cologne, Germany! Well, actually I'm lying, it isn't an official space center at all I just copied the name, but I have professionals working with me and the necessary equipment! The security is here to keep any terrorists and spies away from the center and our research. Right now we are working under top security, which is why we set up so far out in the middle of nowhere. As for Kyoshiro's question, his and Ulquiorra's are pretty much the same thing, so I'll answer. I called you here to witness an extraordinary project and I want you guys to possibly help me with it! Our project is to launch a _rocket_, known to us as the S4101991—which stands for the first letter of my name, the month I was born, the day and the year— into _outer space_! Our destination—the _moon_! Oh and in answer to your question Weed, the bathroom is just done the hall."

They all stared, wide eyed. "You are building a _rocket_? Why the hell are you doing that?" Grimmjow said, his voice stunned. "Because, a scientist cannot _possibly_ call herself a scientist if she does not at least attempt one moon voyage at one point in her life!"

"Well," Ulquiorra said, watching as one of the cups containing the liquid melted onto the table, "Considering that you are the one who made these vile drinks, I can assume that the outcome will be disastrous."

Shizatte pouted, "Oh, Ulqui! You're still the same, as close-minded as always! I have the help of nearly over one thousand trained professionals building the rocket with me! You think I wouldn't take this project seriously?"

Blue said, leaning against the wall, "You said you wanted our help, what did you mean?"

Shizatte said, "This is the best part! Since I am the developer of the rocket, it would be unwise to send myself to the moon since I am needed here! So, in honor of our friendship, I called you here to be the first volunteers to try out my rocket! I am sending you to the moon!" she yelled dramatically and Grimmjow, who had just been sampling some of the acid-like drink, choked and spat it in Shizatte's face!

"_WHAT_?!" the five of them yelled.

Shizatte rushed to the sink to wash it out of her eyes as Grimmjow yelled, "No, absolutely not! I am _not_ going to be your _Guinea pig_, do you hear me?! You want test subjects, go and get goats, because I am NOT going to the moon!"

Shizatte said, "But you have too! You came down here and everything!" Blue said angrily, "So you just _assumed_ we would say yes? Do you even know what you are asking us?!"

Shizatte said, "You would pass up this opportunity? The adventure of a lifetime—because you are afraid?!"

Kyoshiro yelled, "We are not afraid! We just don't want to fly up into _outer space_!"

Shizatte said, "But…but I've put so much effort into S4101991!" Ulquiorra said, standing up, "Then you should have checked with us first. We're leaving." Shizatte stood up, a grave look on her face. "Do you understand what events will be triggered by your refusal to cooperate? The blood of thousands, if not millions will be on your hands if you refuse to go to the moon! Think about that!"

Weed frowned. "What do you mean—?"

Shizatte suddenly looked nervous and said, "Uh…I mean—Um…Well…I cannot say much, but I will say that this planned voyage has a lot rooting on its outcome. That rocket absolutely _must_ launch!"

And when all of them continued to look confused Shizatte said, "Very well. I will not force you guys to go to the moon. I will let you make the decision and you make sure to think over what I said. I will only pray that you all come to your senses and—!" but they were gone before she finished, slamming the door behind them.

* * *

That night Grimmjow and the others arrived at their hotel and began setting up for bed. Weed said, "Well, we'll still get a vacation out of this, right?" Blue said, "Of course. Assuming Shizatte doesn't follow us and pester us." Grimmjow sunk onto the bed with a sigh and said, "Stupid woman! Why would she even call us down here without telling us she wants to blast us off to the _moon_?!"

"Because she knew we would say no. Let's not worry about it and try to make the most of our situation." Blue said, taking her wolf form and curling up on the pillow by Ulquiorra's head. Weed was sitting on the window sill beside Kyoshiro, staring up at the moon.

"Why would she assume we'd say no?" Weed asked. "Are we that kind of group?"

"No we aren't and who cares what she thinks?" Kyoshiro asked. "I'm _not _flying off to the moon!"

"Why?" Weed asked innocently, "Because it is dangerous?" and both Grimmjow and Kyoshiro tensed up. Grimmjow _and_ Kyoshiro snapped, "What, you think I'm afraid?!" Weed jumped and said, "N-no! Not at all. I'm just wondering if this is an experience to pass up."

Ulquiorra turned over onto his side, his arm tucked beneath his head. Grimmjow could see his eyes shining in the light from the moon. "What do you mean?" Blue asked, her ears perked up in interest. Weed said, "Didn't we promise to do every single crazy thing possible after Grimmjow got out of the hospital last month?"

"Yeah but…flying to the moon—! I've never even had the urge to go there. It's a waste of time." Grimmjow said.

"And I've always like to admire the moon from afar." Blue said.

Weed said excitedly, his tail swishing left and right, "But this could be the biggest adventure we've ever gone on! Imagine it, going to the _moon_! That would be the highlight of our lives!" Grimmjow said, "If you wanna go so badly, go. I ain't following you." And he turned over onto his side, facing the wall away from Weed. Kyoshiro said, "I—," he frowned. "Tch. I'll…consider it." Kyoshiro mumbled, unsure what to say.

Grimmjow mumbled, "You can't be serious." And Kyoshiro glared at him before jumping into his bed and lying down while Weed simply curled up on the small bench by the window and stared outside. Grimmjow watched him for a moment before he turned over and tried to sleep.

_You know…it would be kinda cool, _Grimmjow thought, _to go to the moon. _His eyes opened and he scowled. _Forget it._

Blue turned over in bed, frowning. She thought, _I know I said I didn't want to go…but, Weed's right. Should I miss out on that? I've always loved the moon, basking under it gives me such a feeling peace. It makes me _feel _like a wolf. But to actually go there—to think that possibility is dangling in front of me…I think that would be—_

Kyoshiro thought, _Amazing! I can remember sitting under one particularly nice moonrise with my old pack, just talking, joking to ourselves. This one pup wanted me to give him the moon, heh. He was a goofy kid…Teru, wasn't it? Hey…I could be the first dog on the moon! _

Weed sighed and thought, _I really want to go! But how do I ask them to take me back to the space center without giving them a lot of trouble? I feel like I shouldn't miss out on this! But, it just wouldn't be the same without them._

Ulquiorra stared out the window, his brow furrowing as he thought, _Going there would be interesting, even if I myself am unsure as to why I should go. But for some reason, I don't like the idea of ignoring this possible adventure. _

* * *

Grimmjow was sitting in darkness. He looked around, confused as to why he was here. And then Shizatte appeared in front of him, holding out a microphone. She said, her voice ringing in his ears, "And, how do you remember _your_ first moon voyage?!" and Grimmjow covered his ears as he felt the sound pierce into his skull. And he heard an old, scraggly voice say, "It…was…uh…how was it again?" and he looked around.

Ulquiorra was sitting in a chair beside him, hunched over with age and Grimmjow jumped, surprised by how haggard he looked. "I don't…care to remember…I think it was…wonderful?" he wheezed, slumping over. Grimmjow shook him. "Hey! What the hell happened to you, why are you so old?!" Ulquiorra looked up at him, his hazy eyes seeming to look right through him.

And Shizatte shouted again, "And you! How did _you _feel about going to the moon?!" and Grimmjow, his hands still on Ulquiorra's withered shoulders, looked over and his eyes widened in shock when he saw Weed, his hair practically gone, and his body thin as a twig. "I—just wish Grimmjow had gone with us…" he said, coughing. "It would have meant so much to me…I was so disappointed…" and he keeled over and didn't move. "Hey, Weed! Are you—?!" Grimmjow yelled.

And Kyoshiro, his body missing patches of hair, shouted, "It was great, utterly amazing! I never felt more alive in my life! Ulquiorra and Shizaa even got married while he was away!" and Grimmjow's head whipped around to stare at Ulquiorra's withered finger and he lunged away from Ulquiorra when he saw an old, blacked ring on his finger—on _all_ of them actually. Grimmjow yelled, "He wouldn't do that!" Kyoshiro said, "She insisted they get married four times! He didn't refuse…he figured since you weren't there you wouldn't care anyway! Damn shame!" and he broke down coughing and his dentures slipped from his mouth and fell to the floor. And beside him, Ulquiorra fell asleep as two small hands seized his chair and pulled him into the darkness.

Grimmjow tried to run after him but found his legs weren't moving! "Ulquiorra! Give him back, you twisted bitch!" he roared. And though he had only been running a few seconds, he was suddenly exhausted. He saw Blue, her hair gray and her back hunched, emerging from the darkness and he yelled, "Blue! Do something! Go after him!"

She adjusted her glasses and said, "These old legs can barely keep myself up. Do it yourself." She said with a smile. And Grimmjow saw that she was using a walker and even as he watched, her legs turned to dust. Grimmjow yelled, "Someone do _something_!" and suddenly Shizatte's chair stretched high above him. She shone a spotlight down on him and shouted, her voice booming around him, "You want to know why Ulquiorra left you?! Go to that door!"

And suddenly Grimmjow saw the door and he raced to it and flung I open, only to be confronted by a room of mirrors, all of them reflecting his aged, haggard, sunken face. His hair was gone, he was hunched over, his eyes were glazed. And he shouted in horror, the mirrors shattering one by one.

And Grimmjow's eyes snapped open and his entire body gave a jolt as he realized what had just happened. And he lay there, his heart racing and his chest heaving with silent deep breaths. He looked over and found Ulquiorra asleep beside him with no rings upon his fingers. Grimmjow sat up, frowning when he realized his knees were shaking. He staggered to the bathroom and opened the door and could make out his reflection. He turned on the light and stared at himself.

_I'm going to be old one day. I'm going to be some hideous old man one day. Or, if I'm lucky I'll age well enough. _

He ran a hand over his clear skin that was free of wrinkles…for now anyway.

_But, in any case…I think I should make the most of my life for now. So that, even if I am hideous and weak, I can look back and say "I went to the moon." _Grimmjow scowled and splashed water over his face to rid it of the cold sweat he had gotten and then stood and left the room and hastened to the window to overlook the city beneath him, barely illuminated as the sky very slowly brightened.

_I'm going._

* * *

The following morning, Grimmjow and his friends sat gathered around the table, eating breakfast. Blue finished her dog food and said, "There's…something I want to say." Grimmjow just nodded, making his fork randomly stab eggs.

And then not only did Blue speak, but so did Kyoshiro, Weed and Ulquiorra. And they all said, "I want to go to the moon." And Grimmjow choked and looked up with a scowl. "Ulquiorra, I expected you to be the first to disagree with that damned idea! Why?"

"It's not that I truly want to go, but rather that I feel we should go. And I have also been thinking over what Shizatte said to us. These days, no space center is put under that much security or located that far out in the middle of nowhere. I think there may have been some truth in her ramblings back at the ESC."

Grimmjow looked at Weed and the pup said, "I just want to go. I think it would be the coolest thing we've done! I want to be the first dog to step foot on the moon! And Grimmjow, I know you'd regret not going."

"No, you don't. Next." Grimmjow said somewhat moodily, irritable from lack of sleep.

Blue said, "I want to go as well, for the same reasons as Weed. I have always admired the moon, being half wolf, and to go there—this kind of thing doesn't happen every day, you know what I'm saying? And I also feel that we would be wrong to refuse, something about the way Shizatte spoke to us last night unnerved me, too." Blue said thoughtfully. "Why would they have so much security? She even said that no one apart from the crew knows about S4101991's launching. There's something about this that is suspicious."

Grimmjow looked at Kyoshiro and he said, "It's more for personal reasons than curiosity. Nothing you need to know."

They all looked at Grimmjow expectantly. Grimmjow chewed his food for a moment, not sure what to say. "What the hell are you guys looking at? You think _I'm_ not going? Pack your shit. We're heading out." And Weed and the others all looked pleasantly surprised.

* * *

Shizatte was sitting at her desk in her room, going over the plans for the rocket. She sighed. "No! There should be more room for the control panel in the top floor! Hmm…I wonder what color I should paint S4101991! Oh! Maybe—?!" and without warning, the door was kicked down in front of her and she shrieked and lunged for the safe to store the plans.

"No! I'm not launching a rocket! This is my grocery list! I design my groceries lists like this all the time and—!" She saw Grimmjow standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets, with his sheepish friends standing behind him. "Oh. Hello! What brings you guys here?"

Grimmjow said, "What the hell do you think, woman? I didn't come here out of pleasure! I want you to get that rocket ready and get it ready damn fast. I don't intend to wait here for a year."

She gasped and said, "You mean—you changed your minds?!" and a gleeful smile stretched across her face. "No of course not." Grimmjow said sarcastically. "I came here for a cup of that acid juice you serve!"

"Really?!" she exclaimed and even Weed sighed. "I just chilled some and it should taste—!"

"OF COURSE I CHANGED MY MIND! And in the time we're here, GET NEW, FUCKING _DRIVERS_!" Grimmjow bellowed and she jumped and said, "You did?!" and Ulquiorra and Blue had to restrain Grimmjow to prevent him from hurting her. The drive here had been annoying, they had had to go through the security all over again and this time the driver had blasted rap music the entire time and drove terribly.

Shizatte said, "Oh, you must have gotten Reginald, he can be strange! I think he's charming. But anyway, since you all are here, you probably want to know where you are sleeping. Follow me!" Grimmjow stood, grumbling and he and the others followed her to her down the hall. As they walked, she pointed to various rooms, "That's the control room," she said, pointing into a room full of people bustling back and forth, testing each control to make sure it worked.

"That's the lunch room, smells nice, huh?" Kyoshiro said, "Hm. Huh?" and he spotted a room where a group of men stood gathered around a glass room where, inside the glass, Kyoshiro could see a man, in a space suit, floating! "Whoa! What is that?"

"Oh, that is where we test out our gravity thing."

Ulquiorra said, "You don't understand a thing about your own environment, do you?" and Grimmjow's misgivings deepened.

After a bit of walking and Shizatte pointing out various rooms, they reached a room that she stopped in front of and said, "Blue, this is your room." They could already tell because the door had a piece of paper taped to it that read, in very childish writing, "Blue's room!". Blue peaked inside and said, "Ah…it's very…pinkish." That was an understatement! The whole room was pink!

Grimmjow said, "That is like a nightmare I had once."

And Kyoshiro showed noticeable displeasure and said, "Wait, we don't share a room?" and Shizatte's eyes widened and she said, "You want to sleep in the same room as a woman, Kyoshiro? Why, what is _wrong_ with you?! Have you no _decency, _you hormonal—?!"

Kyoshiro said, "Whoa, don't be dumb! We always share a room, but it's nothing like that!" and Shizatte's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head and she shrieked, "YOU PUBESCENT BOY! How dare you show no respect for a young woman's privacy?! She's so much older than you, you perverted—!"

"No she isn't, I'm in my twenties in dog years, numbskull!" Kyoshiro yelled. "So you_ are_ a creeper! I knew it!" Shizatte exclaimed. Blue said, "Look, Shizatte, why don't you show the boys to their rooms?"

And suddenly Shizatte was back to normal. "Oh, eyes of course, right this—! Oh." Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Weed had run off.

Grimmjow walked past various doors, looking for one with his name on it. "Christ, listening to that woman is enough to make me wanna pull my hair out!" Ulquiorra said, "I agree." Grimmjow ignored him and Weed said, "Oh, there's your room. And mine!" and he hurried to it and opened his door and said, "Oh. Um…cool." His room had padded walls, a gray cold floor and a single bed. Grimmjow poked his head around the corner and said, "Who slept here? A lunatic?"

"It does rather resemble a padded cell, doesn't it?" Ulquiorra agreed and Weed said, "Oh. Cool." Shizatte said, "Oh, you like it?!" and Grimmjow jumped. "This building used to be an insane asylum before it became the fake ESC! This cell hosted a world renowned serial killer, so I asked them to keep it there for history's sake! Enjoy your room, Weed!"

And before Weed could protest, Shizatte slammed the door on him and dragged Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to their rooms which were near Kyoshiro's. Grimmjow stared at the name on his door. It read "Grimmjow & Ulquiorra's room!" in childish writing, like the others. "I got you two the same room!" Shizatte said with a wide smile. "It has one bed, by the way!" Grimmjow scowled and Ulquiorra said, "Why did you put so much thought into this?"

She said with a wink, "Oh and it is soundproof, if you know what I mean! Enjoy, lovebirds!" and she ran off as Grimmjow shouted, "Why the hell did you put so much thought into this room?!" and Ulquiorra sighed. "I can only imagine what it will look like on the inside." Grimmjow reached for the doorknob and he stared at it in disbelief. It was shaped like a heart! "What the hell is this woman on?!" he growled and Ulquiorra reached out and opened the door. He was surprised to find that it was a fairly decent room. The bed itself looked uncomfortable though.

There was a calendar and a window and a small lamp on the bedside table. Grimmjow walked to the window and wrenched up the shade and found that they both had a pleasant view of the ocean. "Hm. At least we got a decent view."

Kyoshiro said, "Hey, you guys got a good view. I got a view overlooking the guards. Nice doorknob." And he hurried off to his room and Ulquiorra followed to get a better look at Kyoshiro's room. Grimmjow sat upon the bed and leaned back, maneuvering his neck to the left and right until his bones cracked pleasantly and he rolled his shoulders as well. That car had been very cramped.

The mattress was lumpy and he frowned and punched it a bit to ease the lumps and Ulquiorra entered the room and said, "I'm going to go and find out when we start our training." Grimmjow looked over and said, "It better be good training. I can only imagine this place will get dull after a while."

Ulquiorra turned to leave and Grimmjow saw him crack his neck to the side and frown a little. Grimmjow raised a finger and beckoned and Ulquiorra walked to him, curious. Grimmjow placed his hands on Ulquiorra's back and began to massage his shoulders. Grimmjow rested his chin on Ulquiorra's shoulder and said, "Are you regretting your decision yet? This is only gonna get more annoying."

Ulquiorra said, "I do feel more at ease if that is what you are asking. Maybe I will change my mind if I spend more time with Shizatte. Until then, I am interested in seeing what they have in store for us here." And just as they started to relax, Shizatte appeared in the room and said, "Your astronaut training starts at 6:00 in the morning! Get a good night's sleep guys! I'll wake you!" and she raced off.

Grimmjow sighed, resting his face in Ulquiorra's shoulder. It looked like things could only get interesting from here.

* * *

Ulquiorra awoke to the sounds of birds in the distance. He turned over to get into a more comfortable position and found Grimmjow already awake and sitting on the side of the bed. "You're awake early."

Grimmjow just nodded and said grumpily, "Couldn't sleep. I felt like someone was watching me all night. And by watching, I mean I felt like someone was standing right outside my door all night. I even got up and checked a few times. Nothing. And no, I ain't paranoid, so don't even go there."

"Perhaps there was something in Shizatte's juice. I wouldn't doubt it." Ulquiorra closed his eyes, still too tired to fully wake up. Despite that their environment was strange, he still felt an odd sense of comfort. Maybe it was his drowsiness. Grimmjow looked over and felt his lip twitch at the sight of him so tired and said, "Don't get comfortable. It's almost 6:00. Who knows what they're planning for us? Gird your loins." And when Ulquiorra still didn't rise, Grimmjow smirked and stuck his tongue in Ulquiorra's ear, jolting him awake with a sound of disgust.

And there was a very loud knock on the door and Ulquiorra sighed and Grimmjow stood for him and walked to the door and opened it and found Shizatte waiting for them. "Hello and good morning! We need to head outside soon!"

"Where are we going?" Ulquiorra asked and Shizatte said, "You'll see! I need to go and wake the other astronauts-to-be!" and she hurried off.

Within minutes the five sleepy friends found themselves walking after Shizatte. "What about breakfast?" Weed asked and Shizatte said, "Where you are going, it is best to go with an empty stomach!" Weed looked nervous and Kyoshiro said suspiciously, "Why?"

"You'll see!"

And after a half an hour drive, they reached a private airport somewhere behind the center. There they greeted a scientist named Doctor Richard Jones who said, "Now, if you'll follow me this way, we have prepared a jet for you."

"A _jet_?" Grimmjow said and Jones said, "Yes. To prepare you for the weightlessness of space, you will ride a jet that we made especially for astronaut training." They reached the jet and Blue stepped inside and saw that there were no seats, just cushioned floors and ceilings. Weed walked inside and said, "Why did we not eat before we left?"

"Because most astronauts get motion sick." Jones explained and Weed frowned worriedly. "Alright, everyone climb aboard and we will start your first training course!" Jones called and Ulquiorra seated himself on the floor beside Grimmjow who was looking around himself. Blue smiled excitedly and then jumped when the jet started up and propelled itself across the ground. They all were flung backwards and into the cushioned wall and the jet shot into the air!

And Grimmjow was suddenly levitated off the ground and he yelped and said, "Whoa! Hey, what's happening?!" Ulquiorra said, floating up beside him, "It is natural, don't panic." They were already starting to see why astronaut's got sick, the feeling of levitating was incredibly strange.

Kyoshiro suddenly grinned and curled his legs up to his chest and began spinning rapidly in a circle, going upside down and around. Grimmjow grinned and did a back flip, crashing into Kyoshiro and sending Kyoshiro flying into the cushioned wall head first and bouncing off! "Hey! I love this!" Kyoshiro called, spinning again only to stop and hold his mouth with a loud gag. Grimmjow hastily moved away from him and flew up to the ceiling and began to walk around on the ceiling. "You're Spider Man!" Weed exclaimed, dog paddling in midair.

Grimmjow suddenly took Ulquiorra's hands and began spinning to the side, sending them both flying to the left, spinning rapidly and bouncing off the soft wall. Ulquiorra let go, dizzy and his stomach feeling like a washing machine. "This is sick!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue flew by and did a spin! And then the jet started flying straight rather than down and they all fell to the floor, having not listened to the pilot's warning that they were increasing gravity.

Grimmjow groaned, clutching his stomach. "Oh, shit. Turn it back off." Ulquiorra said, "Do not puke in here, do you have any idea how bad that would—?" and the gravity decreased and they all launched into the air and Grimmjow stretched out his legs and flew into the wall feet first, pushed off and then did a back flip. Kyoshiro and Blue meanwhile had linked hands and were spinning. Kyoshiro grinned at Blue and then she said, "Watch out for Grimm—!" and Grimmjow bumped into Kyoshiro and Kyoshiro flew above them, spinning in a slow circle, his limbs spread apart. "I am now a satellite!" Kyoshiro called and Blue started laughing.

* * *

An hour later they left the jet and Kyoshiro instantly vomited upon leaving it, and they headed back to the center where the adults in the group intended to hear a lecture on rockets and how they worked in case there was an accident in space, and just because it was important to know things about the air craft you would be flying in.

Weed however insisted on attending and so the five of them sat through a _very_ long lecture and then went to have lunch. While in the cafeteria, Shizatte introduced them to the woman who would be preparing meals for their trip into space. They learned that most of the meals would be liquefied and sticky to prevent it from floating around everywhere. The drinks they would get would be in special containers with a straw and a hospital clamp inserted in to prevent the liquid coming out all at once.

As they finished lunch, Shizatte approached them and said, "And now, I think it is time for you to meet S4101991! Follow me!" and she led them towards the staircase. And then Ulquiorra frowned. He felt like someone was looking at him. He looked around and saw a security guard hastily looking away from him, he could see a wide smile on his face.

Before Ulquiorra could fathom why, Shizatte had dragged him away excitedly.

Minutes later, Ulquiorra and the others were in a car with Shizatte driving. Grimmjow looked up and his eyes widened when he spotted the rocket in the distance. It was truly massive! Maybe not as tall as the Empire State building, but _massive_! "Isn't she beautiful?!" Shizatte said. Grimmjow just shrugged. "Looks plain as shit." He stated and Shizatte pouted. "It isn't done yet, silly!"

The car stopped and she said, "How about an inside tour?" Weed said, "It won't take off?" and Grimmjow cackled. Shizatte said, "Of course not! I'll show you guys where you will be sleeping and stuff!" Grimmjow approached the rocket and he could hear men yelling in German at one another. "This way, Grimmy!" Shizatte called and Grimmjow moved towards the elevator needed to reach the second floor. They entered the rocket. "This is the bedroom and eating area. The bathroom is at the end of the room." Shizatte said.

There were two bunk-beds on the left and right wall and a table in the middle of the room. There was also a radio next to the right bed for easy communication. Shizatte said, "As you have noticed, there are not blankets but special sleeping bags that are designed especially for zero-gravity, there are holes for your arms to go through and the sleeping bag is attached to the bed. Unfortunately there are only four bunks, but one of the dogs can share."

It was pretty much useless to have a tour guide because the group was already branching out and exploring. Ulquiorra proceeded to the ladder at the end of the room and climbed it. He had reached the control room. He looked through the window and realized how high up they were. It was an impressive view, over-looking the trees and lakes in the distance, as well as the builders walking back and forth around the platforms surrounding the rockets. One of them waved at him.

Ulquiorra said to Shizatte, "I assume this glass is reinforced?"

"Highly! It would take maybe five Elephants to break it!"

Grimmjow and Blue climbed up beside them and Grimmjow opened another door behind them. It was a sitting room by the looks of it, containing many shelves and books on space and astronauts and complete with a very long couch that also had those sleeping bags on it. Grimmjow sat upon the couch and spread out. "What do you think?" Shizatte asked.

"This place has got all the comforts of home except it feels like it could become our coffin." Grimmjow said. Blue said, "I saw another ladder by the bedroom. Is there a first floor?" Shizatte said, "Oh! Yes, there is. The basement is where the food, drink, spacesuits and various things are kept."

Weed asked, "How long did it take to build this?" Shizatte said, "I have been building this for the past two years. I just needed people to fly in it."

"Why not go yourself?" Ulquiorra asked, sitting on the sofa. Shizatte said, "Because the rocket may explode and I want to live longer in order to enjoy my success!" she said. Grimmjow said, "So you're using us because you are too cowardly to go into space yourself? And what success are you blabbering about, huh? You told us not even the president knows about the launching!"

"My _own_ success of course! One must live long enough to boost their self confidence after completing a huge project like this!" she said happily. "So you _are_ using us!" Grimmjow exclaimed, suddenly annoyed. "But we agreed to it." Blue said and Grimmjow said, angered, "Yeah, well until she had put it that way—!"

"Oh relax!" Blue said exasperatedly. "She isn't intentionally doing it."

"Of course I am! Well, at least in a way, I am. If you squint." She added, frowning. Blue scowled. "You were _not_ supposed to agree to that." Grimmjow scowled and said, "So if we blow up along with this flying piece of tin, you'll just considered it a failed experiment, is that it?!"

"That's kind of how I view everything, but I actually like you guys. You're my best friends!" She said, clearly not aware of how angry she was making her guests. Kyoshiro sputtered, " "Friends" don't do that to each other! You didn't even waste a thought on us!"

"There is a risk that comes with everything in life, but I cannot let that hold me back! This is for the greater good, and at least if you do die, you will die for _science_!" she exclaimed.

And Grimmjow had it. "You know what," he stood and shoved past her and said, "Fuck your science, woman." Weed exclaimed, "Grimmjow, are you leaving?" and Grimmjow said, "Yeah, I am. I had my doubts, but hearing that shit just pushed me over the limit! I am not going to go into space while knowing that I am being considered some sort of test subject that can easily be replaced! I said I wouldn't be this woman's Guinea Pig, and I mean it!"

Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, you know what, I agree with him! I don't like being viewed as a test subject either!" and he and Grimmjow began to walk away. Shizatte said, "Wait, where are you guys going?!" and Grimmjow said, "Home, that's where! Come on, Ulquiorra."

"I am staying."

And Grimmjow froze in place. "What?" he said.

Ulquiorra said, "I'm staying. We have come this far, I am not leaving." And Shizatte gasped excitedly and Ulquiorra sent her a cold stare and said, "Not to please you."

Grimmjow said through clenched teeth, "Tell me why." Ulquiorra said, "We have already undergone the beginning of the training, we traveled miles to get here, and my instincts have been screaming at me that we should remain here. I intend to do that. I also refuse to back out on the highly unlikely notion that the rocket could explode when there are over two thousand professionals working on it. I am normally critical of humans, but even they know how to how to find errors even in projects this big and correct them. This rocket is safe."

"Did you not hear me, Ulquiorra?! The rocket exploding has nothing to do with this! I am not going to be used! As for you, you'd just do whatever anyone tells you to! And of course, like a little weakling, you're fine with it!_ I_ am not and I refuse to be treated this way! Come on, one of you has to agree with me—no, on second thought, I don't care! You guys stay here and be used, because I know you will."

Kyoshiro said, "First of all, chill out. Second of all, I'm leaving too, so guess what, you're wrong." Blue said, "I have to agree that I don't like how she put it either, but we have come too far to back out! Kyoshiro—!" and Kyoshiro said, "Don't try and stop me. Anyone else coming?" Weed looked torn between staying for the adventure and going with his friend. "Uh…I…" Grimmjow pointed over his shoulder at him and said, "You stay. I know you want to and I know you'll regret not going. As for you, Kyoshiro, I ain't taking the same boat you're on." And Kyoshiro said, "Same." And they both began to leave.

Ulquiorra said, "Goodbye, then. Idiot."

Grimmjow stopped, not because of the insult though. Suddenly, he felt foolish. He remembered the reason he had wanted to leave for Germany, because he couldn't stand the idea of being at home by himself. But then he felt he would feel humiliated if he stayed, knowing Shizatte was using him for her project.

But he had been having mixed feelings throughout the entire trip, mixed feelings about the people they were working with mostly.

For a split second he was torn and was considering setting aside his pride and bruised feelings if only to be in the presence of his friends and experience the adventure with them.

His pride won.

He left the rocket without saying a word.

Shizatte frowned. "Was it something I said?"

* * *

Ulquiorra moved swiftly through the halls to his room and opened the door, feeling himself sigh as he realized Grimmjow wasn't there. Had he already left? Weed sighed and said, "You think he'll be coming back?" Ulquiorra said, "I doubt it. I think he really changed his mind this time."

Weed sighed and said, "And now Kyoshiro is leaving too. Will the journey really be that dangerous?" Ulquiorra said, "There is danger in everything we do. We take that risk by leaving our houses every day but actually, being inside is more dangerous than being outside. If you think about it, a journey to space is no more dangerous than flying in an airplane, except that there is radiation strong enough to kill you within a few seconds, no air which means we could die instantly if something were to happen to our oxygen tanks, massive space debris left behind by previous missions that could greatly damage our aircraft, micrometeorites which could puncture our space suits, not to mention the extreme temperatures." Weed looked terrified. "There is a risk, but it is unlikely to happen. Grimmjow isn't afraid though. Just foolish."

Ulquiorra frowned. _Though, maybe I am as well for readily being used? Has he always seen me that way, cowardly and submissive? Am I…?_

Blue ran in and said, "Where is Kyoshiro, has he left yet?" Weed said, still looking shaken and even more torn between the urge to stay and leave, "No. He's still in his room." And Blue sighed with relief and hurried away. She reached Kyoshiro's room and knocked and heard him say, "Come in." and she entered. He looked up, surprised. "Hey. What do you want?" he asked. Blue said, "To say goodbye, I guess. Since you're leaving."

Kyoshiro frowned, kicking the ground lightly with his toe, chewing on the inside of his lip. "Mm hm." Blue said, "I was really looking forward to going with you. But I also share your annoyance with Shizatte, so I understand. I just hope you don't think of me as eager to be used."

Kyoshiro shook his head. "Nah. I don't, I knew you'd want to stay anyway. Honestly, I'm kind of not looking forward to leaving because it'll be so damn boring back home and—," Blue said, "Then stay with us. I know what Shizatte said was obnoxious but—I know how you are about traveling. You love it! And this kind of journey—I know you'd love it. Of course, you don't have to." She added, somewhat less enthusiastically. Kyoshiro was looking surprised. "You—want me to stay? Really?"

"Yes, of course." She replied.

Kyoshiro's face had actually turned a little red and he was looking suddenly genuinely happy. He didn't know what to say and Blue said, "Think about it. You don't want to miss out on anything you'll regret, okay? Let me know." And she left him in stunned silence on his bed.

Ulquiorra lay down upon the bed and Weed hopped up to lie beside him. Just as he began to relax, there was a knock and Ulquiorra looked up, half expecting it to be Grimmjow. "What?" he asked.

And what must have been one of the security guard's entered. He said, "Mr. Schiffer, Doctor Jones would like to see you, Shizatte too." Ulquiorra said, "Did they say why?"

"Yes. They'll explain when you get there. Oh and your friend should come, too. They wanted to speak to you both. I'll be waiting for you outside, meet me when you're ready to go. I would advise we leave now, he said it was urgent."

Ulquiorra said, "Why aren't Blue and Kyoshiro going?" and the man said, "They're both just got busy with some training, they'll speak with Shizatte and Jones later, though. Until then, you both need to speak to Shizatte and Jones."

Ulquiorra said, "Very well."

And he and Weed, both curious, followed the guard out the door.

* * *

He hadn't mentioned that the drive would be so long.

He also hadn't mentioned that they would be joined by four other guards. He said it was for protection. Ulquiorra and Weed sat between two armed guards in the back of the jeep, looking around them while another guard sat in the front. He could no longer see the space center and he wasn't recognizing the road, it was different from the road they had taken to the airport where the jets were kept.

Their drivers talked loudly, their voices starting to give him a slight headache. Ulquiorra said, "Lower your voices."

"Be quiet back there." said the one driving and he turned up the music that before had been barely audible and Ulquiorra scowled and said, "Where are we going, you haven't said."

They ignored him.

Weed bit his lip and Ulquiorra repeated louder, "I asked you where we are going and I am expecting an answer." And the man next to him said, "Who do you think you are, the King of England? Give it a rest, pipsqueak." And Ulquiorra gave up and was silent for the rest of the drive.

And the longer they drove, the more insecure he began to feel. He felt less like a passenger and more of a prisoner and suddenly he was beginning to wonder about whether or not it was possible for people to get through the security around the building. He had noticed the guards moving around a lot when they patrolled, usually separating from their group. Was it possible that these men weren't guards at all? Were they enemies?

This seemed more and more likely. And the only reason he wasn't attacking was because of the fact that he wasn't in control of the wheel and that he knew that most likely they would hurt Weed if he tried anything. And this was his fault. _You don't know that this is the case. Your mind is wondering. Be logical. They could just be in a bad mood. It is stressful working there and, knowing Shizatte, she may forget to pay them. _

But how long had they been driving?

And then the car had stopped. And Ulquiorra looked away from the window and found that the driver had turned around and was pointing a gun into his face.

* * *

_An hour ago_

Shizatte was sitting at her desk, humming and going over the colors for the rocket. She heard a knock and said, "Yes, come in!" and was surprised when Grimmjow entered the room. "Oh, Grimmjow, you are still here? Did you change your mind?"

"No." the reply was slow. He said, "You seen Ulquiorra?"

"Aww, you wanted to tell him goodbye before you left? Such a good boyfriend!"

"Answer the damn question and cut the theatrics." Grimmjow snapped.

"I haven't seen him, sorry. Did you check his room?"

"Yes!" he replied impatiently.

And then a man walked by the office and stared in at her in surprise. "Oh, excellent. You're back already, Shizatte. I have some ideas for the design and—,"

"What do you mean back, silly? I didn't go anywhere!"

And the man said, "Really?" and Grimmjow felt himself tense up as he realized how nervous his voice sounded. "Because I overheard Lucas talking to that Ulquiorra fellow and that boy about how you and Jones wanted to meet him somewhere." Grimmjow felt something in his stomach turn over. "What the hell do you mean?" Grimmjow asked and when he looked over, he saw that Shizatte's face had frozen into one of absolute terror. "What?" Grimmjow asked, tense.

"Jones was just in here a minute ago, he's is in his office." Shizatte said and Grimmjow felt a chill run down his back. Shizatte flung herself to her feet and ran at Grimmjow and said, "Listen to me, you have got to cooperate with me if only for a short amount of time, do you understand me?!" and Grimmjow, already nervous, said, his voice rising, "Why, what the hell is—?!"

"We have got to move, now!" and she was already pulling Grimmjow out the door. "They've found me! And Ulquiorra and Weed's lives are either in peril right now, or they are already—!"

"_What_ is going on?! What's wrong with him?!" Grimmjow yelled, panicking. "Just follow me! Harry, where were they heading?!" she called to the guard and he called, "I saw them drive off towards the west!" and Grimmjow wrenched himself free of Shizatte and before she could accuse him of trying to argue, Grimmjow was sprinting ahead of her, shoving people out of his way as he raced down to the lobby.

Grimmjow was the first in the car, bowling over the guard attempting to get in it. Shizatte raced inside before he could drive off and Grimmjow started the car and before she could slam the door, Grimmjow was driving off at full speed and she screamed and buckled her seatbelt as they drove off into the slowly gathering darkness.

* * *

And Ulquiorra and Weed were frozen in place, staring at the gun the driver held. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, angered at himself for not being more suspicious. Now he and Weed were in danger. And Ulquiorra moved fast. He flung up a hand and smacked the gun out of the man's hand and Weed lunged and attacked the guard on the left. Ulquiorra slammed his foot into the driver's face and when the guard on the right made to attack him, Ulquiorra seized his head and slammed it against the window, breaking it.

Ulquiorra seized Weed and hurled him out and then scrambled out and tore away from the car and pressed the button on his watch. These men weren't possible human, in the moment that the driver had attempted to shoot him, he had felt some form of energy resonating from him and it definitely wasn't human. Ulquiorra prepared a cero at the car and fired, blowing it apart. But just as he did, he heard yells from ahead of him and, through the smoke, bullets were fired. And though normal bullets would have bounced off his skin, these didn't. These exploded and burned on impact! Ulquiorra seized Weed and carried him several feet backwards, knowing that if he were to resort to using Cero, Weed shouldn't be too close.

And the smoke began to disperse and he could see them now. Ten of them, all of them guards from the space center and all of them armed to the teeth and clearly able to see him, even in this form. Ulquiorra moved quickly and appeared right in front of them. Ulquiorra slammed his foot into a guard's face and then impaled him through the chest with his bare hand. For the second guard, he seized him by his own weapon and flung him forward, crashing into the third guard running at Ulquiorra from behind. Ulquiorra kicked them and they tumbled from the cliff and down to their deaths. The others fired at him and Ulquiorra flew into the air and prepared a cero and the explosion obliterated them instantly. _Too easy. I needn't have worried._

"Ulquiorra, are you alright?" Weed called, his voice worried and Ulquiorra responded. "I'm fine. I'm coming down." He landed and moved swiftly through the smoke and back to where he had left him. Weed instantly ran to him and Ulquiorra scooped him up and said, "Injured?" Weed said shakily, "N—no…why did they do that? Why would they try and—?"

And Ulquiorra said, "I don't know what their reason was but we need to get back before—," and Ulquiorra paused, over his voice he had heard scrabbling and felt a sudden surge of energy behind him. And he momentarily wondered if one of the attackers really had fallen to his death when he had thrown them.

And for a moment, his mind panicked, not sure if the attacker was aiming for Weed or just himself. And in that brief moment of panic, the attacker lifted his gun and fired at the back of Ulquiorra's head.

* * *

Grimmjow stopped the car and leaped out as heard an explosion, louder than a gunshot, from a cliff ahead of them. And Ulquiorra's reaitsu vanished.

And Grimmjow was racing to the cliff. And ahead of him, four men emerged from a car, all of them armed with guns Grimmjow had never seen before. They fired and the bullets exploded upon contact with the ground as Grimmjow dodged them. Grimmjow punched down the button on his watch, willing it to work, and shot out of his Gigai and thrust his bare hand through one of the guard's chests and he died instantly. Grimmjow fired a cero at the car beside the three others and it exploded and he tore off through the smoke, flying up towards the top of the mountain.

And there was no one there at the top of the mountain. No enemies to be fought. No Ulquiorra or Weed to be seen. Grimmjow shouted, "Ulquiorra?! Weed?! Answer me!" Grimmjow could feel his dread growing and suddenly he felt sick and he had to swallow hard as the fear attempted to overwhelm him. Where the hell were they?!

And then he heard a weak, muffled sound, like the cry of an animal, but strained. It was coming from around the edges of the cliff. Grimmjow hesitated, not knowing and half scared of what he would find at the bottom. But he approached anyway.

Weed was lying on a very thin ledge that emerged from the side of the cliff and trailed away precariously, showing a severely long drop below. He was covered in blood. Grimmjow seized him and pulled him up and said, "Weedy, what the fuck happened to you?" Weed moved his jaw but his voice was so quiet.

"Ulquiorra…they threw him off…" Weed whispered, "I tried to…stop them…but not even he had time to…Help him…" he broke off in a whimper of pain and Grimmjow's fists clenched. He set Weed down and ran to the edge and looked below. He couldn't see him. He leapt off and flew further down and then he spotted him lying on a jagged edge of rock smaller than the one Weed had fallen on.

He looked so lifeless and for a moment, terror latched onto him that he really might have been killed. He landed on the edge beside him and turned him onto his back. His face was nearly completely covered in his own blood. "Oh Christ, no, no, no, no!" He heaved Ulquiorra into his arms, nearly slipping on the uneven ground. _Oh come on, don't do this messed up shit to me, you hear me?! _

He flew back up and instantly set him down on the ground. He checked his pulse. "Come on Ulquiorra, you're stronger than this, don't you, fucking, _dare_ die on me!" He whispered, preparing himself for the worst as he checked his pulse, holding his breath. And he couldn't believe or even begin to comprehend how lucky he was, how lucky they _both_ were, that somehow Ulquiorra's pulse was still beating.

And Grimmjow ripped off a long piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around Ulquiorra's head like a bandaged before he heaved him up and began to run back down the hill. Shizatte called, "Is he alive?" and Grimmjow nodded as he ran by. "He's going to kill me…" She mumbled and she jumped when Grimmjow shouted, "Get the _fuck_ in this car, now!" and she tore down the hill with Weed in her arms.

* * *

Grimmjow sat outside the emergency room, his hands clenched in his lap. _How the fuck could I let this happen? _He bit his lip, looking up every time he saw someone walk by the door inside the room. Sure no one was looking, he put his face in his hands with a deep shaky sigh.

_Christ…If I hadn't stopped to ask Shizatte about Ulquiorra…I…I think I might have lost him. _Grimmjow bit his lip. _I might have lost both of them._

The door opened and Grimmjow looked up as the doctor emerged, "I have good news. They are both going to be alright. The dog's injuries were much less severe but bled a lot so he is on pain medications every two hours. As for Mr. Schiffer, the bullet grazed his skull, nearly instantly knocking him out. There's a crack there too because of the fall he took. But nothing he can't recover from speedily. There's also numerous bruises on his arms and legs from the fall. "

"I can see him?" Grimmjow asked.

"He's asleep, the medication he is on has made him drowsy but you can sit with him if you wish. Call me if anything happens." And he walked away down the hall. Grimmjow stood and instantly entered the room. Weed was lying in a small dog bed at the end of Ulquiorra's and Grimmjow knelt down and stroked his ears. Weed opened his eyes, wagged his tail and then drifted back into sleep.

He walked to Ulquiorra and sat on the side of the bed. Ulquiorra had bandages wrapped around where his hair was, nearly concealing it except for a few strands that went down to his shoulders.

Grimmjow heaved a sigh, drumming his fingers on his knee. He felt mortified that this had happened. If he had been with Ulquiorra, the men would have taken them together and maybe then…? And Weed wouldn't have had to go through that either. He had probably been terrified.

_And if I ever find out who did this, I'll pummel 'em into the ground._

Grimmjow scowled, his hand gripping his leg so tightly it hurt. He heard Ulquiorra stir and he looked around and found that he was half awake now, his green eyes open and staring at him. Grimmjow said, "Hey." And he saw a look of surprise cross Ulquiorra's face. "Grimmjow?" Grimmjow nodded and said, "Yeah."

Ulquiorra's eyes were now fully open and he said sharply, "And Weed, is he—?" Grimmjow said, "He's fine."

Ulquiorra relaxed, wincing as he set his head back against the pillows. "Good." He murmured. "I have to admit, I didn't think either of us would get out of that situation alive. Much less that I would see you again."

"What happened?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra explained what had happened while Grimmjow listened intensely, feeling his anger rise. Ulquiorra finished explaining and asked, "How did we survive this? I thought for sure that—,"

"They threw you both over the cliff." Grimmjow explained, not looking at him. "Weed caught on a relatively high ledge but you fell nearly the rest of the way. You know…I think that if you hadn't taken your Espada form, your head could have been blown off. I think that's the only reason you survived that."

Ulquiorra went quiet when he saw how pale Grimmjow's face was and he hadn't missed the slight tremor in his voice. He also noticed just how tightly Grimmjow's fists were clenched upon the blankets. Ulquiorra said, frowning, "This is hardly anything to blame yourself over. If anything, the entire thing was my fault. I nearly killed us both. You have no reason to blame yourself for this."

Grimmjow cleared his throat, not liking just how overwhelmed he was feeling. "Shut up. Alright? I'll fucking blame myself if I damn well want to, got it? I didn't even so much as look at you before I left the rocket and if you had died—the last time I would have looked upon you would have been with anger and shame and you would have died thinking that I thought you were a little submissive weakling. Which, for the record, I don't. Even if I made it sound that way."

Ulquiorra understood instantly and realized how upset Grimmjow must have been. The thought that that could have been their final encounter was unsettling to him, too. They were silent, neither knowing what to say or do. Ulquiorra said, placing a hand on Grimmjow's, "And I think you should know I didn't mean it when I said you were a fool for leaving. I don't always consider you foolish. Except when I don't understand your actions and even then, I don't mean it." Ulquiorra lay back against his pillow and closed his eyes, his head hurting.

Grimmjow said, "I know that. And I—I was being stupid. I've been a jackass throughout the entire trip. And you've put up with me, so…yeah." But the thought that Ulquiorra could have died still chilled him to the core and the thought wouldn't let him be. Grimmjow leaned over and kissed him deeply, savoring it as much as he could. "You poor bastard." Grimmjow mumbled and before Ulquiorra could protest that he was actually starting to feel better, Grimmjow kissed him again.

Grimmjow suddenly stopped and said, annoyed, "You know what? I want to actually learn from this fuck up, Ulquiorra."

"How? Do you mean we should try and be nicer to one another?"

"Kind of. Cause it seems after all the stupid arguments we have, one of us runs off and nearly gets killed."

However, Ulquiorra suddenly said, "Where are Blue and Kyoshiro?"

Grimmjow said, "Hell if I know." Ulquiorra frowned and said, "I don't have a very good feeling about this." Ulquiorra made to stand up but Grimmjow pushed him back in bed.

Grimmjow said, "_I'll _get them. God knows what the hell they were doing this whole time." And, somewhat anxious, he strode to the door. And Grimmjow stopped in the doorway, considering something. He turned around and strode back to Ulquiorra and kissed him gently, his hand combing through Ulquiorra's hair. "How about we practice for just a second?" Grimmjow whispered to him. Ulquiorra pulled him close and rested his cheek against Grimmjow's, his lips brushing against his ear when he whispered, "Goodbye, Grimmjow. Don't do anything rash."

Grimmjow held him tightly, savoring the feel of the other man against him. He grinned. "You know I will, but if you care so much I'll try and be a good boy. Someone's gotta take care of you, right? G'bye, Ulqui." And Grimmjow kissed him on the cheek and left the room, grinning.

And Grimmjow hurried away to the staircase and he quickly climbed up the steps and began moving towards Blue and Kyoshiro's rooms. He opened Kyoshiro's door and said, "Hey, Ulquiorra and Weed got hurt, Ulquiorra wants to let you know that the guards—," He broke off. The room was empty.

Grimmjow hurried to Blue's room and opened the door and said, "Blue, you here?" her room was empty. Grimmjow was starting to feel unnerved. Grimmjow ran around the area, calling for them but he saw no one. _When was the last time I saw them? Could they have been—?!_

Feeling panicky, Grimmjow called out again and felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned and saw a guard hastily looking away. Grimmjow charged him, seized him by the neck and slammed him against the wall and yelled, "Where are they?!" and he said, "Whoa, I didn't have anything to do with it, okay?! One of them, uh, the white haired guy was picked up by Reginald!"

Grimmjow snarled and said, "Knew I didn't like that piece of shit driver! How long ago was this?!" Grimmjow yelled. "A minute ago! They left a minute ago!" Grimmjow cursed and flung him down before tearing away down the stairs.

* * *

"Where am I going?" Kyoshiro felt he had already asked that three times. And still he was not given an answer. They had driven a fair distance from the ESC and he had been growing more and more tense during the ride. He was starting to feel like a prisoner! "Hey, would you answer my question already?!" And they pulled up outside of a abandoned hangar.

Kyoshiro looked around the car, frowning. "Get out." said Reginald. "Dr. Jones is waiting for you." Kyoshiro climbed out and said, "Yeah, why didn't Blue and the other guys come with me? And why is he all the way out here?"

"I figured it would be easier if it was just you."

Kyoshiro's sudden foreboding increased. He shook his head, sighing. _It's just Reginald, alright? He is trustworthy. It's fine—which is why he brought me out here all by myself—okay, what the hell is going on?! I don't like this one bit!_

"Start walking."

_Fuck this. I won't be strung along without even being allowed to know why I am here!_

And Kyoshiro turned around, ready to attack but froze when he found himself facing the barrel of a massive gun. Reginald said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, foolish mortal. Thank you for making this so easy on my followers and I. In the past, the people we have confronted about our little pest problem have given us so many problems, asking far too many questions."

Kyoshiro's nose wrinkled as he breathed in a shallow breath. The man stank. He didn't smell human, he smelled far from human! As Kyoshiro listened, the man's voice seemed to become a little deeper, his teeth seemed a little sharper. "What the hell are you?" Kyoshiro whispered.

And the man pointed the strange gun at him and said, "That is nothing you need to know anymore. Goodbye, mortal." And Kyoshiro lunged and sunk his fangs deep into the man's throat. He tasted vile, like something that had been dead and decaying for years. Kyoshiro was thrown off and onto the ground and the man fired a blast from his gun and the bullets hit the earth and exploded, sending Kyoshiro flying.

And just as he stood, Reginald's foot slammed onto his side, pressing him into the ground and Kyoshiro struggled, snarling and biting at his foot. And the gun was pointed into his face and Kyoshiro froze. _Oh God. I'm…I'm going to die—I'm really going to die…! _

He looked up into the face of his killer and found a demonic smile on his face. And a hand was thrust through Reginald's chest. Kyoshiro's eyes widened and the body fell to the floor and he looked up. Grimmjow was standing above him, his hakama billowing in the wind and his hand covered up to the elbow in blood. Grimmjow said, "Damn, you look pathetic." And Kyoshiro slumped, completely drained and shaking.

"Shut up…what the hell is going on here?!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, his voice shaking. Grimmjow said, "The guards are going crazy, they tried to kill Ulquiorra and Weed too. Shizatte's got a hell of a lot of explaining to do when I get back!"

"Then that means—Grimmjow! We have to get to Blue! Now! They took her too! And who knows what they're doing to her!" Kyoshiro said and he charged towards the car and Grimmjow called, "Did you hear where?"

"No! I have no idea where they took her! What are we going to do?! We have to help her!"

"First of all, calm down. Try and remember, alright?" Grimmjow said.

"Dammit, I was too far away!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, looking close to hysteria.

And then they heard a series of rapid gunshots and they both turned towards the east. Kyoshiro charged forward and Grimmjow flew after him, flying ahead. He reached the area where he had heard the gunshots and saw an abandoned car with dead 'guards' around it. Fearing the worst, he called out. "Blue?!" There was silence.

Kyoshiro appeared behind him and called out for her as well, fear in his voice. "Blue?! Come on, answer! Blue! Blue?!"

"Yes?" and they both whipped around and saw her sitting in the front seat of the car, her hands in her pockets. Kyoshiro said, "God dammit, answer next time!"

"I tried, but every time I opened my mouth, you would shout." She explained.

Kyoshiro's fear and anger reached its peak and he punched the car, breathing heavily. Blue stepped out and said, "I—," Kyoshiro exclaimed, "Did you have any idea how _scared_ I was?! I thought you had _died_!" Grimmjow rolled his eyes and leaned against the car. Blue said, "I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely surprised he cared so much. "I never meant to upset you, Kyoshiro. I was worried about you too, I was just about to see if I could drive this thing back to you. Of course, I can't."

"Well, looks like you had no trouble. Kyo had to have his ass saved." Grimmjow said, smirking. Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, you know what, Grimmjow? Just—!" Blue frowned and placed her hand on his shoulder, upset that she had unnerved him so badly. "I'm sorry." She said again and Kyoshiro stammered, "Y-yeah, it's…it's alright. Just forget it. You were probably more scared than I was, anyway."

She turned to Grimmjow and said, "Where's Ulquiorra and Weed?"

Grimmjow said, "They both got attacked by those bastards. Ulqui's fine, bullet missed his skull by inches. Weed only got a couple scrapes and bruises." Grimmjow climbed into the car and Blue said coldly, "Shizatte has got some explaining to do!"

And Grimmjow's eyes narrowed into slits. "Damn straight!"

* * *

Shizatte was slammed against the wall and she said, "No need to be hasty, Grimmy!" and Grimmjow said, "The hell I'm going to be hasty with you, bitch! What have you not been telling us? Nearly everyone of these guys was nearly killed because of you! I want answers and I want them now! Understand?!"

Shizatte said, "I knew nothing about this, I swear!"

"Then how come you said "they've found me" earlier? Huh?" Grimmjow yelled. Weed said, "Shizatte, tell us, please."

Kyoshiro said, "Weed, we aren't about to ask her nicely either! She nearly killed us!" Shizatte said, "_I_ did not nearly kill you! Those _things _did! Not me. Alright, I admit it, I knew they were after me. I didn't tell you because I thought we had no need to worry because of how far away I was from where I last saw them. I should have known I couldn't hide from them…"

"Stop with the riddles and tell us!" Grimmjow ordered and Shizatte said, "Can you set me down first?" and when Grimmjow didn't listen Shizatte said, "I…I can't."

Blue said coldly, "Why not?"

Shizatte said, "I just can't, you wouldn't believe me anyway! I need to focus on getting that rocket to launch and you all need to focus on your training! I can't speak to you right now and I will not speak to you about it until you are onboard that rocket and I am sure you won't back out on me when I need you the most! I'm sorry!" and she forcedly removed Grimmjow's grip on her ugly dress and ran out, leaving Grimmjow and the others to stare after her in a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

Grimmjow growled and kicked the wall and said, "That damn woman will be the death of me!" Ulquiorra stretched out in bed and said, "I take it you are staying, then?" and Grimmjow said, "Yes! What did you think I would do, leave? I'm done trying to leave. Anyway, I gotta take care of you, right?" Grimmjow said with a wide smirk.

Ulquiorra said, "Actually I could stand just fine on my own if I chose to do so." Grimmjow propped a knee up on the bed and said, "What's stopping you, then?" and Ulquiorra said, "I'm tired."

"Bullshit. You just want me to take care of ya." Grimmjow said.

"I do not need you to take care of me."

"But you want me to." Grimmjow said mockingly.

"As if."

Kyoshiro said, "Well, as long as you're doing alright, Ulquiorra, I'm going to bed. Nearly being murdered kind of took its toll on me for today. Night." And he excited the room.

Blue called, "Goodnight, Kyoshiro!" and after wishing Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Weed goodnight, she left and Weed began to drift asleep.

"Sorry I couldn't help you earlier…" Weed murmured and Ulquiorra said, "It is understandable. There were at least ten of them. They must have had some way of knowing that I was an Espada. Why bring ten men when he could easily execute me with three men back in the car? He must have known what I am."

"Night…" Weed mumbled and Grimmjow said, "Night, Weedy. Ulquiorra, don't be a moron. How could they have known about our powers? They were just being overcautious."

Ulquiorra said, "They had some sort of spirit energy. I don't think they were normal."

"They were fucking ghosts then, I don't know. What do you want me to say?" Grimmjow asked, plopping down on the side of the bed.

Ulquiorra said, "If anything, I should have been the one to stop them. I think I'm losing my touch." Grimmjow turned, annoyed. He had assumed Ulquiorra was being sarcastic but upon looking at him and finding the deep frown that had appeared on his black and white lips, he immediately was angered to find that Ulquiorra was being serious.

"Shut up. I'm not in the mood to hear your self-pity. Sometimes, even with your guard up, shit happens. Even for people as powerful as us, we aren't always gonna be able to be on top of everything. _And _they attacked from behind like a bunch of pussies."

"Regardless, I still should have been able to take them out the rest of them. My reaction was off by a good three seconds. Weed and I could have both been murdered."

Ulquiorra felt two fingers hook beneath his chin and he found his head being turned in Grimmjow's direction. There was a deep scowl on his face. "Shut up." And Ulquiorra could tell that Grimmjow felt insulted in some way, though why, he couldn't fathom.

Ulquiorra frowned, confused. "How am I insulting you? I am not insulting you. I am criticizing my reaction time."

"Tell me the difference." Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra paused, trying to figured out what Grimmjow meant. And Ulquiorra understood and he was suddenly surprised by just how much Grimmjow respected his strength and his prowess in combat. "Ah." was all Ulquiorra could say. "Honestly, the one thing you should complain about is your reaction to compliments. It's fucking terrible." Grimmjow said.

"Yours are different and sometimes obscure." Ulquiorra remarked.

"Why, would you like it if I said, "Don't ever criticize yourself baby, you're perfect to me and blah, blah, blah?" You know I ain't one for all that sappy shit."

"No, I would probably worry about your mental health. Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't complaining." They were silent, not sure what to say. Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow take his hand and shiver. "Why the hell are your hands so cold?" and he placed both of his hands over Ulquiorra's smaller one, holding gently to it.

Ulquiorra laced his fingers through Grimmjow's and said, "You should go to bed. Knowing Shizatte, despite all that has happened, she'll want us to continue our training tomorrow."

"Forget it. I'm staying."

Ulquiorra looked up and said, "There aren't any other beds in here and I doubt the nurses would agree if you shared mine."

Grimmjow noticed with a frown that there was only room for one person in that bed anyway. He pulled up a chair and Ulquiorra said, "Don't sleep in that. Go upstairs. You don't need to keep me company."

"Yeah, well, too bad for you. You're stuck with me." Grimmjow seated himself and stretched out his feet, resting them on the end of Ulquiorra's bed. Ulquiorra frowned. "Grimmjow, I don't want to deal with your complaining in the morning about how tired you are because of—,"

"I'm _staying_. An earthquake, a tsunami, a hurricane and the fucking sun falling onto the earth couldn't make me move."

"Gri—,"

And before Ulquiorra could protest, Grimmjow stood and turned off the lights. Grimmjow gave him a deep, lingering kiss and then sat back in his chair and lolled back his head and closed his eyes.

Ulquiorra watched him, trying to understand why Grimmjow was so willing to stay with him in a rather uncomfortable chair when he could easily sleep in a slightly more comfortable bed upstairs. He felt his lips twitch.

"Thank you, then."

* * *

The second part of their training was strange. They had to drive to a _gigantic_ pool, forty feet deep and several miles long and wide, where they kept a rocket underwater. They were then required to wear a waterproof astronaut suit and go underwater. They had packages of Styrofoam attached to them to give them a feeling of not floating but not sinking, a feeling close to being in space.

The objective was to practice repairing the outside of the rocket and they were to pass tools to one another while listening to instructions from the crew through their radios (which were inside the space-suit of course). This was to make sure they were prepared to fix damages the rocket might get while in space.

Grimmjow said through his radio, "How are we doing?"

Weed called, "Good! This side is nearly done! Three more wires need to be connected and the severed one is just getting fixed. Kyoshiro, pass me the wrench, please."

Kyoshiro said, passing him the wrench, "Wow, Weed, you are getting the hang of this faster than I am!"

"Alright, I think we are done." Ulquiorra said and they heard their instructor say, "Yeah, you are. Good job guys."

A few minutes later, they all sat in Grimmjow's room, eating lunch and talking excitedly about the experience they just had. Weed said, "Actually, I was surprised Kyoshiro seemed so good at what we were doing."

Kyoshiro looked over and said, "I told you, I spent a lot of time in a repair shop. I ain't amazing, but I know enough."

Grimmjow said to Ulquiorra, "How's your head?" Ulquiorra said, "It's fine. Otherwise the doctors wouldn't have let me out as early as they did." Blue said, "I just wish Shizatte would spill it already. We deserve an answer." And before Grimmjow could launch into a rant, there was a knock and Weed reached over and turned down the radio as Shizatte herself entered the room. She said, "Ah, there you are! I have important news for you guys! I have decided that the rocket will launch in three days!"

"_What?!"_ they all said, mortified.

"Yes! I am excited too!" she said happily. Ulquiorra said, "You think we're prepared? Are you sure?"

"Not at all!" and everyone's faces fell. "But I have a feeling that any more delays would be hazardous to S4101991's health!"

"Yeah and sending us into space before we are ready won't be hazardous to ourselves and your precious rocket? Shizatte, think this through!" Kyoshiro snapped.

"Never thought I'd hear _you_ say that, Snowball." Grimmjow said."I'm serious!" Kyoshiro said angrily. "Do you have any idea what sending us into space this early could do to us?! We've only had two damn training sessions!"

"So you are not confident in your own abilities?" Shizatte asked and Kyoshiro said, "No! I mean…I just think this is a crappy idea!"

Shizatte sighed and Blue said, "I agree with him, Shizatte. Can't it wait a little while longer?"

Shizatte seemed to think about it. And then she burst out, "No! It cannot! I can't help but feel that waiting longer than three days would be dangerous for my project! Especially after those fake guards nearly breached security!"

"And what about us, huh? Do you want us to wreck your little project while in space due to lack of proper experience?" Grimmjow asked.

Shizatte thought about it. She began to look a little less nervous. "Alright, I'll give you another month! But that is all! Prepare yourselves!" and she ran from the room. Grimmjow heaved a small sigh, feeling a little relieved. "You made us all sound like inexperience fucktards." He said and Kyoshiro said, "Think I care? You wanna fly into space and endanger your team because you don't know what you are doing? I'm not scared, so don't think I am. I spoke for our group, not my own insecurities. That's what you have to do."

Ulquiorra seemed to be thinking. "What?" Weed asked, putting his paw up against Ulquiorra's knee. "I can't help but wonder what those men were after. They got that far in, couldn't they just try and steal the rocket? Instead they went for us."

Blue said, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that those men were trying to get us out of the way. They could see our strength. They wanted us out of the way, they weren't after the rocket. Why? What did they plan to gain by killing us?"

"They don't sound too bright." Grimmjow said. "Well, it nearly worked. I don't know what they were after either, but they very nearly achieved their goals." Blue said, crossing her arms over her chest. Kyoshiro said, frowning, "Guys…this is going to sound stupid, but I don't think they were human. They had this disgusting scent about them."

"So, they don't shower. Big deal. Worry about those assholes later, if never. They're all dead. And if any more of them show up, I'll send them straight to hell." Grimmjow said, stretching out on his bed and tossing a cracker into his mouth.

* * *

_A month later._

"My friends," said Shizatte, "I drink to our success and to the future of Europe and the things we may discover on our voyage to the moon!" It was 8:00 PM and Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were gathered around a table in Shizatte's room as she handed out glasses of champagne to everyone except Weed, though he did get a glass of sparkling water which he sniffed cautiously.

It was time. The rocket was set to launch in two hours and everyone was nervous, even Grimmjow, though he didn't say it.

Their trainers were there too, namely Jones and that guy that had overseen their 'underwater repairs' (as Grimmjow called it) training named Adalbert who rarely said a thing outside of training and when he did speak, it was only about tools. Just like when Jones spoke it was only about jets. He and Jones got along well. They mostly just talked about jets, tools, and how to repair jets with tools.

Shizatte said with tears in her eyes, "My friends, I ask you now to raises your glasses and drink your success. I have been honored to work with every one of you! Congratulations!" and they all clinked their glasses together. To his surprise, Grimmjow found himself grinning at her and draining his glass. And his friends were showing signs of excitement too. Blue even said, "Thanks for giving us this opportunity, Shizatte! Even if it did nearly kill us…" she muttered.

"No, stop making me cry! I am so proud of you all. I will be at the control room, waiting for you to enter the rocket. Contact me on your radio the first chance you get!" Shizatte said, draining her glass and wiping her bulging eyes. They all were feeling strangely emotional, too. Kyoshiro said, "I can't believe I'm doing this. By 10:00 tonight, I'll be flying to the moon. The _moon_! Can you believe it? The first dogs on the moon!"

Weed said, "To us!" and he drained his glass and immediately began coughing at how strong the water tasted.

Grimmjow clapped a hand on Ulquiorra's shoulders and saw an excited light in his eyes as he observed the group silently, occasionally sipping form his glass of champagne. "The first Espada on the moon. How does that sound?" Grimmjow said with a wide grin, sitting beside him. Ulquiorra raised his brows and said, "It sounds…impressive, I have to say. In fact I feel like impressive is too small a word. Incredible, maybe?" Grimmjow pulled him close and kissed him quickly. "Come on, you can manage more than that."

Ulquiorra looked at him and saw the wide grin on his face and felt himself frown, knowing what Grimmjow wanted. "You want me to say it?"

"Fuck yeah."

"Hm." Ulquiorra considered it. "Very well." And he took a larger sip of his liquor and said, "It sounds fucking amazing." And every single person in the room looked at him, wide eyed. And Ulquiorra lifted his glass and said to the stunned room, "To us." in a more composed voice and drained it.

* * *

And within minutes they were driving to the launch site. Grimmjow's stomach was a mess. He felt like they were demon butterflies flying around inside and he was sure either the car was shaking as it drove, or he was actually shaking quite badly. Weed too was looking a little pale. "Will the rocket explode?" he asked and Blue said, "Not likely."

"Actually, anything is possible. Possible, but not probable." Ulquiorra said. Weed frowned. "Gee, thanks." He said. Kyoshiro sat tight lipped beside them and Blue could see his nails digging into his kneecap. She sighed, feeling her heart racing as well. "Why are we all worried about it exploding?" Kyoshiro asked moodily. "What if one of us gets a heart attack while it is launching. It'll probably be Grimmjow, since he's nearly thirty." And Grimmjow punched his leg.

Kyoshiro made to swat him but Blue said, "Both of you stop, right now. I actually think we're all excited." Grimmjow heaved a shaky, grumpy sigh and stared out the window. He scowled and drummed his fingers on the windowsill. "Are we nearly there? Or are you one of those fake guards?" The driver said, "What? Of course not! We have a minute left. See, you can see the rocket, sir." Grimmjow stared ahead and groaned. "Shit."

And the car stopped and Ulquiorra was the first outside and brought with him a large pile of books about space and rockets. They all began to move towards the rocket. They climbed onto the lift and were brought up a few stories to the door and Grimmjow suddenly stopped as he realized something. _That thing could be my coffin. Will this be worth it if I die in there? I'll have spent the last days of my life working with Shizatte of all people. This had…this had better be worth it._

Kyoshiro sighed shakily and Blue saw how pale he looked. "Come on." She said and she stepped inside. "Five minutes till launch." A voice echoed and Grimmjow breathed out shallowly but excitedly. He looked to his left, not wanting to reflect or acknowledge his nerves and he saw that there was a tremor in Ulquiorra's arms.

That didn't help much. He gripped Ulquiorra's shoulder and they both stepped inside with Weed beside them. Kyoshiro sat beside the radio and said, "Shizatte?" and he heard her voice say, "Hello, Kyo-chan!"

"Don't call me that!" Kyoshiro said, his voice less angry and more pleading and Grimmjow couldn't help but laugh.

"You should check in with the controls." And Grimmjow and Blue stood and climbed the ladder to the control room. He seated himself and listened to Shizatte's reminders as he and Blue flicked on the correct controls. "Alright, everything's on. All systems go." Blue said and Grimmjow said to Shizatte, "Stop yapping, already, we got everything!"

Shizatte said, "Excellent! We are launching—oh my God! We are launching in _twenty seconds_! OH MY _GOD_!" and both Grimmjow and Blue jumped out of their skins and Kyoshiro yelled into the intercom, "Weed, Ulquiorra, everyone sit down and strap in!" and Weed raced upstairs with Ulquiorra and they both put on the seatbelts and Ulquiorra sat beside Grimmjow while Kyoshiro sat in the back to work with the controls back there with Weed.

Grimmjow whispered, "Let this flying coffin launch, _let it launch_…"

And the countdown started, making Grimmjow's heart race.

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—_

And the voice said, "Lift off." And in that moment of silence that followed, one could hear the breath of every man and creature in the room catch. And the silence was shattered in a heartbeat. And Ulquiorra started the engine. A roar started up all around them, a deafening, monstrous roar, shaking the ground and causing the hearts of everyone in the room to race. And as they got higher into the air, they felt like they were being flattened into their seats and Grimmjow felt as if every part of his body was being stood on by an elephant. But despite the uncomfortable and unnerving feeling of not being able to breathe or move properly, he and his crew still followed out the orders being given to them through their headphones and continued to monitor the controls. And below them, the ground got farther away and Grimmjow watched through wide eyes as the world grew smaller and smaller. This was truly an amazing experience!

And from the space center, Shizatte watched through an enormous screen as the rocket blasted into the air, the roar heard from even at this distance. And as the others cheered around her, her happy grin vanished and she bit her lip, feeling her heart sink.

_I can only pray I haven't you sent you all to your deaths…_

And the rocket vanished into the sky, leaving a path of smoke in its wake as it began its journey to the moon.

_To Be Continued_


	26. Adventure 26

**Adventure #26**

**To Infinity part 2**

_Grimmjow and his friends were contacted by Shizatte, informing them to travel to Germany instantly. Upon arriving in Germany, they drove through miles of security, far out into the middle of nowhere, they found that Shizatte had been building a rocket she named S4101991 and wanted them to go to the moon! The rocket itself was under the highest security and secrecy and not even the President of the United States knew of its launching. After much debate and despite that they knew Shizatte was hiding things from them, they agreed and the friends began to under-go astronaut training._

_The preparations for the launch were not without its dangers._

_A group of the guards betrayed and attacked the group of five a month before the launch, all of them seemingly after something other than the rocket. They had been after Grimmjow and his friends._

_Grimmjow managed to save his friends, Ulquiorra and Weed both suffering minor injuries in the process and Shizatte refused to tell them what she knew about the attack._

_And the fateful day came for S4101991 to launch. Nervous, Grimmjow and the others boarded the rocket with uncertainty and were blasted into the great beyond, not knowing just what (or who) will await them while in space…_

* * *

"Earth to Moon Rocket, do you read me?"

Grimmjow growled and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Earth to Moon Rocket, are you there?"

Grimmjow hugged the pillow tighter to his head, snarling.

"For God's sake, answer me! Earth to Moon Rocket, do you copy?"

_Moon Rocket? My name's Grimmjow, you dumbass, _Grimmjow thought. And he opened his eyes and immediately jumped awake when he realized he was not in his bed at home! He remembered instantly and slapped his forehead in astonishment. _Are we in…space?! HOLY SH—! _He heard the radio again and seized it, pressed the button and said, "Receiving you loud and clear! I told you we would be napping for a bit after the launch so don't act so freaked out!"

And he heard cheers from the radio and he heard Shizatte say, "Oh, how wonderful! This is just astonishing! How are your friends?!" Grimmjow looked left and saw Ulquiorra look over at him with wide, wide eyes. Blue was awake and peering over her bunk and he looked around for Weed and saw that the pup was lying in his bed, his tail wagging and his blanket floating away. He also heard Kyoshiro shift above him.

"They're fine." He replied. Kyoshiro unstrapped himself and gasped as he floated up to the ceiling. He began to float towards the ladder and said, "I'm going up to the control room." He began to climb up the ladder and as he reached the top, he called, "Hey, guys, come look!" and Grimmjow unzipped himself from his sleeping bag and frowned a little as he adjusted to floating. He and his friends floated towards the ladder and began to climb it. Through the windows, they could see that there were stars all around them. And in the distance, they could see their destination.

"We look really close!" Weed said excitedly, gripping a railing and Kyoshiro shook his head. "That's because the thing is so big! We're nowhere near it." Grimmjow just shook his head as he watched them fly by distant stars. "Can't believe I'm doing this."

"It could take a long time before we are actually there." Ulquiorra said, frowning as he accidentally floated upside down. He spun back in place and began to check that the controls were in order.

"Everything is in order." Ulquiorra informed Shizatte and Grimmjow saw him remove the headsets and set it on automatic pilot before he reached for the wall to easily guide himself towards the bunks. Weed suddenly shouted, "Guys, look at that!" and Grimmjow turned, curious. Outside the window, they could see Earth possibly miles and miles behind them, but due to its size, it appeared very close.

But what Weed was fixated by were the red and green colors floating around the Earth, almost making it glow. "What is that? Is that an aurora?" Blue asked, awed. Grimmjow said, "Sure looks like it. But I always thought that was in the clouds, not above it!"

"No. It's always reflected on Earth's atmosphere, I think it happens when the earth's magnetic field interact with particles from the sun." Ulquiorra said. The five of them watched, in awe as the aurora began to very slowly change colors. Grimmjow finally got bored and he was the first to drift away. Weed suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, shouldn't we be watching out for stars? Couldn't we hit them?!"

Kyoshiro said, amused but impatiently, "Weed, stars are miles and miles apart! The only reason they look so close on Earth, is because they are so frigging huge. In reality, stars are billions of miles apart. Dodging 'em will be no problem for us. Want to know more? There's a book on my bunk explaining about the galaxy. Set your mind at ease." And Weed nodded and hurried off to read it. "Well, ain't you the little nerd." Grimmjow said.

"Hey, Ulquiorra's the one who brought the books, don't badger me for doing my research before we got on board." Kyoshiro snapped, watching Earth slowly disappear behind them. Grimmjow turned and made to head to the living room when Kyoshiro said something that made him freeze. "Hey…what the hell is that thing?!" Grimmjow's head whipped around and his eyes widened when he saw the massive spaceship flying after them. Even as he watched, the bay doors opened and smaller ships, clearly built for battle shot out and began flying right for them!

"Ulquiorra! We got company!" Kyoshiro yelled and Grimmjow felt the rocket start flying left as the small ships began firing small but rapid blasts at them from what looked like a strange ray-gun. "Ha! Those little pebbles can't so much as scratch our paint!" Grimmjow said, seemingly relaxed.

And then a massive gun emerged from the top of the small spaceship. "Oh nice one!" Kyoshiro said to Grimmjow, looking mortified as the gun charged a gigantic ball of red energy. And then the ship exploded as a blast of pink energy was fired from somewhere above them from the rocket. Grimmjow exclaimed, "What? Who did that?!" and Ulquiorra called, "I did." And Grimmjow flew up to him and found that the layout of the room was somewhat different. For one thing, the dashboard had split in the center to reveal two rods with black buttons on them and that Ulquiorra was pressing them and turning them left and right to fire at the ships still flying at them. For another thing, there was now a marker and numerous other signs on the glass screen to make firing easier.

"This..this isn't a rocket!" Grimmjow exclaimed. "This is a fucking _battleship_! God dammit, Shizatte—you sure know how to make a guy happy." He added with a massive grin and Blue called, "You can kill her later! We need to focus on our attackers!"

And a female robotic, cheerful voice said, "Hello and good evening! I am your emergency bot. In case of an emergency, arm yourselves with the special guns stored in the basement!"

"_Guns_?!" Weed shouted.

"In case zero gravity is making fighting a little difficult, simply push the green button to your left and gravity boots will be released from the secret storage container on the ceiling, watch your heads! And in case you are wondering how the shoes work, they are made up of magnets so they interact very strongly with the metal in the rocket! And in a situation where fleeing is a must, break the protective seal to your left and press the Big Red Button!"

"What the hell is this?!" Kyoshiro yelled and Blue called, "You heard her!" and Ulquiorra pressed the green button and ten pairs of boots dropped from the tiles on the ceiling and fell on Kyoshiro's head. Blue strapped hers on and raced to the basement while Ulquiorra continued to hold off the attackers. Ulquiorra managed to destroy the ships flying at them but it wasn't over yet.

In the entrance to the enemy ship, what must have been thirty creatures emerged. They had anatomy similar to a humans, but with a few…_very_ noticeable differences. They were all thin and red skinned and about eight feet tall, some of their joints were distorted, making their arms longer than they should have been, their legs longer and their craniums extended halfway down their backs. They all varied in looks but none of them lost the repulsive, nightmarish look.

"What…are those?" Ulquiorra whispered, eyes wide. And they put all of their weight onto their back legs and kicked off, flying right onto the top of the rocket. And Ulquiorra stood and raced to the basement to get a weapon as he heard them pounding on the door and raking at it with their razor claws. Grimmjow entered the basement and began to search through the crates. "Oh come on, couldn't she have just put up a big neon sign or something?!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue frowned and pressed a button to the left. The wall in front of them shifted and rotated, revealing a massive assortment of various guns.

Grimmjow seized one that resembled a machine gun. "Where's the ammo for these damn things?"

Blue said, "I don't think there is any.

And then they heard an alarm go off behind them and Grimmjow's eyes widened as he turned towards the source of the noises. How the hell were they able to get the door open?! Grimmjow turned towards the ladder and readied his gun. For a moment there was silence.

And then a feral snarl was heard, a low, wet snarl. And then a claw-like hand appeared and then two and a beast emerged before them and climbed across the ceiling towards them, no eyes, just nightmarish teeth and dry red skin, its bones clearly visible. And Grimmjow fired and blue and orange blasts of plasma shot in spurts from his gun at the beast. "Whoa!" Grimmjow exclaimed, eyes wide.

The beast fell from the ceiling, struggling like a cockroach to get back on its feet only to be stunned by the bullets the instant it managed to stand. Grimmjow grinned widely and continued to fire at it and then suddenly the blasts stopped and he frowned. "What—?" and he saw that on the top of the gun was a small screen with a timer and green words that read "Cool down, 10 seconds remaining".

And then the beast lunged for him and Grimmjow flung up his gun in front of him to shield his face and the monster's teeth closed around the gun! Blue leaped forward and kicked it hard in the ribs, sending it crashing into the wall. And before Blue could shoot it, a massive blast was fired at the creature, sizzling its bones and melting its skin, killing it. Grimmjow turned and saw Kyoshiro with a white cannon on his arm, smoke coming from where the blast had been fired. Kyoshiro's mouth was hanging open.

And more of them emerged from the ladder and ran at them! Blue aimed and pulled the trigger and a laser shot out and the instant the small beam came in contact the creature, it was blown apart. Blue yelled in shock and aimed at the second beast and fired and it was blown apart, too!

Weed held a long silver/blue knife in his mouth and he ran forward and raked the knife across the creature's side as it ran by and within seconds, the creature was set aflame. It shrieked and raced about the basement, in agony and Ulquiorra fired his weapon and the creature was blown to pieces.

One leaped from the ceiling and Grimmjow tumbled aside and pulled the trigger and the beast was killed by the white hot blasts. "We gotta close the door!" Grimmjow called, racing to the ladder. And there was a crash and a shelf tipped over and fell in front of the entrance and another toppled over behind it. Even with zero gravity, those things would be heavy to lift. But the longer they waited, the more creatures got in. "Grimmjow, put your space suit on!" Ulquiorra called pulling his on to protect himself from the space radiance slowly seeping in.

Grimmjow climbed up and began to push against the metal shelves but to no avail, they must have been stuck on something because they were not lifting! They were as good as trapped down here! But there was a gap in the shelves, a gap someone small could easily slip through. _Too risky…but…no…_Grimmjow was sure more of them were coming and if those things managed to get through this rubble before them, they could be easily cornered and outnumbered.

_We gotta act. Now. _

"Weed, get your suit on! Go through that gap and get up there and close the door!" Grimmjow called and the Akita looked up with wide eyes. Kyoshiro exclaimed, "Grimmjow are you stupid? Don't send him by himself!" Grimmjow called, "You got a better idea? The door is right there! He just needs to close it, he's small, he's quicker!" Grimmjow turned to Weed and said, "Can you do this or not?" and Weed nodded, quickly gaining resolve. "Yes, I can." And he raced to get his suit on. Ulquiorra said, "We'll start trying to move the shelves from the door, the instant you are out so if you need help, we'll be behind you. Go." Kyoshiro looked frantic. "Here, this will help keep you for floating out too far!" and he tossed rope to Weed and Grimmjow secured Weed's foot in the rope and held the other half of the rope.

Weed was lifted up by Blue and he squeezed through the shelves and other items blocking the basement and flew to the door and gasped when another one of the creatures heaved himself into the rocket and charged at him, enfolding him in its fangs! Ulquiorra raced towards the ladder, half in and out of his space suit, and fired multiple blasts at the creature and it dodged nearly all of them except one and was killed. "Reach the door, Weed!" Grimmjow called and he was met with silence. He tugged gently on the rope and felt no weight at the other side and his eyes widened in horror.

Just to confirm it, Grimmjow wrenched hard on the rope and felt all the blood in his body run cold when he caught a glimpse of the rope, the knot floating loosely in the air with no one on the other side. "Oh shit…" and Grimmjow climbed the ladder and began to ram against the shelves and Blue, Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro began to help shift them. "To the left!" Kyoshiro called and they tried shifting the shelf to the left and it slid just so much that Grimmjow was able to push it away and the shelf floated out of the way. Grimmjow wrenched his space suit on and flew up to the second floor and his eyes widened.

There was no one there and a morbid sense of dread filled him, making him feel sick. "No…Weed?! Weed? Are you here?" Grimmjow called.

"Grimmjow?" he heard Ulquiorra call and Grimmjow whispered, horrorstruck, "He's gone."

"He's gone, Weed's _gone_, Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow shouted and Ulquiorra hurried to the door and peered out, eyes wide.

There was nothing there. Despite his reluctance to confirm that Weed was indeed lost to them, he still looked to the right of the rocket, hoping that somehow, through some miracle he would see him. Ulquiorra looked to his right and felt his heart sinking when he realized that there was no one there.

"No…" he whispered, he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He opened them again and he looked left, he looked below him, above him. _Something isn't right, he could not have vanished this quickly. Something has to be wrong here, I refuse to accept other-wise._

And then he heard a roar above him and heard metallic clanking and he reached for the ladder and began to climb. And to make sure he didn't fly away at the speed the rocket was moving at, Ulquiorra called to Grimmjow to pass him the rope and Ulquiorra wrapped it around his foot and around the ladder and then began to climb up the side of the rocket.

When he reached the top, he found Weed being held down by one of the creatures. "Blue, decrease speed." Ulquiorra said and he felt the rocket slow down slightly. Ulquiorra pointed his gun into the thing's face and it tore forward and leapt and just when it was inches from him, Ulquiorra shot it in the head. It died instantly and the instant it did, Ulquiorra caught Weed as he flew by. "I've got him. He's alright. We're coming back in."

Ulquiorra set Weed down inside the rocket and slammed his fist on the button and the door slammed closed. "Would it have killed her to put better locks on this?" Ulquiorra mumbled, falling against the door and removing his helmet. Grimmjow ran to them and said, "You alright?" and Ulquiorra nodded and turned to Weed. Weed was shaking violently and Ulquiorra asked, "Are you hurt?" Weed shook his head and Ulquiorra removed the young dog's helmet and sighed, resting his head against the door, listening to Weed's frightening panting.

Grimmjow clicked his tongue with a deep scowl on his face. "I should have closed the damn door myself! The fuck was I thinking?!" Blue said, "It wasn't your fault, Grimmjow. Weed's fine now."

"No he isn't, he's fucking traumatized!" Grimmjow exclaimed, gesturing to the shaking dog.

"Don't talk to her like that, she wasn't the one who nearly got Weed killed, Grimmjow! Next time, send one of us up there!" Kyoshiro yelled. Grimmjow grabbed him by the shirt and yelled, "You think I don't know I made a mistake?!"

Weed said tearfully, "Guys, I'm sorry." And Grimmjow and Kyoshiro looked over. Weed looked miserable. "I'll do better next time."

"No, I didn't mean it like that! It isn't your fault!" Kyoshiro said hastily.

"Stop blaming yourself for everything, this has nothing to do with you!" Grimmjow said furiously.

Blue sighed tiredly and sat down beside the youngest in her wolf form and asked gently, "Are you alright, Weed?" and Weed said, "It was just so terrifying! I thought I was going to be pulled away!" he exclaimed shakily and Blue began to lick his forehead comfortingly. Grimmjow scowled and looked away from the two of them and at the wall in front of him. He lightly kicked the wall with his toe, scowling and taking in a silent breath, willing his heart beat to return to normal and for the shaking in his arms to go away. Just when he thought his composure had returned, he felt something bump against his leg and he jumped and looked down and found that Weed had wrapped his paws around Grimmjow's leg in a tight hug.

Grimmjow felt himself grin.

And then they heard a rumbling outside and Kyoshiro asked, "Ulquiorra, were they still there when you went outside?" and Ulquiorra said, "I don't think we should stay to find out." And he, Blue and Kyoshiro climbed the ladder into the control room and Grimmjow began to follow.

Grimmjow knelt down and scooped Weed up and climbed up the ladder. He was still shaking. Grimmjow mumbled gruffly, "Sorry, kid." And Weed just nodded, resting his face against his chest. "It's okay." He said shakily and Grimmjow only scowled harder, moodily chewing the inside of his lip.

"No it isn't. Not a damn bit."

Grimmjow set Weed down as he entered the control room and he saw Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra staring at a massive ship as it approached the rocket, gathering speed, more of the ship's crew flying towards their rocket. Kyoshiro said, "What's this button do anyway?" and he broke the plastic covering and jammed his finger against the red button.

And the female voice said, "You have pressed the Big Red Button! You have ten seconds to get into your seats and buckle up for safety!" and Blue exclaimed, "What did you do?!" and Kyoshiro dove into the seat began to buckle up. The others all hastened to do so as well as a countdown started.

"We're going to die!" Weed exclaimed, flinging himself into his small seat and buckling his seat-belt. And as the countdown ended the female voice said, "And now some music for your enjoyment! Please use the joysticks for this type of flying." and loud rock music started playing. And from all around them, they could hear a noise that sounded like something was coming out of the rocket. Blue whispered, "Did our rocket just grow _wings_?" A rumbling started and they knew that the jets were beginning to fire up. "What the—?" Grimmjow began. And the rocket suddenly put on a _massive_ burst of speed, flattening them all into their seats as it hurtled through space!

Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed were all screaming as they were flattened into their seats while Ulquiorra simply clutched at the arms of his seat with wide eyes! Ulquiorra shouted above the noise, "Kyoshiro, what have you done?" and Kyoshiro screamed, "I don't know!"

Ulquiorra reached for the two joysticks and ended up pulling them upward, resulting in them flying up into the air and doing a flip upside down! Blue screamed and Ulquiorra jerked the sticks down and they flew downward and they were all lifted several inches off their seats!

Ulquiorra looked to his left to check on Grimmjow and his eyes widened when he saw the man grinning insanely wide. Grimmjow reached for the controls and Grimmjow spun the rocket up into the air and then he sent them spiraling downward! All of them shouted in terror and Grimmjow yanked on the joystick and sent them spinning to the left and then up into the air again!

"This is _awesome_!" Grimmjow yelled, a huge grin on his face.

"And at this point, we are going to _crash_ on the moon, not _land_ on it. We'll be lucky if we don't break it in half." Ulquiorra said, looking for a way to decrease the speed. Ulquiorra reached over and punched the red button and the roar of the jets died down and everything jerked to a halt and sent them flying forward, making the seat-belts constrict painfully. Grimmjow groaned. "Oh, come on…!"

Ulquiorra turned off the music and heaved a sigh and glared at Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro said, "Well, we got away from them, didn't we?" and all of them leaned back into their chairs and with groans.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ulquiorra went into the sitting room and felt himself frown when he spotted droplets of blood on the ground. He looked up and found Grimmjow searching the room with a scowl. Ulquiorra noticed the crease to his brows and the way his lower jaw was clenched and said, "You're hurt. When did that happen?"

"During the fight, when else? One of the fuckers scratched me. Damn well glad he didn't bite me though, I'm willing to bet his teeth were poisonous." Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra asked, "Where is the cut?" and Grimmjow gestured very close to his shoulder. Ulquiorra moved forward to get a better look and frowned. The cut looked relatively deep and it was rather long. "There is a first aid kit in the cabinet over there." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow moved swiftly to the cabinet and seized a roll of bandages.

Ulquiorra said, "You'll need disinfecting cloths. That looks like it will get infected fairly quickly."

Grimmjow seized the cloths from the medicine box and seated himself on the sofa and cleaned his wound. Ulquiorra waited for him to realize it would be difficult for him to bandage his arm since the injury was so far up. Grimmjow reached for the bandages and froze, glancing from the bandages to his arm.

Ulquiorra saw him scowl. Grimmjow attempted to fix it anyway, folding his arm inward but still unable to reach further up and wrap the bandage. Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra and said, "No, I'm not askin' for your help, Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra leaned back against the bookshelf, crossing his ankles. "Hm. This should be entertaining to say the least."

Ulquiorra watched him attempt to bandage his shoulder for another minute before Grimmjow got an idea and released the bandages and let it float in the air before raising his arm and threading it over his upper arm and then reaching and grabbing the other side and very slowly beginning to dress his injury. "See, easy!" and the instant he let go, it all began to float away. "Get back here, you little bastard."

Sensing that Grimmjow really wasn't going to ask for his help and that the rather childish man would be here for several hours, Ulquiorra opened the cabinet and seized the tape within the first aid box. All of the medicine and bandages were kept in little plastic containers to keep them from floating away.

He walked back to Grimmjow, still fiddling with the floating bandages, and sat beside him. Grimmjow watched him, setting his elbow upon his knee as Ulquiorra began to clean the wound and then tightly wrap the injury in gauze and then hastily tie the bandages around his arm. The door opened and Kyoshiro floated in, no longer wearing his strange shoes. He slightly opened his small bag of dog food but accidentally opened it the rest of the way when he saw that Ulquiorra was bandaging Grimmjow's arm.

"What's happened?" he asked, dog-paddling over. "It's a scratch, nothing too serious." Ulquiorra said, continuing his work. Kyoshiro frowned and said, "Now that I think about it, I wonder why we never questioned why Shizatte build a couch and all that crap if she knew we would have no gravity in space. I guess she never was going to tell us about those weird shoes."

"I get the feeling she never was going to tell us a lot of things. That will change next time she contacts us." Ulquiorra said coldly.

"The radio's busted, I've been trying to fix it." Kyoshiro said.

"Yes, you told me that already." Ulquiorra said, finishing Grimmjow's injury.

Kyoshiro frowned, feeling awkward. Grimmjow smirked at Ulquiorra and said, "Kiss it better?" and Ulquiorra considered this. He quickly kissed the dressed injury, much to Grimmjow's shock, stood and walked away and said, "You'll be getting your own food, or are you too maimed?"

"You bet I want room service. You'll be returning the favor for the time I brought you your food." Grimmjow said making to lie down on the couch and frowning when everything except his feet floated. "Dammit." And he started to strap himself to the coach as Ulquiorra strode from the room.

Kyoshiro hadn't moved and was staring at him. Grimmjow realized this and glanced over. "What?" he asked. Kyoshiro floated in the air for a moment and as he collected his thought, swam around and collected his kibble and beef that was floating away.

Silence fell as he chewed and then he said, "Yeah…uh, look. I was a bit of a jerk earlier. It wasn't your fault that Weed nearly—well, it wasn't. You were thinking of what was best for us by sending him up there, and I'm not such a jerk that I don't acknowledge and appreciate that. I just…I just don't want anything to happen to him, he's uh…" Kyoshiro chuckled. "My brother in arms, that sort of thing. So yeah. Don't get the wrong idea that I thought it was your fault. I was angry, and when I'm angry and scared I say the foulest stuff and it's not something I'm proud of. So…I'm sorry, okay?" Kyoshiro said somewhat gruffly but clearly sincerely.

Kyoshiro went quiet and Grimmjow was surprised that Kyoshiro was actually apologizing to him. Grimmjow said, "Hm." And Kyoshiro sighed. "That's all you gotta say? Not even an insult or an 'I'm right and you're wrong'?"

Grimmjow said, "What do you want me to say? Were you expecting a hug or something? I'm not pissed at you, honestly you were the last thing on my mind at the time." And he turned onto his side and tucked an arm beneath his head like a pillow.

"You still should work on your responses—though, I guess that goes the same for me too." Kyoshiro said and he began to swim away having now collected the remainder of his dinner. Grimmjow suddenly cocked a finger over his shoulder and said, "Kyoshiro." And the dog turned and headed back to him and said, "Yeah?" and Grimmjow whipped around and swung a punch at him! Kyoshiro took his human form and blocked it with both of his wrists and peered around his arms to glare at his companion. Grimmjow was grinning his widest, his blue eyes wide and shining. And Kyoshiro grinned back and nothing more needed to be said.

Ulquiorra entered the room, carrying two trays of food, the food was bolted down to the tray with magnets. He handed a tray to Grimmjow and Grimmjow sat up to eat better. He looked from Ulquiorra, then to his delicious looking food. Ulquiorra had even gotten his favorite kind of Japanese soup. He grinned. "Thanks, Wife." And Ulquiorra took his knife from his tray and spread mashed potatoes over it and then lathered it in Grimmjow's hair.

"OH COME ON!"

And Blue called from the next room, "The radio's working!" and Grimmjow bolted from the room followed by Ulquiorra and Kyoshiro. They all sat by the bunk beds and Blue said, "Hello?" into the radio and waited. Shizatte answered cheerfully, "Hello, everyone! We've been trying to contact you all for some time now! How is everything?"

And all of them yelled, "We almost got murdered!" and they heard Shizatte yelp and drop the radio. Shizatte said, "Well, asteroids aren't exactly rare you know!" Kyoshiro said, "We almost got murdered by _aliens_, you moron! Not asteroids!"

And Shizatte exclaimed, "What?! _Aliens_, are you sure?!"

"And you knew about all of this, didn't you?! The guns, the emergency button, what the _fuck_ have you been keeping from us?!" Grimmjow exclaimed. Shizatte said, "Did they take any cargo?!" and she sounded terrified.

"Why do you care about the cargo, you could have killed us!" Weed said angrily. "I nearly died!"

"I'm sorry, alright? But did they take any cargo?!" Shizatte shouted.

Blue said, "If we check, will you answer our questions—no, actually, you had _better_!"

"Check immediately!"

"Forget it, answer our questions first!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. "We went to so many lengths to help you and this is how you repay us?! By sending us up here to fight for our lives against red-skinned monsters?!"

"Alright, I'm sorry, but I knew you would say no if you—!"

"You little—!" Grimmjow yelled, reaching for the radio and Kyoshiro grabbed his wrist and said, "I just fixed this, don't bust it up!"

Ulquiorra stood and headed for the ladder and called, "What should we look for?" and Shizatte said, "A long crate in the back of the basement." And Ulquiorra descended the ladder into the basement with Blue behind him. Blue said, "They couldn't have taken anything, we would have seen them do it since we were down here most of the fight."

Ulquiorra nodded but continued to search anyway. Blue found a couple of food crates and began to try and move them and Ulquiorra hastened to help her move them. Behind the food crates was a long, metal container. It looked…more like a coffin than anything! Blue frowned. "Well…_this _isn't creepy. What is _in_ this thing? I don't recall seeing anyone bring this aboard before the launch or being told about it. What has she been up to?" she growled. Ulquiorra said, "Probably nothing we really want to know about."

"She should not be keeping secrets from us, especially not up here." Blue said, annoyance in her voice. Ulquiorra returned upstairs and said into the radio, "Nothing was taken. Now answer our questions. Why did those things attack us and what have you been hiding from us? Tell us now."

Shizatte sighed and they all waited with baited breath.

"Alright. I'll tell you all the real reason you are up in space."

Grimmjow's jaw tightened. So not even her reason for sending them up here was truthful. But then, there never really had been a reason from the start, had there?

Shizatte said, "Those things that attacked you, were indeed aliens. I sent you all up there to—!" and the radio began crackling and the sound of static blocked out Shizatte's voice. "Oh come on, not now!" Kyoshiro exclaimed, shaking the radio. Blue sighed and said, "Can you fix it?"

"Probably! I don't know. I'm only copying off a guy I saw fix one once, and I barely remember it." Blue said, "Maybe I can help?" and Kyoshiro shrugged and handed it to her, remembering her experience in the human world. Kyoshiro suddenly chuckled.

Blue asked, "What?" and Kyoshiro said, "I just like how cool we are about being attacked by _aliens_! We didn't even bat an eye when we told Shizatte!" Blue smiled widely at him. "Crazy, huh?"

Grimmjow suddenly said, "Yeah, and you know what? I think we have just made it big up here." All of his friends looked at him. "We have just found proof that there is life up here. Well, not proof that we can bring back but…this will _blow up_ on earth, people will be amazed!"

Blue exclaimed, "You're right! I hadn't even realized that. Why were none of us so surprised? This is huge! Humans have been searching for proof of alien life for _decades_!"

"Well, I suppose since dogs are talking and taking on human disguises, Egyptian Gods exist and since Grimmjow and I exist—an oddity in itself—that by now it shouldn't be any surprise to us that aliens exist." Ulquiorra said, sitting back on his bunk. Weed nodded, smiling. He looked towards the calendar and asked, "What day is it, anyway? I've lost track."

Ulquiorra said, "The month is July. The day is the thirty-first." And he froze a small look of surprised on his face. He said, "Grimmjow, could you return to the living room?" and Grimmjow looked up. "Why?"

"It will make sense in a moment."

"Not until you've—," Grimmjow began but Ulquiorra said, "Could you just go?" and Grimmjow said, "Alright, I'm going! What'd I do?" And he stood and climbed the ladder up to the living room.

He seated himself on the sofa and waited for a minute, confused and curious. He heard footsteps and glanced towards the door and the door banged open and Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed and Ulquiorra emerged carrying a large cake. "Happy birthday, Grimmjow!" they said and Grimmjow said, "Wait, what? When did that happen?!"

"Today is the thirty-first of July, your birthday. While we were at the ESC, we asked the cook to prepare this. Now, I believe there is supposed to be singing." He said to the dogs and Kyoshiro said, "Since when are we your performers?"

"I'm not singing." Ulquiorra said firmly.

"Then beat-box or something! Or I'll beat-box…" he mumbled. And Kyoshiro and the dogs started singing, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"

"Cha, cha, cha!" Kyoshiro said.

"Happy birthday dear Grimmjow! Happy birthday to you! And many more!" they sang and the song finished and Grimmjow stared, wide eyed. Ulquiorra set the cake and drinks down and Kyoshiro said, "You know you could do more than stare dumbly at us."

Grimmjow said, "You guys still did this even after we got attacked by aliens?" and Blue said, "Sure, why wouldn't we? We wouldn't pass off the opportunity to celebrate your birthday especially not while in space!" Grimmjow cracked a grin. "Fair enough." Grimmjow had to admit the design on the cake was impressive and very detailed; it was shaped like a rocket. "This card is actually from all of us, none of us could agree on which card to get and then we found this one." Kyoshiro explained.

Kyoshiro handed him his birthday card and Grimmjow took it and said, "Wait, when did you guys find the time to do this?" and Weed said, "Before we left for Germany. We had the cake made shortly before the launch." Grimmjow saw that the cover of the card showed a stick man on rollerblades waving a pair of scissors while shouting "Wheeee~!" The card read, "I'm surprised you made it this far!" and Grimmjow chuckled. "We thought that one suited you the best." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow opened it.

His friends had all written little messages in the card.

_Hi, Grimmjow! Wow…I don't think we have ever really celebrated your birthday before. I just wish you were coming to Germany to celebrate with us. But this card will reach you soon enough. Anyway, don't worry about turning thirty. I can see you chasing down people who annoy you with a cane in your old age. You're only as old as you feel, and that means you will be around a long time! It's been amazing to know you, it's made my life so much better and I am happier than I have ever been so thank you for that! Happy Birthday! - Blue. _

_Hey Grimmster, I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Even if I am kind of annoyed you decided to stay home. But other than that, hopefully we'll be back by then so that we can party like a bunch of idiots! Be seeing you soon and it's been a blast knowing you, there's never a dull moment! - Kyoshiro._

_Hi, Grimmjow! I'm missing you already. I really hope I'm back in time to celebrate with you; a birthday isn't something to be ignored even if you seem to think it is! I'm really glad to have known you, and don't worry too much about turning thirty please! Have a great birthday! You're the best friend, ever! Love, Weed _

_Hi. I'm not entirely sure what to say to you and I hope I haven't left you in foul spirits. You already know how I feel so you know that I am not angry with you or anything of the kind. I know you probably won't be too happy to receive this though. But you should know that people consider 50 to be the middle age for humans and even then, you have no health complications or anything like that so I can see you aging well and if, for some reason you don't, as long as I can be of use to you, I'll remain with you. Rather than get depressed like an idiot, consider it a good thing that you are still alive and have reached thirty years old. This is getting rather long so I'll end it here by saying that I miss you, which is ridiculous since I am not too far from our apartment. But I do. And I'm hoping I'll be back in time to let you know just how much of an impact knowing you has left in my life, if I'm not, then at least you'll have read this. Goodbye for now and have a happy birthday, Grimmjow. – Ulquiorra. _

Grimmjow stared at the card, feeling strangely happy. He knew he was important to them but he had had no idea that he had made their lives better. That was…nice to know. "Have I—really made your lives special?" he asked, unsure of how such a thing was possible when he had been created to destroy lives, not to make people happy.

Kyoshiro said, "Yeah. You've also made living a pain in the ass sometimes, but other than that…" Grimmjow said, leaning back against the couch, "Yeah, well, you know…you can't please everyone." Blue sat beside him and cut the cake. Grimmjow felt the urge to let them know he was grateful but was unsure what to say. He cleared his throat and said, "In all seriousness, though. I have had a friggin' blast knowing you crazy bastards for the past five years. Here's to a kickass moon landing." Grimmjow said and he reached for a drink. They all lifted their drinks, bumped the containers together in a toast and then began to drink and eat.

Weed said, "Unfortunately none of us really had time to get you anything, well, I did, remember?"

"No true, I got him something." Blue said and she handed him a very badly wrapped present. Grimmjow took it and smirked. "Nice wrapping." And she said, "Really? Thanks." and Grimmjow realized she thought it looked good. _Well, she is a wolf…makes sense._

He unwrapped it. It was a book about samurai. Now he would have something decent to do since fighting was a little difficult in space. "Cool." He said, turning the pages. Blue said, "That's good. I really have no idea what your opinion is of books and I figured you'd get bored reading one so I got you one about something you actually might enjoy reading about." She explained, sitting on the sofa and relaxing.

Kyoshiro tossed Grimmjow his gift and Grimmjow took it. It was a black leather bracelet with a steel bull skull on it. Grimmjow slipped it on. "Sweet." Kyoshiro nodded and sat beside Blue. "Glad you like it. I figured it was your style, especially considering that you only recently rode a bull." Ulquiorra handed Grimmjow a badly wrapped gift that was on par with Blue's. "I tried. Don't ask." Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow chuckled and opened it.

It was a collection of movies starring some guy named Clint Eastwood. Ulquiorra said, "You'll like those. He's a very famous actor. This is one of his most famous roles; he plays an unorthodox cop. You'll like the character; he's a lot like you." Ulquiorra explained.

Grimmjow took the DVD box and examined it and smirked. "Then you'll probably like watching these to, seeing as how you can't get enough of me." Ulquiorra said, "Maybe. I suppose you'll want to hear it from me eventually and saying it later would be somewhat inappropriate, so—happy birthday Grimmjow."

Grimmjow grinned and pulled Ulquiorra closer to him, giving him a chaste kiss but holding him in place so it lasted, enjoying the softness of the other's lips and frowned when they separated; annoyed at his sudden longing for another kiss the instant they parted. Ulquiorra whispered, "I don't suppose I need to thank you for barging into my life." Grimmjow chuckled. "Nah. You were too annoying to leave alone anyway." And as he leaned in for another kiss, Ulquiorra frowned. "I was annoying? I thought you were the annoying one."

"No." Grimmjow said with a scowl. "_You_ were annoying, _you _provoked me. All the time. You were a pill."

"I don't remember provoking you. I remember you badgering me a lot."

"No, I wasn't badgering you! _You_ badgered _me_! What the hell kind of word is that anyway?"

"You were badgering me. If you hadn't pursued combat from me, I would have ignored you. My point is—,"

"Well, if you hadn't been such a pain in the dick to look at—!"

"That makes perfect sense."

"Says the guy who got a stick up his ass because I complimented him!"

"Telling someone they are annoying is not a compliment. I wasn't offended, I was clarifying and then you—,"

"Oh, would you two stop it already?" Kyoshiro exclaimed, his mouth full of cake. "Ulquiorra, tell how happy you are to know him, Grimmjow thank him, kiss him and then shut up already!"

"I'm not thanking him after—!" Ulquiorra casually put his hand over Grimmjow's mouth and Grimmjow continued to try and talk with an ever-growing crease to his brow. Grimmjow licked Ulquiorra's hand and he hastily wrenched it away from Grimmjow's mouth with a sigh.

Grimmjow grinned at the sight of Ulquiorra's frown and Ulquiorra said, "You're disgusting." And Grimmjow said, "And you're annoying." And when Ulquiorra continued to frown, Grimmjow found himself feeling strangely guilty of all things. He'd blame Ulquiorra's natural kicked-puppy-look.

Grimmjow sat up and deeply kissed him and Ulquiorra pulled him closer to deepen it further and whatever annoyance Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had felt was completely forgotten. They both knew neither of them wanted the other any other way.

* * *

About a week later, the five of them were all sitting around the rocket, bored out of their minds. Anyone who said being in space was exciting had clearly only been in space for a day. There was absolutely nothing to do. Grimmjow was lying on his bunk, strapped in of course, and Ulquiorra lay on the bunk across from him, reading.

They all heard the radio by upstairs turn on and Ulquiorra went upstairs and answered it. "What?" Shizatte said, "The rocket needs to be turned around! So if one of you could do that soon, it would be perfect! The moon is only a few hours away!" and Grimmjow jumped. "What? That soon?!"

"Yup!"

And Blue hurried to the control cabin and called, "Everyone strap down, I'm turning the rocket around!" and Weed and Kyoshiro ran to their bunks. Kyoshiro didn't make it to his bunk however and the rocket instantly began moving left, right, up and down and Kyoshiro was thrown about while Grimmjow instantly broke out laughing.

Blue called, "The rocket is now in position. We'll just eat and then prepare for the landing."

And Kyoshiro scowled, covered in bruises. "Why does this crap always happen to me?"

They all sat on the couch minutes later, eating and drinking. Blue said, "To think, within a few minutes we could be on the _moon_…this is absolutely incredible!" Ulquiorra nodded. "Yes. We could be on the moon, but we could also die during the landing."

Kyoshiro said, "Thanks, Ulquiorra, you're always so positive! We'll be fine! Try and spread good thoughts."

Grimmjow leaned back and put his feet up on the table and then he frowned. "What the hell do we do once we've landed?"

"Set up a base there." Blue explained, eating her dog food. "And of course, explore to our hearts content—but within reason. The moon could be dangerous."

"Do you think anything lives up there?" Weed asked. Ulquiorra said, "If you are talking about floral growth, water or other animals, no. As for those creatures we saw, they may be waiting for us."

Grimmjow said, "I was thinking about that, too. Shizatte better speak up after we've landed or I'm gonna—!"

And Ulquiorra said, "Time to strap in." and they all looked over towards the glass. The moon was within a reasonable distance and they all heard Shizatte's voice. "Everyone take your seats immediately! We will land in ten minutes!" and Grimmjow's heart jumped into his throat. They all seated themselves in the control cabin and they began to land the rocket. As they began to land, there was a noticeable increase in pressure and they found themselves being pushed into their seats.

Grimmjow attempted to take in a breath and found that it was difficult to breath. The pressure was almost unbearable now! Breathing was painful as it felt like there was a gorilla standing on his chest and his heart began to race as he attempted to draw in breath and failed. He looked over and found that Ulquiorra's eyes were closed; his hands gripped the arms of his seat. Weed also looked scared.

And they landed right in the middle of a crater and then cut the engine and all of them took in a deep breath, feeling more relaxed as they began to breath normally again. Blue leaned back in her chair and wiped her brow and she said, "Well, that went well."

Grimmjow leaned back with a sigh and looked over at Ulquiorra and found that he was standing up. He looked below him and said, "So…this is the moon. It's as bland as I thought it would be." Despite his tone, Grimmjow could see a look of surprise in his eyes as he realized that they had just landed on the moon. Grimmjow moved closer to get a look. There was nothing. No sign of life, the land of the dead. Of course, that was to be expected.

It looked rather like Heuco Mundo. Annoyed at the comparison, Grimmjow looked around some more. There were craters here and there and he could see stars far off in the distance. Blue exclaimed, "Shizatte, we have successfully landed on the moon!" And they all heard cheers from the radio. "Amazing!" Shizatte shouted. "Do you all realize what an enormous feat this is?! I'm so happy for all of you!"

"Wahoo!" Kyoshiro called and Weed stood up on his hind legs and spun in a circle, barking gleefully and said, "Wait a minute, why aren't we floating?"

Ulquiorra explained, looking a little dazed, "There is much less gravity on the moon than there is on Earth, but everything—," and Grimmjow kissed him to shut him up, grinning as he moved away from him. "You can stand around and talk, I'm setting foot on this ball of death! Ha! We are now the most awesome people in New York!" and Grimmjow dashed down the ladder to get his spacesuit, knocking into Kyoshiro and sending him flying into Blue.

Blue and Kyoshiro looked awkwardly at one another, both of their arms somehow around one another. Kyoshiro coughed and pulled her into a one armed hug and said, "Nice landing, by the way." And, his face red, he hastily hurried downstairs to get his spacesuit on. Blue smiled widely, her heart racing. "Thanks."

Grimmjow approached the door, dressed in his spacesuit, and said into his radio, "I'm opening the door now." And he reached out and pressed the button beside the door. The door slowly opened and Grimmjow found himself staring out over a wasteland beneath him, dotted with craters, the black sky littered with stars. They didn't twinkle like they did back on Earth.

"Hello, Grimmjow?" Shizatte exclaimed. "What does it look like?!"

Grimmjow jolted out of his thoughts, not realizing his mouth had slipped open a little. "Uh, nothing too interesting. It looks boring as crap. Of course, there ain't any trees, there's no water. It's…dead, really. The stars don't shine here either. It's almost…"

Grimmjow wanted to say eerie. Something about this place unnerved him, just a little. It excited him, but it made him feel so strange being here. The five of them were the only living thing for _miles_—unless he counted those creatures that had attacked them. He felt…insignificant.

"It feels…so…off. _I_ feel off standing here."

Grimmjow breathed out, the sound slightly distorted because of his radio. Shizatte was silent and then said, "Could you possibly be specific?" and Grimmjow said, "What do you want me to do, write poetry?" Ulquiorra appeared beside him and Grimmjow saw his eyes roam left and right slowly, taking in their new—and odd— surroundings.

Kyoshiro, Blue and Weed appeared, all of them in their dog forms. Kyoshiro said, "Okay, who wants to go first?" and Grimmjow grinned. "Me! Who else?" Weed peered down below, his eyes wide and Kyoshiro suddenly got an idea. He said, "Hey, you go first! You were the one who really wanted to go!" And Weed exclaimed, "No, that's alright, you can go!" and Grimmjow raised a brow. Weed suddenly smiled widely and admitted sheepishly, "Okay, I really do want to go first…" Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra's lips twitch slightly. Kyoshiro grinned.

"Wait, I don't have opposable thumbs so how do I—?" the dog asked and Grimmjow rolled his eyes and nudged Weed's bum and Weed fell from the ledge with a gasp and found that he fell much slower than he would have on Earth! He landed softly and his breath caught when he realized that he had just touched the surface of the moon.

He stood there, frozen. He took a few steps and he could feel his older friends watching him. _Mother, I'm—I'm on the moon…I'm on the _moon_! _And Weed let out a loud bark of gleeful laughter and instantly began running across the dry surface! Grimmjow grinned. "Goof. Alright, Ulqui, let's do this!" and Ulquiorra had already shot forward and jumped off and Grimmjow sprinted after him. Kyoshiro chuckled and Blue began to climb down and Kyoshiro began to slide down with one hand and Blue smiled and slid down the rest of the way with him.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra landed on the ground. The five of them looked around with wide eyes, disbelieved at what they were seeing and what they had just accomplished. And Grimmjow couldn't help but think that, in a way, Weed had been right. This really was the experience of a lifetime.

He grinned and linked hands with Ulquiorra before starting to walk. And then he stopped as Kyoshiro ran by and jumped and flew a few feet into the air! Kyoshiro shouted in shocked! "Whoa! Look at me! This is—this is awesome!"

Grimmjow jumped as well and found that he jumped several inches higher than he ever would have on Earth! "Holy—!" he exclaimed and he landed a few feet away. Grimmjow stared, letting this sink in, and then he grinned. And he reached over, seized Ulquiorra's hand and leaped and he saw Ulquiorra's frown vanish as they flew several feet forward. "Interesting." He said. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Interesting?! This is friggin cool!" he exclaimed.

And when Ulquiorra began to wonder how it was so amazing, Grimmjow scowled and began to walk away. "Okay, fine. I'll just hop around by myself, then." And Ulquiorra had an idea. He ran forward and leaped over Grimmjow's head and landed on the ground ahead of him. Within seconds, the two of them were jumping about, trying to see who could jump further.

Blue had just started jumping around when she stopped and looked out. Before Ulquiorra could ask what she was staring at, he saw it. He could see the earth billions of miles ahead of them. Grimmjow and Kyoshiro and Weed walked over to stand beside them. "Home." Kyoshiro said wistfully and Grimmjow could tell he was suddenly feeling homesick. Grimmjow himself suddenly had a strange longing for his own room again.

"It's beautiful. It looks so small from far away, I never realized we were so small in comparison to…this." Blue said in awe. Grimmjow just nodded. "Makes you feel really insignificant, doesn't it?" He mumbled. "It does…it's almost scary to think about how small we all are. But I miss home." Weed admitted. "I wonder what the weather is like back in New York…I miss having a blue sky."

"Alright, you can stop now." Grimmjow said, starting to miss home, too.

Ulquiorra said, "We should begin unloading our gear and then we should see what Shizatte wants us to do. She never did exactly tell us our reason for being on the moon, but I assume she must want some kind of work done."

"She better!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and the others were suddenly excited to hear what their orders were. Grimmjow adjusted his radio and said, "Yeah, Shizatte? What do we do now?"

Shizatte said, "Well…you can start setting up the equipment! I have some space vehicles stored in the basement and there's a latch you can pull in order to open up the bay doors. We are…uh…looking for…signs of…of life, yeah that's it!"

Grimmjow scowled. "You don't know what were looking for, do you?!"

"Y-yes, I do! I need you to do something!"

"What?" Ulquiorra asked before Grimmjow could start yelling at her. "But you had better not be making this up."

"There a steel crate in the basement. I need you to get a vehicle, possibly some rope, too and drive it out towards the north." She said. "Do this as quickly as possible and inform me the instant it is done, please!"

Kyoshiro said tiredly, "Why—oh wait, I'm not going to get an answer am I?"

"This is all I will say. The contents of that box are extremely dangerous! It should not remain on the rocket much longer." Weed said, "Wait, you knew it was dangerous but you still kept it on board with us? Why?"

"Just do it! Do not delay!"

"Now, look here, woman—!" Grimmjow began.

Shizatte stopped responding and Grimmjow cursed and kicked the ground. "God dammit! That woman will be the death of me!" he turned to Ulquiorra and said, "I sure hope you've gotten over your mistrust of her because this isn't worth it!"

"No, I haven't. My mistrust of her and her daughter has increased a hundred percent higher." Grimmjow snarled in annoyance, though he had expected nothing less considering how mysterious Shizatte was being.

Blue said, "Well, let's get that thing off our rocket." And she turned and began to head back inside to access the basement.

* * *

And within minutes, Grimmjow and Blue loaded the—very heavy—steel crate into the back of the "vehicle". The only thing that resembled a vehicle was the top of the thing. But instead of wheels there were jets so it rather resembled a cartoony space ship.

Grimmjow said, pushing the crate further back, "If that women—fuck that, I'm gonna call her a thing—if that _thing_ doesn't explain everything when we get back, I'll give her an earful!"

Kyoshiro climbed into the front of the car and said, "Knowing her she'll just tell us to get back in the rocket and go home—hey, what was that for?!" he exclaimed as Grimmjow pushed him out of the front seat and climbed in. "You're a dog, you ain't driving!" Grimmjow waited for Ulquiorra to sit beside him and Blue and Weed joined Kyoshiro in the back.

"Seat belts on. Knowing Grimmjow we'll all perish before we get to wherever that woman is sending us."

And before Kyoshiro could fasten his seatbelt, Grimmjow started the engine and the moon vehicle was speeding away at top speed! Grimmjow was instantly having fun and he examined the dashboard which resembled a car's except for one button. He pressed it and a nearly transparent orb surrounded them. Grimmjow guessed it was some kind of shield and he instantly wondered if this thing had guns, too.

"Hey, what are we looking for, anyway?" Grimmjow asked. Ulquiorra said, "She said to look for a hole." Grimmjow said, "Well as long as there are more of those alien-things, I'm game!"

Weed suddenly called, "Hey, wait, is that a—whoa!" and Grimmjow looked down as they flew over a crevice in the ground. "What is that?" Blue asked, wide eyed. "A hole in the ground." Ulquiorra said and Blue rolled her eyes. "I know that, Ulquiorra. But what is done there?"

Grimmjow landed the space mobile and they climbed out and moved closer to investigate it. They could see nothing below them, just darkness. Kyoshiro said, "Hey, Shizatte, we found a hole in the ground a few miles away from the rocket. Is this what we're looking for?" Shizatte said, "Is it deep?" Grimmjow said, "I don't know, wanna test it?" and Kyoshiro glared at him. "It looks fairly deep." Ulquiorra said. "What do you want us to do?" Shizatte was silent for a moment and then she said, "I guess it could work! Hmm…yes. I think it could. Alright, use your rope and go down with that crate to ensure that it is a good enough place for it. It should be deep and narrow. Oh and is this hole out of sight?"

Ulquiorra said, "Considerably. Why?"

"Nothing serious."

"I doubt it." Ulquiorra said. He turned to the group and said, "Who wants to go down with it?" Grimmjow raised a hand and said, "I'll do it, sure. Let's just get this over with."

"You're just hoping to see an alien down there, aren't you?" Ulquiorra muttered.

Blue and Kyoshiro must have been lowering the crate for a full minute before it touched the ground. Ulquiorra went over to help them as Grimmjow held onto the rope and prepared to slid down. Grimmjow looked up at Ulquiorra and heard him say, "Be careful." Grimmjow grinned. "When have I ever done otherwise?" And the four others disappeared from sight as he disappeared into the hole.

Finally he touched the ground. Grimmjow undid the rope from the crate and pushed the crate behind a set of rocks. He turned his radio dial and said, "Shizatte, I'm in the cave."

"Alright, excellent! Does it match my requirements?"

Grimmjow said, "Yeah, it'll do. It's well out of sight from the outside if that's what you are interested in, its black as pitch so no one without a flashlight can see in here. It's difficult to get in, too. Is that good enough?"

Shizatte thought about it. "Is the space huge?"

"Not really." Grimmjow said, looking around. The walls were not very wide from what he could tell. "Have you had the feeling of being followed since you landed?" Grimmjow shook his head. "No. We lost sight of those aliens a week ago. Can I just leave, now, dammit?"

"Alright, yes, this will do. Phew! That's a load of my mind! Also, try and get some pictures of those aliens to show to everyone on earth!" Grimmjow turned off the radio, not wanting to talk anymore. He said, "Yeah, good luck with that idea." Grimmjow looked over to where he had hidden the crate and he scowled. _What the hell is in there anyway? _ He was tempted to find out but decided he'd rather not since he probably didn't have the tools to open it.

He tugged on the rope and Ulquiorra, Weed, Blue and Kyoshiro began to pull him up.

* * *

The following day, Grimmjow awoke and was no longer surprised to awake in the rocket instead of his room. Ever since he had gone into space, making the adjustment had been difficult to him. His stomach rumbled and he stood up and trudged down to the basement, yawning and drowsy. He headed to a crate and he opened it, ready to pick a meal from within the crate.

He was jolted awake instantly, his mouth falling open. There was nothing in the crate! Normally that shouldn't be a big deal; normally he would figure people ate all of it. But no. He remembered explicitly that this crate had been half full yesterday! Who had eaten half of their food?! And as he looked around the room, he realized that two other crates of food were gone! What was going on?!

Furious, Grimmjow climbed the ladder and entered the second floor. He reached over and shook Ulquiorra awake and he sat up and said, "_What_?" Grimmjow said, "A crate had all the food eaten from it!"

"You do know we go through food fast, right?" Ulquiorra said, turning over to continue sleeping. "Yeah, well, what about the two other crates?" Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Two other crates of food are not empty, they are _gone_! Who the hell is stealing our food?"

Ulquiorra said, "Stealing? Perhaps Blue moved them?"

"They were there before I went to sleep, Ulquiorra, I'm not an idiot!"

Grimmjow shouted, "Wake up, our food is gone!" and Blue threw her pillow at him. "What are you saying?" the wolf-dog growled, lifting her furry head from behind the railing of her bunk.

Kyoshiro woke up as well and said, "Did you inhale radiation or something?"

"No, two crates of food are gone and one had the remaining half eaten from it!" Blue climbed down and walked around him to the basement and went downstairs and called, "He's right, it's all gone!" Kyoshiro said, "He's serious?! Could we have knocked some crates out yesterday getting those machines out?"

Ulquiorra said, "Or one of you has been hording our food." Everyone froze. They all looked at him and Kyoshiro said, "Wait, you aren't accusing us, are you?" Ulquiorra said, "What do you think I'm saying? It could only have been one of us."

Kyoshiro eyes widened and Grimmjow exclaimed, "You don't have any right to suspect one of us!" Ulquiorra said, "Don't I?"

Kyoshiro stammered and said, "Well, fine! Two can play at this! It was Grimmjow!" Grimmjow said, "Oh and why would it be me?! In case you forgot, I'm the one who pointed it out, genius!"

Blue said, with a frown, "I'm not picking sides here, but you could be drawing attention to it in order to take attention off yourself." Grimmjow's mouth fell open. "Are you kidding me?! It was you!" Blue said, "And how would it be me?"

"Because, what you said could work both ways!" Grimmjow said with a scowl. "You're drawing attention to me so you can draw attention off _yourself_! Don't wolves eat whenever they can?!"

Blue said calmly, "But it wasn't me, Grimmjow. I was just pointing out a possibility, that's all."

"And why would you be pointing out a possibility? Because you are trying to frame me! _You're_ the one who did it!" Grimmjow snapped.

"No I wasn't." Blue said, starting to get impatient.

"Yes it was!"

"Hey," Kyoshiro snapped, "Back off of her. She said she didn't do it, so lay—!"

"And you're covering for her, Kyoshiro! Throw them overboard!" Grimmjow yelled and Blue eyes' widened. "He's getting way too into this…" she muttered, sighing.

Weed ran over and got between them and said, "Guys, stop yelling. Let's just try and be rational here, okay?" and Kyoshiro said, "You know what…that's exactly what you would do if you were the one who ate all the food." Weed gasped and said, "No, I didn't do it! I was here the whole time!"

"Hey, leave him alone, you seriously think he could eat all that food?!" Grimmjow said, pushing Kyoshiro away from Weed.

"Yeah, he's right!" Weed exclaimed and Grimmjow looked at him suspiciously. "Or did you?" and Weed stumbled backwards into his dog bed. "No, no I didn't!"

"Ulquiorra, you're the observant one. Did you notice anything?" Blue said imploringly. Ulquiorra was silent. And Blue's mouth slipped open as a thought came to her. "You…you did it, didn't you?" Ulquiorra looked over from where he sat placidly on the bed, his fingertips together. "Hm? No. I just refuse to partake in such stupidity."

Kyoshiro's jaw clenched and he said, "And this is exactly what you would do, sit there and say nothing. Why so silent, huh? Feeling guilty?" Ulquiorra just stared at him blankly. "Spill it, Ulquiorra! I saw you go downstairs last night! Grimmjow said instantly, "Shut up, he didn't do it!" And when Ulquiorra was silent, Grimmjow frowned and said with less conviction, "Right?"

"He's right. I did go downstairs last night." And everyone gasped. Ulquiorra said, "I was hungry last night, took a bowl of soup from the box, ate it and went to sleep."

"So, you're the closest suspect we have." Blue said, "Did you take anything else?"

"No just the dining utensils. If you want my opinion on whom the culprit is then—actually, it seems to be factual rather than opinionated, but his reasons for it are rather unclear to me. If you all hadn't been so busy arguing, you'd have noticed the food package sticking out from underneath Kyoshiro's mattress."

And they all turned towards the upper bunk to the right. Blue reached up and pulled an empty food packet that was protruding from Kyoshiro's mattress. She looked at it and said, "This is just one package, though." Ulquiorra said, "Actually there seems to be a rather obvious bulge in his mattress." And Kyoshiro ran over to his bunk and said, "Oh come on! What kind of stupid prank is this?!"

Grimmjow lifted the mattress and scowled, seized an armful of empty packages and packets, and dumped them on the ground. "You fucking _pig_! You _have_ been eating our food!" Kyoshiro said, "No, I haven't! Are you stupid?" All of them walked towards him and Kyoshiro pressed himself against the wall, his hackles raised. Blue said, "Why would you do this?"

Kyoshiro exclaimed, "I didn't! Someone must have put it there because I didn't eat all that food! I wouldn't do that!"

"We're ruling out intruders, no one can access the rocket from outside without sounding the alarm and there is no one else here anyway." Ulquiorra said. Kyoshiro pointed to Grimmjow and said, "He's always being a dick to me, accuse him!"

Weed was sniffing one of the packets. He said hastily, "Guys, I don't think he did it. There's a really weird scent all over these."

"I don't care! He's eaten most of our food! It is absolutely necessary that we have food up here and he went and stuffed his face—!" Grimmjow snapped.

Kyoshiro said, "You totally did it…"

"—and he needs to fix it!" Grimmjow shouted, his voice rising over Kyoshiro's. Blue said, "Grimmjow, we still have plenty of food."

"Is one crate of food enough food for you?" Grimmjow asked and her face fell. Weed shuffled his paws and looked at the ground. He said, "We'll have to cut the trip short. And even then, would we have enough supplies to make it back?"

Ulquiorra said, "There is enough in that crate to last maybe a week. But the trip takes two."

"We just got here!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Grimmjow said coldly, "Maybe you should have thought about that before eating our food!"

"Guys, he couldn't eat all that food in one night!" Weed exclaimed impatiently but imploringly.

"Thank you!" Kyoshiro exclaimed exasperatedly.

Blue said, "Weed's right. Something isn't right about this at all."

"No one could get in." Ulquiorra said. Weed reasoned, "But something just isn't right! Kyoshiro isn't the type of person who would do this! He's always thinking of us! Always! I just _know_ he wouldn't do this." Kyoshiro rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly, but seemingly appreciating Weed's support.

Grimmjow scowled, thinking. "Yeah well, it had to be one of us. No one from outside could get in…So for now, I'm blaming him until I can find the _ghost_ who took our food." Kyoshiro scowled. "Thanks…" and Grimmjow walked away and called, "Kyoshiro, you're watching the basement tonight!"

Blue said annoyed by his treatment of Kyoshiro, "I thought you just said it couldn't have been one of us. Make up your mind." Grimmjow said, "Yeah, well in case it isn't, he's keeping watch on the basement! Nothing gets in or out of this rocket!" and he left to go up to the living room. Weed said, placing a paw on Kyoshiro's shoulder, "If it helps, I don't believe it was you."

"Yeah, I could tell…" But they all knew that if they couldn't recover the missing crates things would get very stressful. Even _fatal_, depending on how long the trip back took. Blue sighed. Things couldn't ever be simple, could they? Ulquiorra stood up and walked over to the door. "And where are you going?" Kyoshiro asked suspiciously.

"To have a look at the door. I've just thought of something."

They all momentarily wondered exactly what went on in his head whenever he was being so quiet. Blue followed him along with Weed. "As far as I know, Kyoshiro has no reason to horde food, we all divide it evenly and the cook back on earth gave us enough food to last the mission."

"How come Grimmjow doesn't seem to know Kyoshiro's innocent?" Weed asked. Ulquiorra said, "He does. He's just too proud to admit he's wrong. You could tell that he knows something somehow managed to get in, otherwise he wouldn't have Kyoshiro guarding it." Blue rolled her eyes. "Him and his pride…" she mumbled.

Ulquiorra stood in front of the door and took his Espada form. He placed his hand against it. He could sense some form of energy there, but it didn't belong to any being he knew about. "Something definitely came through here. But somehow he was able to get in and without sounding the alarm. Considering that he could have killed us but only took our food, he probably is not a threat."

Ulquiorra called, "Grimmjow, could you tell if that crate was locked when you placed it down in the cave?"

"Huh? Uh…no, it was black as pitch down there! You're the one who lured it down! Why?"

Ulquiorra said, "I think Shizatte was keeping a live creature in the basement of the rocket." And Weed said, "What?!" and Blue said, "She wouldn't—! Ugh, of course she would! I'm going to—!" Kyoshiro said, "Have you got any proof or are you just pulling this stuff out of nowhere?" Ulquiorra said, "The energy on the door is nearly identical to the aliens we fought. When I say nearly, I mean because it is almost human like."

"She was keeping…a…alien in the basement? Is that what you're saying?" Grimmjow asked, climbing down the ladder. "I don't know what she was keeping in the basement. There's a mixture of different energies. There's a dog's, a cat's, in fact," Ulquiorra pressed his hand to the outline of the door. He immediately opened his eyes. "There's a trace of nearly every single animal and creature I know of on Earth and more."

Grimmjow's mouth slipped open. "What the hell are we dealing with?!" Weed said, "Wait, so even dogs have spiritual energy?" and Kyoshiro said with a sigh, "That's all you picked up from this conversation?"

Ulquiorra said, "Everything, every being on Earth has some form of energy, though I wouldn't say spiritual energy. I won't go into detail, it would—,"

"Enough! What are we dealing with?!" Blue asked, "What is it?"

"Considering that it is a mixture of nearly every single animal on the planet and possibly more and then considering how much food it took, it must be—," Ulquiorra began, his eyes narrowing and Grimmjow said gleefully and with a widening grin as he realized it, "That thing is a fucking _monster_!"

Weed gasped, his ears flattening and his tail going down. "A…a monster?!" Blue said, an expression of fear on her face, "What…what do we do?!" and then she shook her head and said, trying to be rational, "Wait, wait, wait how would it fit in the crate?" Ulquiorra said, "I think we should assume it can shape shift which means its actual size might vary." Weed sighed a little. "Okay…that's a little reassuring!"

"But if it can shape-shift, how big can it get?" Kyoshiro asked. Ulquiorra shrugged. "No idea. As big as it wants to be, I suppose." And Weed gasped and said, "What do we do, we need to think of something!"

Grimmjow said, "Here's what we do! We arm ourselves with those weapons and guard the two entrances. The door downstairs is bigger so Ulquiorra and I guard it. Weed, Blue, Kyoshiro, you guys guard the door up here. We're going to kick that things ass!"

"Got it!" Blue said and Kyoshiro laughed and raced away to get his weapon. And even Weed looked a little excited, and Ulquiorra did too.

It had been too long since something interesting happened!

* * *

Hours passed. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra sat in the basement, feeling tired and barely able to keep their eyes open. Upstairs, Weed was half asleep and Blue kept waking up.

"I don't think it is coming." Ulquiorra said his eyes half closed as he breathed slowly in and out. "Hmm." Grimmjow mumbled, leaning against him. "Anything going on up there?" Grimmjow called.

Blue jumped awake and said, "No…nothing yet." Kyoshiro said, "So, does this mean I'm no longer a suspect." Grimmjow growled. "No…" he muttered. Ulquiorra said, "We both know he couldn't eat that food by himself." Grimmjow just yawned and sat beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

Ulquiorra closed his jaw to fight back a yawn, his eyes closing and his head slumping slowly against Grimmjow's shoulder. They waited. "Fuck this." Grimmjow said, all excitement gone. "Guys, forget it. Maybe he got bloated and died."

"Best news I've ever heard…" Kyoshiro mumbled, exhausted and slumping against the wall. Weed ended up falling against him and Kyoshiro chuckled. Blue simply leaned against the door and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I'm going to stay awake."

"Hey, I am, too." Kyoshiro said. Blue said, "I knew you would, I'm just saying. I only hope something happens, soon."

By the next hour however, all of them had fallen asleep.

And then, something began trickling through the door beside Weed. It was smoke. The smoke flew through the air and into the room. It was scentless, so none of them awoke. The smoke then turned into a small lizard and the little red and white skinned reptile began to crawl downstairs.

It reached the basement and spotted Grimmjow and Ulquiorra, both fast asleep. It crawled past them and towards one of the crates, which was open. His tail brushed against Grimmjow's hand and Grimmjow's soft snore was cut off and he opened his eyes and stared at the lizard crawling into the box. And in the blink of an eye, Grimmjow sprung up and slammed the lid on the box, trapping the creature inside it. "I got him!" he roared and Blue and Weed raced downstairs and Ulquiorra stood up.

And the lid on the box exploded and a massive lizard crawled out, his teeth razor sharp as they backed him into a corner, all of them pointing their guns at him. "Don't take your eyes off of him!" Grimmjow ordered. "Fire!"

And the lizard shrieked, "No, wait! Don't kill me, please! I'll do anything!" and Blue said angrily, "What, like eat our food again?" and and Grimmjow said, "Enough talk! Blast him!" and he fired his weapon at the creature and the plasma blasts—went through him, creating little holes that instantly were closed.

Grimmjow stared, his jaw clenching in annoyance. He fired again and the blasts merely bounced back and Grimmjow and the others all had to duck as the plasma flew over their heads. "What the hell are you?!" Grimmjow exclaimed. "What? Me? Oh…uh…" his voice was very annoying. It sounded like he was speaking from the way back of his throat so it was deep but at the same time too high for comfort.

"I'm," and he spoke something indistinguishable and then frowned. "Oh, wait, what's my name in English…ummm…Scarlet Eyes! I'm Scarlet Eyes!" he exclaimed happily, his voice making them wince. Grimmjow said, "I asked what you are, moron, not your name! Tell me what you're doing here!"

"Don't be mean to me, blue-haired human!" The lizard pouted. "I am what humans would call a…um…an alien? Yes, an alien! But really, I'm not!" he exclaimed. "I can be whatever I want, whenever I want! Isn't that…what's the word again? Oh yeah! Isn't that awesome?! Watch!" and right before their eyes, he morphed into what appeared to be a human form.

Except his skin was pale white and his hair was blood red and messy. He also wore a red robe similar to a kimono. His eyeballs were not white but a dark red and his pupils were a bright red. Weed said, "Wow! That's impressive. So, you aren't going to attack us?"

"Not unless you make me! Are you guys aliens, too?" he asked, floating above their heads. "No! Get down here!" Grimmjow snapped, grabbing his foot. "Let go, blueberry head!" Scarlet Eyes snapped, kicking him in the head.

"Why couldn't I kill you?" Grimmjow asked, looking very annoyed by their guest.

"Why, it's quite simple! You can't!" he exclaimed, turning his own leg to mush in Grimmjow's grip so that he could fly freely about the room.

"If I want, I can make my skin into hundreds upon thousands of different forms! Metal, iron…that one thing that stretches and you can pull and it's really fun because it never breaks or tears!"

"Rubber?" Weed said, wide eyed.

"I think so." He said, stopping and trying to remember, his eyes owl like as he thought.

Ulquiorra said, "You're invincible." And Scarlet Eyes stopped flying around the room and said, "I…I guess so!"

Ulquiorra said, "Why are you here?"

"Because I'm _starving_! Why else would I be on this weird human contraption? I've been asleep in that crate for…uh…I don't even know how long! But I'm so hungry; I even tried eating myself in there!"

And Ulquiorra was beginning to comprehend something.

"You've been asleep for possibly three years. Does the name Shizatte mean anything to you?"

"Shizatte? No—wait! Auntie Shizatte, oh yeah! I remember her!" he said, climbing about on the ceiling. "She was awesome! She even taught me how to speak English! But, man is it a boring language!" and Grimmjow said, "Oh, she has got _so_ much explaining to do!"

* * *

Shizatte answered the radio. "Hello~?" she said happily.

"You put an _alien_ in the basement?! An _invincible alien_ in our _basement_?!" Grimmjow roared and Shizatte shrieked from the other side of the radio. "What?! No, I mean…alright. Yes. Yes I did!"

"Tell us why!" Blue ordered.

Shizatte sighed and was silent. "This is not going to be easy for you to comprehend but…fine. I'll tell you all everything." Ulquiorra seated himself beside his four friends to listen.

"It happened three years ago. I was taking a vacation in Australia to try and discover this amazing species of plant I had heard about. I was out in the middle of nowhere, driving along the roads at dusk and without warning, something crashed into the field to my right and I got out to investigate. What I found was a little ship, looking like it was made of rock—from Mars to be precise! It was broken, of course and within the wreckage was the alien, Scarlet Eyes. I was instantly fascinated by him and he was by me. So, I agreed to house him. I taught him English, too! He mostly helped around the house and stuff. He said that he was—,"

"Wait," Scarlet Eyes said, "I'll tell this part! I was being pursued by my own kind and I had no choice but to flee to earth because they wanted to use me for some sort of evil project thingy or something!" he said, his tongue sticking out with a dumb grin on his face.

"What was the project?" Grimmjow asked, glaring at the red-headed alien. "I forgot! Being trapped in a metal crate does that to your mind! Can I have some food?" and Grimmjow said, "Like hell we're letting you eat our food again!"

Shizatte continued, "I found out who was pursuing him. A group of men came to my house one day. They attempted to get Scarlet Eyes and he and I were forced to leave much earlier than I wanted. Scarlet Eyes then told me the reason he was on Earth." They all listened intently.

"The men that attacked me and Scarlet Eyes and then the ones that attacked you all at the space center…they are aliens who can inhabit the bodies of their victims. And these aliens are looking for Scarlet Eyes because he is the key to their plan."

"What plan?" Grimmjow asked impatiently.

"As I am sure you have realized, Scarlet Eyes is a shape shifter. This is not his only ability however. He can also control the minds of other people and make them see and think what he wants."

"Your point is?" Grimmjow asked and he saw Ulquiorra's eyes widen and knew he must have realized something.

"The aliens plan to use him to manipulate the minds of the humans and make them believe that the aliens are their rulers. In other words, they plan to use him to take over the world! I had to get him away from Earth, for the safety of everyone living there!"

"You still didn't have to trick us into looking after the guy. Sending us into space while unaware of the threat could have ruined everything." Blue said with a scowl.

"Well, I had too! You guys would have said no if you knew!"

"And for a good reason! You used us and endangered us!" Grimmjow snapped. Shizatte said, "I'm sorry, alright? But I was desperate and I knew the only ones I could trust with him were you all!"

Weed asked, "Why do the aliens have such a fascination with Earth?"

"Apparently, long, long ago there was a war between Scarlet Eyes' kind and his pursuer's kind over which would inhabit the Earth."

"Actually, my kind didn't want to take over Earth" said Scarlet Eyes, "My kind viewed humans as an interesting source of knowledge and the way of the future and they considered themselves their protectors. But Ang'Zalmor didn't agree and—!"

"_Who_?" Grimmjow asked.

"He's the leader of the ugly red-skinned ones, known to my kind as the Braagglian. My kind's name is called the Lunarr'i, which sounds a lot prettier! We once lived in harmony with the Braagglians up until both sides discovered the Earth, Ang'Zalmor got really pissed because he thought that humans were too weak to be worthy of such a glorious planet and he and his race tried to take over while my kind defended it. That was how the war started. My kind was all wiped out but Ang'Zalmor knew he would need me to enslave the earth. And then the next thing I know, I am being pursued by Ang'Zalmor and nearly his whole group and I fled to Earth. I ended up in Austra—whatever it's called, where Shizatte found me."

Ulquiorra said to Shizatte, "Well, in any case, don't expect a very happy greeting when we get back."

"Alright. Just get him back to the cave and make sure he doesn't leave it! He cannot afford to be found!"

Grimmjow stood up and said, "Well, you heard her." And Scarlet Eyes gasped and said, "Wait, what?! No! I'm not going back to that cave! You can't make me!"

"Yes, I damn well can!" Grimmjow snarled, grabbing him by the jacket. "B-but I've been alone for so long!"

Weed said, "Grimmjow, he can stay for a little while longer, can't he? It would be unfair to send him back."

"Did you not hear what Shizatte said? He's a danger to us if he stays!" Grimmjow said impatiently. Blue frowned and said, "Well, actually, those aliens might not know where to look for him. We haven't seen them for days." Scarlet Eyes looked at her, nodded, and then looked away. He looked back at her. "Well, _hello_, beautiful!" and Blue scowled and said, "Never mind, toss him."

And Scarlet Eyes was chucked from the rocket. "Hey~!" he whined. "What gives?!" Grimmjow said, "You ate half of our food, you pig! And I'm not housing the friend of that stupid woman!"

"Aw, but why?! And I only ate one container of food!"

"Yeah, sure…" Grimmjow muttered, closing the door.

Weed said, "That's cruel." Grimmjow shrugged. "Think I give a damn?"

"But since we went to such much trouble for him, shouldn't we keep him? Otherwise all our efforts will have been wasted."

"He can rot for all I care." Grimmjow muttered. Weed suddenly said, "Hey, hey guys? Where's Kyoshiro?"

Ulquiorra sat up on the sofa. "That's right. I haven't seen him since we woke up." Grimmjow scowled. "Well, shit." And he dashed towards the ladder and climbed up. "Kyoshiro? You up here?"

He came back down. "Where the hell is he?!" he said. Weed said, "Hey, you don't think he went out to find the food Scarlet Eyes took, do you?"

"I do. We should go search for him." Ulquiorra said, walking to the basement to get his spacesuit on. And as he pulled it on, behind the Moon Rovers, he saw two other crates. Ulquiorra checked them. They were full of food.

"We're all idiots."

* * *

And so Grimmjow and the others found themselves in a Rover driving out across the moon, following the tracks they made yesterday back to the cave. "We all owe him an apology. I feel like such a jerk!" Blue growled. Ulquiorra said, "More like, Grimmjow owes him an apology. I never accused him." "Yeah you did!" Grimmjow snapped.

Ulquiorra then turned to Scarlet Eyes and said, "So you expect us to think that you can control the minds of every _single_ human being on Earth?"

"I can!" Scarlet Eyes said, "If I want only a few people to manipulate, then I use my thoughts to control them. If I want…uh… the whole world to listen to me, then there is a chant in my ancestors' language. I guess that's what Ang'Zalmor wants me to do, chant it and people will fall under my control."

Ulquiorra asked, "Where did this chant come from?"

"Uh…Many years ago there was a war between my people (we live on Pluto), and this really old race of aliens that wanted to invade. My great, great granddad was taught the words by the Elders of my race because we're peaceful and boring and they didn't want a fight. As they prepared to fight, he used the chant for the sole purpose of stopping the enemy race from starting the war and they left under the influence of the chant's mind control power." Scarlet Eyes said.

Ulquiorra asked, "How do you know the chant?"

"Oh! My race is kind of weird. A Seer kept ranting about this prophecy and how my time had come—or something and how I needed to travel far away to visit the Elders to learn the chant from them. When I went to them (the journey was long as _crap_ by the way!) the Elders said that the prophecy was real and that, though they didn't know what the danger was or when it was coming, I needed to be ready to deal with it in a "peaceful way, as is the nature of our clan" and blah, blah, blah. So I got taught the chant. The chant goes like this; Unscrat, Lesollium g—!" and he flung his hand over his mouth.

"Your Elders didn't even know what the heck the prophecy was? Sounds like the Seer just pulled it out of her ass, because it's not like anyone would prophesize _you_—Wait, so if you can use the chant to eternally calm your enemies, why can't you use it on Ang'Zalmor's group and save us the bother of fighting him?" Grimmjow asked and Scarlet Eyes said impatiently, "I could, but in order to prevent allies from being brainwashed by the chant, everyone is taught to withstand it! The Braagglian, back when they were my allies, were sadly taught this as well. I could use my minor mind control, but it wears off pretty quick and as I said, it only affects a few people." And the conversation ended as Scarlet Eyes became distracted by the moon vehicle.

"Wow, this thing's awesome! Can it go faster?!" Scarlet Eyes shouted, lunging from the backseat to hang over Grimmjow's shoulder. He seized the steering wheel and swerved left and Grimmjow elbowed him and brought the car back on the trail! "Scarlet Eyes don't do that please!" Weed exclaimed, his nails digging into the seat.

"Yeah, cause if you do, I'll chuck you out of this stupid thing!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra said, "He's up ahead."

A few miles up ahead, Kyoshiro was walking with a long bundle of rope in his hand, listening to the silence ring in his ears. _Damn Grimmjow! I can't believe he did that to me! Heh, _he got an idea, _I'll bring back this food and then I won't share any with him! How will he like that?!_

He stopped in front of the hole in the ground and sighed. _Dammit, that took a while, _he tied the rope to a rock and then lowered himself down the hole. He stumbled in the dark and turned on the flashlight. He frowned. _Now, where'd that thing put our food?_ He thought and he began to walk around, his eyes squinting and shining the flashlight into corners.

He ventured a little further and then without warning, the ground gave way beneath him! Kyoshiro yelped in shock and fell several feet down and hit the floor. "Ugh…damn, that hurt!" he sat up and felt around for his flashlight.

And then he heard it, footsteps behind him. He paused; his breath hitching to make sure his mind wasn't making up noises due to the silence. When he heard nothing, he continued to feel about for his flashlight. And then he paused. He could feel something watching him—or was it his imagination?

He found his flashlight and scowled and banged it against his hand and the light flickered and went out. Kyoshiro hit it again and the light went on. And he found himself staring into the face of an eyeless, fleshy bestial creature.

Kyoshiro yelled in shock and began stumbling backwards through the cave. The thing bunched its muscles and bounded and was in his face, its teeth razor sharp, an extra set of teeth in the back of its throat lunging at him, and leaking thick, green saliva. Kyoshiro dodged the bite and kicked it hard in the chest. It staggered and lunged again and Kyoshiro leaped over it and tore through the cave back to the hole in the ceiling. The thing raced after him and Kyoshiro began to climb!

Thinking fast, he kicked the wall and some rocks fell from the ceiling and onto the creature and it released a loud, pained howl. And Kyoshiro found the hole in the ceiling and began to climb up the rocky wall towards it! And the alien freed itself and began climbing up the wall after him. It landed on him, sending him flying to the ground and it bore down upon him.

"Kyoshiro!" someone called.

_Blue?!_

And Kyoshiro lifted his back paws and planted them hard in the alien's stomach! It flew backwards and hit the wall. It charged at him and Kyoshiro ran at it and plowed into it, smashing it against the wall. It bit at his helmet, its teeth scraping across the clear covering of his helmet.

And it was flying off of him as Grimmjow leaped into the cave and kicked it hard in the side. Grimmjow lifted his gun and fired a blast into its head, killing it. "You look like shit." He greeted, referring to Kyoshiro's panicked expression, and Kyoshiro said, "Glad to see you, too, Grimmjow."

And Scarlet Eyes shouted gleefully, "There are more of them! Ha, bring it on you ugly things!" Grimmjow and Kyoshiro were pulled to the surface by Ulquiorra and Blue. "Kyoshiro, over here!" Blue said, tossing Kyoshiro his arm cannon. Kyoshiro grinned. "Thanks!"

In the inky sky was a massive ship. And ahead of them, they saw blurs fall down from the ship and crash onto the moon's surface. And the hideous red skinned beasts were tearing towards them, leaping from the dust and bounding across the surface like a monstrous pack of starved wolves!

"Geez, look at them." Blue said, readying her weapon. And Grimmjow fired and the plasma stunned one and it staggered and continued running through the dust, its teeth bared. And half way towards them it stood up on its hind legs! It was incredibly tall! "Whoa!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and he positioned his arm cannon at it and fired and the creature was blasted away just as another appeared, roared and charged forward!

Weed pointed his tiny gun at the thing and pulled the trigger and a massive amount of fire shot out! All of his friends jumped away from him in shock and Weed gasped and held it away from him at arm's length as the creature was burned alive! "I'm sorry guys!" he called, looking away.

And from the smoke, a much larger, muscle bound creature appeared, its eyes small and its teeth massive. Grimmjow grinned. "Hello, beasty." And the thing gave a howl and tore towards them! It was very fast! Ulquiorra had to tumble out of the way and the thing lunged for his face and Ulquiorra kicked it hard in the stomach! Ulquiorra dodged a quick swing from its arm and Kyoshiro ran up behind it and smacked it in the back with his gun!

The instant it turned around, Grimmjow fired plasma into its face and the alien screamed in pain, its claws tearing at its face. Grimmjow kicked it away from Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra fired a shell from his gun and the instant it touched the creature, the thing was killed.

"Well, these things aren't so tough!" Grimmjow called, ducking in front of Kyoshiro to allow the man to fire shots over his head as Grimmjow took out a few more of them.

"Up close they are. They're nimble." Ulquiorra said, using his scope to pinpoint some of the ones further back and finish them off. "They die fairly quickly though."

"That's what I was saying!" Grimmjow snapped.

More of them were descending from their ship. Scarlet Eyes jumped as one of the Braagglians' seized his arm. "Hey, let go!" and he turned his hand into a hammer and smashed it against the Braagglian's hand! It snarled, lifted him by the front of his kimono and hurled him across the surface of the moon and he tumbled away from the group of five trying to defend him.

It shouted something, clearly in another language and then all of the other Braagglians charged towards him. Grimmjow cursed and ran after Scarlet Eyes. "To the car, go!" he yelled and Scarlet Eyes began to run towards the car.

And then, just as he was nearly there, a Braagglian burst from beneath the moon's surface and tackled him to the ground! Scarlet Eyes shrieked and began kicking at him and Grimmjow slammed his shoulder into the Braagglian and sent it tumbling off of him. "Get to the car, why the hell did you even come with us anyway?!" Grimmjow yelled, throwing him into the car.

"Guys, get—whoa!" Grimmjow exclaimed as Scarlet Eyes started the engine and the car tore away without even waiting for Grimmjow's group! "What have you done?!" Grimmjow yelled and Scarlet Eyes said, "There is another car back there, too! Don't worry!" and Grimmjow seized the steering wheel and turned the car around only to have the car go into a crater and lose its balance.

The car tipped over and the both of them shielded their heads as the car hit the ground. "You moron!" Grimmjow yelled, sitting up and bopping the alien on the head. "Look what you did!"

"Me? That was you, dumbass!"

Grimmjow stood up and he began to try and heave the car back up. Scarlet Eyes helped and after a few heaves, they both succeeded in getting the car back up and they instantly climbed in.

The car sped across the moon's surface, leaving a large trail of dust behind it. Grimmjow growled. "For your sake, they had better be—!"

"They're fine, geez why don't you relax!" Scarlet Eyes shouted quickly. And Grimmjow looked ahead of him and saw Blue, Ulquiorra, Weed and Kyoshiro in the distance running towards them.

Grimmjow sped up and then he saw them waving. Grimmjow waved back and then he frowned. They seemed to be pointing behind him. He looked behind him and then frowned and turned on his radio. "What?"

"Go!" Ulquiorra's voice commanded and Blue screamed, "Get moving!"

"Why, there's nothing—!"

And he looked up and his mouth fell open.

Ulquiorra, Weed, Kyoshiro and Blue were not running towards him. They were being _chased_ towards him by what appeared to be a massive _army_ of aliens! Grimmjow's face fell. "Yeah, never mind, let's go." And he began to drive away. He could feel the floor shaking! How many of them were there?!

He turned the car around and began driving back towards them, he shouted, "When I am close enough, jump in!" and as he got close enough, he swerved left and all of them lunged and latched onto some part of the car as he swerved and began driving away.

An alien leaped into the back of the car and Ulquiorra climbed in and kicked it and sent it flying out. Kyoshiro pulled Blue into the backseat and Scarlet Eyes heaved Weed inside as Grimmjow put on a burst of speed. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and frowned when he saw how many of them there were. "Keep moving." He said and Grimmjow scowled. "This is pathetic, we were winning back there!" and then he saw a big red button on the dashboard. He pressed it and suddenly the two seats in the back were replaced by two floating turret guns. Blue instantly grabbed hold of one and so did Kyoshiro and the two of them knelt down and began shooting at their pursuers. Scarlet Eyes looked over at the noise, a glint in his eyes as he watched the turret gun's rapid fire.

Scarlet Eyes said, "Hey, can I try?" and Blue moved aside and Scarlet Eyes began firing at the aliens. His eyes widened. "Hey, this is—this is—!" and he began moving the gun rapidly in all directions, laughing like a lunatic! "This is _awesome_! Die you _fuckers_! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra looked at one another, somewhat alarmed by his change in childish behavior. "Wanna chuck him out?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "I do, but I feel obligated to keep him with us. Whether we like it or not he is vital to us if we want Earth to remain in our hands."

Grimmjow sighed, disappointed. "Good point."

Weed suddenly said, "We have a problem, guys!" and Grimmjow looked up and his eyes widened. A massive ship was landing in front of them and if they didn't slow down, it was likely that they would be crushed underneath it! Aliens were surrounding the sides of the landing ship. "You're not going to slow, are you?" Ulquiorra said and Grimmjow said, "Nope." And he put on a burst of speed, Kyoshiro looked down and shouted, "The jets are smoking!" and Grimmjow said, "Good!"

"Oh, we're dead!" Kyoshiro called. "Pull up, this thing can fly!" Blue screamed and Grimmjow said, "Too late, if I try we'll ram!"

"He can do it!" Weed shouted, but he covered his eyes as they drove underneath the ship's shadow. Grimmjow crouched down instinctively, hearing the roar of the ship's engine as it bore down upon them. The ship was inches above their heads now and they were only half way there.

"Come on!" Grimmjow called.

And Grimmjow could feel the bottom of the ship brushing against his hair now. He looked down and found that they were nearing the speed limit of this vehicle. Grimmjow increased speed and then they shot out from underneath the ship just as it landed behind them and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't do that again." Ulquiorra said, his arms gripping his seat. Grimmjow said breathlessly, "Got it."

In any case, they seemed to have lost their pursuers. And since the roar of the ship's engine was gone, Grimmjow could suddenly hear Scarlet Eyes _still_ laughing and firing the turret at seemingly nothing! Grimmjow glared over his shoulder and said, "Would you _shut up_?!"

And Scarlet Eyes was bopped on the head by Kyoshiro and he blinked and shook his head. "Huh, wait, what happened?" and Kyoshiro rolled his eyes. "My mouth hurts." Scarlet Eyes said with a frown. And without warning, a Braagglian lunged at Grimmjow's side of the car! Grimmjow flung up an arm to smacked it away but in the process, its teeth closed around his arm and wrestled him from the speeding machine!

They crashed to the floor, the force of which he hit the ground leaving him breathless! The creature recovered faster than him and lunged for his throat and Grimmjow kicked it twice in the mouth! Grimmjow leaped up and slammed his foot into it, bowling it over and stepping on its head until he heard a dull crack. He took in a deep breath to find he was short of air.

Shouldn't he have recovered from the fall by now?

Why was he so short of breath? With each breath he took, he felt like his air supply was more and more limited. Oh God…!

Grimmjow's eyes widened and a frightening thought occurred to him. _Is my oxygen tank damaged?_ He couldn't check it as it was on his back, but he was certain that breathing was getting more and more difficult. "Shit!" he checked his radio and found that it was barely in one piece.

Before he could panic, he saw the Rover speeding back towards him. Ulquiorra stopped the engines and said, "Are you—?"

"No, my oxygen tank's damaged." Grimmjow said, starting to feel light headed. "What?" Ulquiorra said sharply, looking over his partner's shoulder to check. "How's your breathing?" he asked.

Grimmjow took a step and staggered, falling against the spaceship and Ulquiorra frowned and helped him in. Grimmjow took in a breath and frowned when only half as much oxygen was breathed into his lungs. Ulquiorra could see his face growing more and more panicked. "Hang on, we'll be there soon." Ulquiorra said, starting the engines and the Rover shot off into the distant. And they heard roars behind them and saw a few more of the aliens sprinting towards them. Ulquiorra scowled and said, "We can't be slowed. Take them out."

"The turrets have overheated!" Kyoshiro called and Scarlet Eyes suddenly turned around to look at the small group chasing them as they got closer and his eyes narrowed. Blue watched as his eyes grew brighter and a barely audible red glow appeared in his eyes and the large group of Braagglians suddenly stopped running after them and turned around and began to walk calmly the other way. Scarlet Eyes frowned and shook his head as if disorientated. "Whoa…I haven't done that in a while…" Kyoshiro frowned. "Why didn't you do that before?"

"It's not that easy!" Scarlet Eyes whined. "It was far too busy back there! This kinda thing requires concentration, have more respect for me, you weird thing…" he muttered and Kyoshiro sighed and said, "Well, at least we know you're for real now oh Prophesized One. And I'm a dog by the way not a "thing"." And Scarlet Eyes used his mind control to make Kyoshiro poke himself in the eye.

* * *

Grimmjow wasn't aware of passing out but he must have, because his eyes were opening and he was lying in his bunk back in the rocket. And he suddenly became aware that he was breathing freely and took in a deep breath just to savor the feeling. He took in a deep, more relaxed breath, feeling his heart rate start to slow. "You're alright?" he looked to his left and found Ulquiorra sitting in a chair beside him. "I'm…decent." He murmured, feeling dizzy from the previous lack of air and even more dizzy because of the deep breathing he had just done.

"How come I cannot go anywhere without you hurting yourself in some way?" Ulquiorra asked and Grimmjow could tell this had unnerved him as much as it had unnerved himself. Grimmjow scowled, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes as he felt a headache coming on.

"You're mentally and physically exhausting." Ulquiorra murmured and Grimmjow smirked, his hand closing gently around Ulquiorra's. "And you're whining. Face it; you wouldn't want me any other way." He said. "I could do without the drama." Ulquiorra said with a deeper frown, removing his hand from Grimmjow's. Grimmjow pretended to pout. "Aw, rejecting me? After I went through such trauma? Heartless bastard."

When Ulquiorra continued to frown in a sympathetic but endearing way, Grimmjow sat up and pulled him into a hug, resting his forehead against Ulquiorra's. He did feel slightly guilty, noticing the way Ulquiorra's brow was furrowed and the slight shadows beneath his eyes, emphasizing the worry in his eyes. "Aw, I'm sorry." Grimmjow said with a smirk (though he did mean it), pulling Ulquiorra's face closer to his and his lips just slightly brushing against Ulquiorra's. Ulquiorra closed the distance between their lips and Grimmjow closed his eyes as he felt Ulquiorra's arm wrap around his neck.

They sat there together, allowing themselves a moment's rest. "Do we have an extra oxygen tank?" Grimmjow mumbled, suddenly tired. Ulquiorra said, "Yes. I already set it up with your suit."

"Excellent." Grimmjow mumbled, lying back down and closing his eyes and savoring the soft kisses Ulquiorra's pressed to his lips. It was either the exhaustion from earlier, or the gentle affection Ulquiorra was giving him (maybe both), but he was starting to feel drowsy.

Grimmjow closed his eyes and was soothed into sleep by the gentle touch of Ulquiorra's hand against his cheek. Ulquiorra watched him drift off and felt his lips twitch. He then stood up and went upstairs to meet with Blue and the others.

"How is he?" Blue asked as Ulquiorra entered the room. "He's fine. He's asleep. So is Weed." Ulquiorra said. Kyoshiro stretched out and said, "Alright. But we could use his help figuring out what to do."

"I doubt he'd be much use, he's exhausted." Ulquiorra argued sternly.

"Alright, he just normally helps us plan stuff out so I figured—never mind. The point is," Kyoshiro said, "Scarlet Eyes can't stay on the moon but if we take him back to Earth, the battle continues there. What do we do?"

Ulquiorra said, "I'd have thought you'd figured this out. The only solution is to confront those aliens and deal with them. We don't have enough fuel to try and fly him to another planet and then make it back."

Blue said, "Either way, we need to hurry. Those Rovers don't run on fuel, which is strange but useful. Since we only have oxygen for five people, I think Scarlet Eyes should be in one."

"Isn't that risky?" Kyoshiro asked, frowning.

"It is, but if he flies in front of us at all times, we can keep our eyes on him. And that thing has a shield if he needs to use it. Or…he could just turn into a really small animal and stay on board."

"The animal idea is safer." Ulquiorra said.

But Scarlet Eyes would hear nothing of it! He was absolutely fascinated by the Rover—and its turrets—and insisted on riding in one for the journey. Scarlet Eyes pulled a Rover out of the basement and called up to the open door, "Toss me down some food so I can at least eat in this thing, okay buddies?!"

"Buddies?" Kyoshiro muttered, but tossed him down some food that would last him at least two weeks which was the estimated return time. "Yay, thanks!" and Scarlet Eyes hurried back to the small spacecraft and stored it in a container under the seat. "About that spacecraft," Ulquiorra called down, "You need to fly ahead of us, never fall behind, we need to be able to see you at all times. Can you manage that?"

"Yeah, sure!" he said cheerfully. "Blue, wanna give me a goodbye kiss since I won't be in the same room with you for a while?!" and Kyoshiro slammed the door in his face with a snarl. Blue rolled her eyes and then added, "You know, maybe one of us should stay with him? Just to make sure he doesn't goof off."

"Well, whatever we do, we need to do it quickly. We need to leave before those things get here." Grimmjow said and then he added, "Unless you feel like fighting them to the death like I do."

Ulquiorra said, "I'll stay with him. Blue's right. We need at least one sane person onboard with him."

"Wait, why you?" Grimmjow asked and Ulquiorra said, "I have some sort of tolerance for him, if he annoys me too much, I can guarantee I won't throw him overboard." Grimmjow frowned. "Who am I gonna bother while you're in that thing?" he asked.

Ulquiorra said, "You'll think of something." And before he could open the doors, Grimmjow removed Ulquiorra's helmet and his quickly before tugging him into a quick kiss. Ulquiorra stared at him strangely and said, "You're acting like I'll be gone forever."

"Am not." Grimmjow snapped, thrusting Ulquiorra's helmet back at him sourly.

"One could argue." Ulquiorra said and, finding his sour expression amusing, Ulquiorra kissed quickly and then placed his helmet back on and Grimmjow did the same before Kyoshiro opened the doors for him. Kyoshiro suddenly asked him to wait, ran off and then came back with extra food and Ulquiorra took it from him.

Ulquiorra descended the ladder and the instant he touched the ground, Scarlet Eyes tore up the ladder and back into the rocket. Ulquiorra said impatiently, "Get down here." Scarlet Eyes said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just need to get that coloring book I saw!"

Ulquiorra rested his head against the rocket with a sigh. This creature was like a child. "You are not going to be playing while I am working." He said, looking back up at the rocket.

"Just a sec, Ulqui-what!" The door closed.

Ulquiorra proceeded to the spacecraft hovering idly a few feet from the rocket and waited. "Idiot." He muttered. A minute passed. Ulquiorra's eyebrow twitched. "I am going to—,"

He felt something hard press into his back. And a voice growled, "Unslatt valg're und fer droosath, Lunarr'i." and Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened when he how just how many creatures were standing behind him. They must have been moving very slowly in order for the sound of the spacecraft's jets to drown them out because there was no way that many of them could have made no sound advancing on him.

At least fifty Braagglians stood behind him, all of them ready to attack. The one closest to him, a creature with a gnarled looking gun, with glowing eyes and a hideous under bite shouted something at him. "What do you want?" he asked, unable to understand a word the creature was screaming at him, but the intentions were clearly demanding and malicious. He caught the word "Lunarr'i" however and it sparked something in his memory.

And Ulquiorra remembered that Scarlet Eyes' race was called the Lunarr'i. But why were they calling him a Lunarr'i when he really—? And he understood. _Oh. Our skin tone is far too similar. _And he realized just what a bad situation he was in right now. They all thought he was Scarlet Eyes.

This wasn't good.

He wasn't even armed either and taking his Espada form wasn't an option since the bracelet that kept his Espada form sealed was beneath his space suit. The alien shouted something at him and it's claw shot out and seized him by the neck and flung him towards the army behind him.

"I am not Scarlet Eyes, you're mistaken." He said, but he was not even sure the aliens could understand a word he was saying! And over the shouting of the creatures, he heard Grimmjow's voice on the radio, "Hey, Scarlet Eyes will be there soon, alright?"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened. Scarlet Eyes could _not_ come here.

"Ulqui?"

"Keep him inside." Ulquiorra called over the shouting of the creatures around him. "Do you hear me; do not let him come out!"

Grimmjow's voice sounded alarmed. "What is that? Who's down there? Ulquiorra?"

And the massive creature lunged and Ulquiorra flung up an arm in front of his face to shield himself from the creature's fangs as they closed around his arm and lifted him and flung him to the floor. Ulquiorra kicked it in the chest but it was barely fazed and instead smacked its tail into his ribs and sent him crashing into the aircraft hovering beside him. And he knew this was a battle he couldn't afford to win, for Earth's sake.

And before he knew it, the tallest of the group had tackled him and Ulquiorra found himself on his back and being forced onto his stomach as the creature flattened him into the ground, he felt his hands being forced by behind his back and felt them being sealed together by something strong and cold and he was forced to his feet and shoved towards a landing spacecraft and thrown inside.

The doors slammed and the spaceships' jets started. And from a small window in the back, he could see Grimmjow and the others running towards him. He felt something in his chest tighten and the aircraft shot forward and he was flung forward and crashed into the wall.

He struck his head against the wall and then upon the floor as he fell and saw stars popping before his eyes.

He felt the vehicle rising and he looked up towards the window and heard Grimmjow's voice on his radio, but it was muffled and he could make out nothing over the sounds of static.

Christ…his head hurt…

And he had blacked out.

* * *

He could hear voices, all of them raspy and rough. He opened his eyes and found that he was standing upright, his arms above his head. He looked around and found that he was floating in the air, his legs and hands invisibly bound to something behind him. He seemed to be in some strange kind of sphere-like cage, light blue energy formed a circle around him and flashes of bright lights crackled like thunder around him every so often.

He looked ahead and saw a hunched Braagglian standing in front of him. But there was something different about him. This alien was ancient; his skin was not bright red, but rather a dull, faded red. His skin was also wrinkled and hung in folds in around his hideous, seemingly eyeless face and around his arms. His cranium was elongated to the point where it stretched halfway down his back with an antenna that trailed down to the beginning of his tail. He had no visible eyes, only a long, thick snout to house his massive, stained fangs, some of which were missing.

Ulquiorra waited for him to speak, wondering momentarily if he had somehow died standing up as the silence dragged. And when the alien did speak, his voice was dry and raspy but also understandable. "You…are not Scarlet Eyes, filthy, wretched human…"He moved closer to Ulquiorra, his pace slow but still rather menacing.

"You speak English?" Ulquiorra said, surprised and suspicious.

"Yes, it sickens me to have to resort to using your wretched language, but what else can I do?" the creature snarled. Ulquiorra said, "I don't suppose I need to ask what you intend to do with me."

"Naturally, I'll kill you, human. Thank you for not being so ridiculously dimwitted." The Braagglian snarled, "You all have been so evasive, it was only a matter of time before we caught you but even then you continued to fight us off. It was really quite annoying. And even then, my followers got me the wrong person. And a human no less!"

_Followers? He must be Ang'Zalmor, _Ulquiorra thought.

Ulquiorra couldn't see a way to somehow get his bracelet off since his hands were upright and he tried to think of something else. "I am not a human, Braagglian." He stated.

The Braagglian turned its hideous face up at him as if confused, its lips curling and then breathed in deeply. "You're right. You are not human. I can tell, maybe that is also why my followers mistook you for that fool we're looking for. Your scent is strange, it's got that awful human stink, but at the same time…it's different. But in any case, you have wasted my time long enough." And he turned and moved slowly back to the controls by the cage Ulquiorra was in and seized a lever and made to pull down on it before there was a loud thud on the door and the Braagglian turned.

An alien shouted something at him, his tone rushed and excited and suddenly, a shrill scream filled the air and Ulquiorra recognized it as an alarm. His eyes widened and he felt his stomach clench. _Grimmjow? There's no other possibility. _

The Braagglian by the door snarled and turned to Ulquiorra and said, "No need to worry about any trouble from us, Earthling. Your friends are here to try and rescue you. For all I care, they can have you—but…" he paused and Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed, not liking this pause. And the alien reached over and the barrier around Ulquiorra was gone but he still hung in the air.

"But…I think I could actually have a use for you here. You see…" and he strode over until he stood very close to him. "I am old…at the most, I have about a few weeks left and I can feel it, my body finally shutting down after all these years. I have been searching for so long for Scarlet Eyes so that I may finally rule and prosper with my people on Earth and I am running out of time." His claw shot up and grabbed Ulquiorra's face, his teeth inches from the skin on Ulquiorra's cheek. He spoke, flecks of spit hitting his face as he hissed at him,

"Do you know how frustrating it is to be so close to having everything and yet, to be stopped by something as simple as the passing of time? I will not die until the day I have the power and respect I deserve from those insects. So in other words I need a new body." Ulquiorra's jaw clenched, not liking where this was going at all. "Why bother taking control of "insects" as you call them? What's the purpose?"

"That's just the point! Earth is a grand planet. We—_I_—deserve to thrive and prosper down there! Humans are too insignificant to be worthy of such a planet. We are so much more _powerful _than them; we are more _deserving_ of it! And with your young body, I can rule it for as long as I want!"

Ulquiorra was starting to feel nervous now. He did _not_ like the idea of this thing inhabiting his body; he didn't like it at all! "You don't need my body." What would he do to his friends while he was in his body? The very thought made him struggle, despite that he knew he would never break the binds on his hands and feet.

"You don't need it, do you hear me?" Ulquiorra insisted, trying to keep his tone calm so the creature wouldn't get any ideas about the absolute power he contained.

The thing chuckled and placed his claw against Ulquiorra's face and a white glow surrounded his claw. Ulquiorra could think of nothing to prevent it except to somehow find a way to bide to time by biting down hard on the creature's claw and the thing let go with a yelp of pain. It retaliated by seizing his head and slamming it against the wall behind him. "Is that really all you've got?" The Braagglian snarled, its claw seizing his throat. "Can we think this through?" Ulquiorra whispered, hardly able to breathe but feeling more and more desperate with each passing second as he imagined the damage this creature could do to this friends while in his body. "Don't—!"

And before Ulquiorra could speak, he lost control of his ability to move. He was absolutely paralyzed, only able to see as the alien began to vanish before his eyes. And his mind was filled with memories that weren't his and rage that wasn't like any he had ever felt before. And he could feel himself beginning to forget everything he had experienced and everyone he knew. Panic filled him and he struggled to hold onto their names and faces as they slowly vanished from his mind.

_To be Continued_


	27. Adventure 27

**Adventure #27**

**To Infinity part 3**

_Last time on _Five is an Odd Number_;_

_Grimmjow and the others arrived safely in space and began their journey to the moon! However, along the way they were attacked by aliens who seemed to be after some kind of container that Shizatte had smuggled on board. The group of friends landed safely on the moon and was ordered to hide the odd container in a cave on the moon. However, it turned out that an alien named Scarlet Eyes was hidden in the container! It was revealed that the reason the rocket had been built was to get him away from Earth because aliens are after him because he knows a chant that can control the minds of everyone on Earth, therefore making him the key to world domination! Ulquiorra was mistaken for Scarlet Eyes and taken away to meet their leader. Upon arriving in the ship, Ulquiorra's body was invaded by the leader of the aliens and Grimmjow, Kyoshiro, Weed and Blue have returned to the alien's ship to rescue their friend, knowing nothing about the changes in his behavior…!_

* * *

Grimmjow was sprinting across the dry ground, running towards the ship ahead of him. "Grimmjow, let's do this with as little noise as possible!" Blue called and Grimmjow yelled, "Forget that! By now they've probably figured out he isn't Scarlet Eyes!" Grimmjow had removed his bracelet back in the rocket and currently had all of his powers available (but he still had to wear his spacesuit).

"Grimmjow, wait!" Blue called as Grimmjow approached the door and wrenched off his space gloves and fired a quick but massive cero at the door and it was blown clean off and he charged inside. "He's going to get all of us hurt!" Blue snapped and Kyoshiro said, "We can handle ourselves against them, let's just keep the alien's off him while he gets to Ulquiorra, assuming the guy hasn't broken out already!"

Blue nodded and they ran in after him and prepared to fend off the aliens. And from around the corner, the alien's charged and Blue leaped forward and kicked one in the chin. Weed kicked the alien away from Blue and rammed it against the wall and Kyoshiro leaped into the fray with an eager howl and punched an alien in the face.

It lunged and pinned him to the floor and Blue slammed her foot into its ribs and it flew into the wall. And from behind them, they heard the bellow of a wild animal and a red bull tore into the room and knocked the Braagglians away with its horns! "Scarlet Eyes, what the hell are you doing here?!" Kyoshiro yelled. "We told you to stay behind!"

"I know but—," Scarlet Eyes began and he slammed a powerful kick into two Braagglians as they charged at Weed. "You guys are my bestest, best friends ever so—!"

"We aren't your friends!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and Scarlet Eyes changed into an anvil and fell onto a Braagglian's head.

"Well, Blue is!" he snapped, changing back into his human form and punching Blue's attacker in the face.

"No, I'm—!" Blue began angrily and Scarlet Eyes changed into a mouse and crawled into her pocket as more enemies appeared and Weed called, "They're trying to follow Grimmjow!" and he ran forward and the others followed him.

Grimmjow meanwhile had reached the door to the cell areas but found it sealed by a handprint scanner. He heard the scrabbling of nails above his head and something was on his back and wrenching him away from the door, knocking him to the floor. And suddenly, a green explosion hit the ground beside them and the creature was racing off of him and away down the hall, and Grimmjow looked up.

Grimmjow felt his worry fade when he realized Ulquiorra was standing above him, his fingertip smoking from the Cero he had just fired. And Grimmjow's relief was gone when he noticed just how empty his stare was and the way he continued to point his finger at him, as if considering firing another one right at him. But he wouldn't, so why was he feeling so unnerved?

"Ul…Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow stammered, sitting up. "What are you doing?" Ulquiorra slowly lowered his hand and said, "Let's get out of here. You can ask your questions later." And he hurried by and Grimmjow stood up and hurried after him.

"You hurt?" Grimmjow called and Ulquiorra replied, "No." and he turned the corner with Grimmjow and they both saw Weed, Blue, and Kyoshiro fighting off the Braagglians. Grimmjow charged in and slammed his foot into the stomach of Kyoshiro's opponent and sent him crashing through a wall. "Come on; let's get out of here already!" Grimmjow called and he and his friends raced from the ship and towards the Rover they had left a few miles ahead.

They climbed in and Grimmjow started the jets and they shot away across the surface and all of them began to relax. Scarlet Eyes crawled out of Blue's pocket and let out a whoop and said, "Gee, we really showed them, huh?! That was awesome!" Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, but next time, stay in the rocket, got it?" As the two of them argued, Grimmjow turned his gaze to Ulquiorra. Something was off. Ulquiorra hadn't even chastised him for getting pinned down so easily by that alien back at the ship. In fact, he hadn't so much as looked at any of them or spoken at all.

Grimmjow reached over and tapped him on the shoulder. Ulquiorra glanced at him and Grimmjow suddenly felt this strange sense of dread when Ulquiorra's gaze landed on him. The warmth that was normally there, the light that filled his eyes when they normally made of contact, even after an argument…it was gone. Grimmjow felt rather like he was staring down in a deep, dark well. Ulquiorra hadn't looked at him like that for the four years that they had been in this relationship.

It was malevolent, cold and dead.

And Grimmjow stopped the engines and everyone stared at him in confusion. Grimmjow turned to stare at Ulquiorra, unable to speak. This was absolutely unnerving him. Ulquiorra was silent, his gaze on Scarlet Eyes in the backseat, his eyes slightly wide in rather pleasant surprise. But that look didn't help. It only increased Grimmjow's sense of foreboding.

Ulquiorra's cold emerald eyes found Grimmjow's and he said, "Thank you for stopping the ship. I was worried I'd have to go all the way back to the rocket in order to find him." Everyone had gone deathly still.

And Ulquiorra climbed out and strode to the back and Scarlet Eyes looked up. He said cautiously, "Huh, guys? What's the big—?" and he was wrenched from the ship and pulled backwards from the vehicle! Ulquiorra wrenched the alien against him and prepared a Cero.

"Ulquiorra, what the hell are you doing?!" Kyoshiro roared, horrified and Blue said hysterically, "If this is some kind of sick joke, you'd better—!"

"Joke? This is no joke." Said Ulquiorra and though his voice sounded as it always did, there was no mistaking that the words were not his and all Grimmjow could do was stand there, rooted to the spot and unable to process what was happening to him. He had completely shut down.

And Weed shouted, "Everyone move!" and they all leaped from the vehicle as the cero was fired. Grimmjow yelled, "What the hell is going on, Ulquiorra?!" and, through the dust, he saw Ulquiorra clap some sort of cuffs on Scarlet Eyes' wrists and he understood. This had to be a fake. The real Ulquiorra had to still be onboard, that was the _only _explanation to this situation! This was a trap and a clever one, they sent out a shape shifter for easy infiltration! That was it that _had_ to be it! He _refused_ to see it any other way!

Grimmjow smirked and stood up and called, "Nice try! But you're gonna regret taking on his form, you piece of shit!" and he charged. _Its fine, it looks like him. That's all. It only looks like him. I bet if I beat him up enough, he'll change back and then I can kill him easier! In fact, I bet that will be easy because just because he only looks like him, he doesn't have all his powers!_

_But then how was he able to use Cero? _He shook the thought away as instantly as it had come.

_It _isn't _Ulquiorra, God dammit! _Grimmjow argued, willing it to be true and he flew towards him, his sword drawn. And Ulquiorra vanished and reappeared inches in front of him and kicked him hard in the stomach! Grimmjow flew several feet into the air, his ribs aching. And Ulquiorra appeared above him and seized his throat. Grimmjow snarled. _Come on! I could have blocked him! Why am I so damn slow! It isn't Ulquiorra! It's a fake, fight him off dammit!_

And they increased speed as they fell and Grimmjow thought, _Prepare a cero right now, latch onto him and do it! It isn't Ulquiorra! _Grimmjow tried to bring himself to latch onto him and prepare a Cero but the harder he thought about it, the more his body fought against the idea of hurting him.

And Grimmjow was slammed into the ground, creating a crater and he instantly had to block the sword thrust at him. He was kicked in the stomach and thrown backwards. Grimmjow raised a bare hand and made to block Ulquiorra's sword only to have him vanish and appear behind him. Grimmjow swung around to block and Ulquiorra kicked through his block and sent him flying backwards, his feet digging into the ground. "Oh come on! The real Ulquiorra—!" Grimmjow shouted with a grin and Ulquiorra flew through the dust.

_The real Ulquiorra fights just like this._

And that realization made Grimmjow's resolution drop and his reaction was slow when Ulquiorra appeared right in front of him. Ulquiorra's sword thrust towards his chest and Grimmjow smacked it away and kicked him. Ulquiorra leaped over his head and landed behind him and Grimmjow felt the tip of his blade on his back and Grimmjow turned around.

Grimmjow caught his blade and made to attack but when he looked into Ulquiorra's face, his attack stopped completely and in an instant, Ulquiorra seized his wrist, holding him in place. And Ulquiorra prepared a point-blank Cero right at the tip of his chest. Ulquiorra was going to kill him, right here and right now.

And Grimmjow's jaw clenched, anger and despair welling inside him. Whatever had happened on that ship one thing was now painfully undeniable…Ulquiorra's mind and body were no longer his own.

How could he free him? There was absolutely _no way_ he could free someone's mind! So in that case, the only way out of this would result in Ulquiorra's death. But he could never kill Ulquiorra, so…what was he supposed to do?! How could he ever hope to—?!

And suddenly, Weed had lunged and bit into Ulquiorra's arm, causing him to fire the Cero several yards to the left! Ulquiorra wrenched him off and hurled him to the floor. "Ulquiorra, snap out of it!" Weed called and Ulquiorra scowled and slammed his foot into the dog's ribs! Grimmjow lunged and Ulquiorra turned and slammed his fist into Grimmjow's face. He threw another punch at him but Grimmjow blocked and Ulquiorra made to kick him but Grimmjow raised his leg to block the kick and before he could find an opening, Ulquiorra put all of his reaitsu into his next move and kicked him incredibly hard in the chest.

Grimmjow was sent flying across the surface, tumbling through the ground until he slid to a halt, stars blurring his vision and blood pouring from his nose and lip. How could he do this? How could he _ever_ hope to free Ulquiorra from the creature's control? He slowly began pushing himself up, not even knowing his next move. And when he did sit up, the first thing he saw was a massive green explosion tearing across the ground towards him.

_God dammit._

* * *

His eyes opened and he was lying in his bunk in the rocket. He sat up and looked around and saw Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed standing to his right. The second thing he realized was that the rocket was moving.

He sat up and said gruffly, "What's going on? Why are we moving?"

Blue said, "Ulquiorra took Scarlet Eyes." And Grimmjow scowled. "Well that part was painfully fucking obvious, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Blue explained, "The ship took off with Scarlet Eyes onboard and they're heading towards Earth."

Kyoshiro said, "Before you say anything, we _did_ try and stop him. But, obviously, things got too crazy."

Blue said, "But we're going after him."

"What's the point?" Grimmjow mumbled.

"We can't let them use him to take over the world, Grimmjow." Blue said gently but firmly, "Regardless of whether or not Ulquiorra is not in control of himself. Who knows, maybe things will work out? But in any case, we're responsible for Scarlet Eyes."

Grimmjow just shrugged, glaring at the ground. He no longer felt the urge to keep Scarlet Eyes or Earth safe. That urge had vanished the instant Ulquiorra had turned against them. "Fuck him."

"Grimmjow," Kyoshiro said his voice strangely quiet, "We need your help, alright? We know how much he means to you and all…but our home will be gone unless we stop them together. Only you are capable of fighting Ulquiorra. If we do it, we're dead in a second."

Grimmjow continued to stare at the floor, feeling empty.

Kyoshiro said impatiently, "Well then everything we've done so far is in vein! Everything! Our journey and all of our efforts, Ulquiorra's sacrifice—_yes_, it was a sacrifice and you all know it! He _let_ himself get mistaken for Scarlet Eyes because he knew what would happen if he didn't! Our home is _lost_, Grimmjow, doesn't that mean _anything_ to you?!"

Grimmjow said, "Nope." And Kyoshiro went quiet. "For all this talk of "home", you're forgetting something," Grimmjow said coldly, "Your "home" is Earth and everything _you_ could possibly waste a damn caring about is there. That was only my place of residence. Without him there, there is no home! Not for me." Grimmjow went quiet, feeling something in his chest tighten painfully when he remembered those empty green eyes.

Blue could see Kyoshiro wanted to say something but she placed a hand on his arm and made to speak. She went quiet, not sure if anything she said would convince him. And there was no convincing to be done, anyway. It was easy to tell just by looking at him that there was no spirit left in him.

"Ulquiorra would have wanted—," Kyoshiro began and Grimmjow said, "Don't tell me what he would have wanted. It won't save him."

Kyoshiro said angrily, "So, this is it then? You're just going to quit and let Earth fall into their hands; you're going to let them win? Grimmjow, I expected more from you than this pathetic—!"

Grimmjow just looked away and noticed Weed staring up at him wide surprise filled eyes as well. "Grimmjow…you aren't even going to try?" he asked and Grimmjow could tell he was disappointed and beginning to feel despair at the loss of their friend. He must have been fighting it back, expecting that as long as Grimmjow felt there was some hope, than there was a possibility of saving him.

"What do you mean try?" Grimmjow mumbled. There was no point in trying. There was no way of getting that creature out of Ulquiorra's body. This wasn't some film where the power of love, friendship or something cheesy like that would remove the alien inhabiting his body. And Grimmjow could barely lay a scratch on him to hurt him bad enough to force the creature out.

He almost couldn't accept it, but at the same time…he knew he had too. Ulquiorra was lost to him—he was lost to all of them. And before he knew it, he was angry, his fists balling, his teeth clenching together so tightly it hurt. He was angry at Ulquiorra for letting this happen and he was angry at himself for not stopping it. He never should have agreed to any of this, how could he have agreed to this horrible idea?!

"You really aren't…?" Blue whispered and Grimmjow could hear the disappointment in her voice. All of his friends were disappointed in him. "Grimmjow…" Weed whimpered and Grimmjow looked away from his friends, unable to look at them and see the confirmation of the loss of Ulquiorra in their eyes. Kyoshiro said, his voice strangely soft, "Well…we can still try and—save Scarlet Eyes…right? They're easy to fight so if we just avoid Ulquiorra we could…?"

Everyone was silent and his words were falling on deaf ears. Weed rested his head on his paws, looking the way Grimmjow must have felt. Kyoshiro looked over to Blue and saw that she too was beginning to look disheartened. "Oh come on you guys, we…we have to…" Kyoshiro's voice trailed away and he leaned back against the wall, feeling the determination within him slowly fade, leaving the ache of loss beginning to press hard against his throat, burning his eyes.

And the heavy silence was broken by the sound of static from the radio by the bed. What were they going to tell Shizatte? Blue figured she would have to do the hard part and explain and answered. "H-hello?"

"Bluey, you sound so sad! What'sa matter? You miss me?" a deep voice taunted and Blue's eyes widened. "Scarlet Eyes?!" she exclaimed and everyone looked over in surprise.

"How are you able to speak to us?" Blue asked. Scarlet Eyes said, "Snatched a radio offa some Braagglian! Anyway, can you guys come an' get me? It's kinda borin' in this container!"

"You're a shape-shifter," Grimmjow said, putting his hand over his eyes and slumping over, "Do it yourself."

"You think these guys are dumb? They've put me in a specially made container so that someone with my abilities can't get out! Otherwise I'd love to, Grimmy."

Grimmjow said bitterly, "Tough shit."

"Are you sore about Ulquiorra's body bein' invaded by Ang'Zalmor? If you are, it ain't that big a deal, Grimmy!" Grimmjow sat up and stomped over to the radio and said, "No big deal? Is that what this is?! And whose fault is it that he is like this, huh?! Yours! You honestly think we're going to go and save your sorry ass?! We've lost him because of you, do you understand that?!"

"Geez, relax! It's fixable, trust me!" Scarlet Eyes said imploringly. Grimmjow went quiet for a moment, wondering if Scarlet Eyes was lying. Weed said excitedly, "What do you mean "fixable"? You mean…we can still help him?!"

"Yes, duh, that's what "fixable" means! Ang'Zalmor has been around for years, he's an old geezer now and needs Ulqui's body because he's old and feeble and Ulquio—whatever his name is—isn't! It's near impossible to get him out of the host's body once he's in it. But! You can force him out; it's just difficult as heck! And I can get him out!"

"If you're toying with me just because you want us to rescue you, you're gonna regret it you little punk." Grimmjow growled his heart racing, a spark of hope that he failed to quell starting to burn within him. "I'm not! Geez why are you so mean to me, Grimmy? If I am there, I'll be able to use mind control to force him from Ulquiorra's body!"

Grimmjow didn't know how to describe the relief he felt. All he knew was that energy was flowing back into his system and he was itching to get moving. "You better not be joking."

"I'm not!" Scarlet Eyes exclaimed impatiently and Grimmjow said, "We'll be coming over shortly, don't do anything dumb."

"Got it~!" Scarlet Eyes trilled and he hung up. Only to instantly contact them again and say, "Hey, can I talk to Bluey while I am stuck in here? It's boring as—!"

"No!" Kyoshiro yelled and he hung up with a snarl. Blue snorted. "What a goof."

"More like what a pain in the ass!" Kyoshiro said and Weed turned to Grimmjow and said excitedly, "Let's get going!" and Grimmjow was already on his feet and going to get a third spacesuit from one of the many crates in the basement.

"Like you need to tell me at all!" Grimmjow said, his blood pumping.

_Hang in there, Ulquiorra. Just hang in there._

* * *

S4101991 flew through space at high speed, flying towards Earth.

Grimmjow sat in his seat and controlled the rocket, his eyes searching the boundless blackness around him. He had no idea how he was going to fight Ulquiorra off long enough to get Scarlet Eyes to him. But he had to try. He'd be _damned _before he let someone throw away all of the time, effort and years they had put into this relationship.

Kyoshiro and the others sat behind him, helping control the rocket. Blue looked over at the Sixth Espada and said, "Grimmjow, do we have a plan? I know we're in a hurry and all, but there are so many of them in that ship and we need to rescue Scarlet Eyes."

Grimmjow said, "We get in there, you three fight your way to Scarlet Eyes. I'm going after Ulquiorra."

"Hmm. I guess that'll have to do." She said. "We'll try and get Scarlet Eyes to you quickly and he can take care of trying to get Ulquiorra out."

Weed suddenly said, "There!" and he pointed out the window. The Braagglian's ship was flying slowly to the left outside. Grimmjow activated the rocket's guns and began firing in rapid succession at the ship ahead of them! Kyoshiro raced down to the basement and strapped on a belt full of grenades and said with a sigh, "Ugh, if it weren't for this bulky, ugly spacesuit, this would look awesome!"

And back up above, Grimmjow scowled and began to move the rocket in order to try and avoid the explosions the enemy ship was firing at them. Grimmjow's fingers slipped and a missile was fired into the enemy's ship! "This thing has missiles?!" he exclaimed with excited eyes, a grin plastered on his face.

He began to move the rocket closer to the ship and called into the intercom, "Get by the doors! We're boarding this bastard!" and as he got closer, the doors to the ship opened and several Braagglian boarded aircraft and flew out to circle the rocket.

Grimmjow managed to lock onto one of them and fired a missile at it and it exploded on impact! Meanwhile, down below, Kyoshiro opened the doors and chucked a grenade and it landed at the Braagglians' feet and it exploded! Weed ran forward and seized a gun from the rack near the door and fired a grappling hook from it and into the ship and he, Blue and Kyoshiro slid across and landed on the floor, poised and waiting for Grimmjow.

Grimmjow emerged in his space suit that came with a rather cool looking oxygen mask for a helmet and Kyoshiro said, "That thing's gonna get beat up, you know. Radiation might get in." Grimmjow said, "No. This one had a note from Shizatte on it. It's got metal padding within it strong enough to withstand a few hard blows from maybe not a Zanpakuto, but a strong katana. If the metal gets damaged somehow and breaks, the outer suit produces some sort of protective, medicinal coating that's meant to keep the wounds from getting exposed to the air in space. The ones we wore before produced that coating too, but they weren't padded with metal. There was only one, so Ulquiorra has the other so I don't have to worry about him. Worry about yourself."

"Whatever you—," Kyoshiro began and they all heard their enemies approaching. "Let's move. You guys go for Scarlet Eyes, I'll go get Ulquiorra." Grimmjow said, lifting the mask and drawing his sword before starting away down the reddish, dusty halls.

Weed called, "Be careful, Grimmjow! We'll be quick!" and Kyoshiro nudged him and said, "He'll be fine, we gotta move!" and Weed cast a worried look after Grimmjow. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before hurrying after his friends.

He knew that if he went to help Grimmjow, he'd only be in the way. For now, he'd just have to trust that both he and Ulquiorra would be alright. Blue ran ahead and stopped near the corner and pointed her gun around the corner and fired several blasts from it. She peaked around and saw the two of the Braagglians running towards her and she fired again and they fell.

She beckoned and she and Kyoshiro and Weed hurried away down the hall, searching for the cell area. She called into her radio, "Scarlet Eyes, where are you?"

"I don't know!" he snapped. "I'm floating though, which is kinda—!"

Blue saw large doors ahead and she called, "Those doors look similar!" and Kyoshiro hurried forward and Blue called, "Open them slow—!" and Kyoshiro kicked open the doors and froze when he entered a room full of aliens, all of them gathered around a pit.

Blue made to back away but heard Weed gasp and she turned around and prepared to open fire but was instantly pounced on and Kyoshiro prepared his cannon, pointing the massive gun at Blue and her attackers and Blue shrieked, "Do you want to kill me?!" Weed charged forward to help Blue but was rammed and thrown into a wall and pinned and Kyoshiro pointed his cannon at the ones trying to back him into a corner fired and realized that it had overheated!

The Braagglian advanced, snarling and ready to attack. Suddenly, one of them started speaking behind them, his voice wet and throaty, the language indistinguishable. The aliens in front of them cackled, looking like they quite liked what their companion had said.

"What?" Kyoshiro snapped and Weed was lifted and thrown into the pit! Kyoshiro ran forward with a shout and seven of them charged at him! Blue was tossed into the pit as well and Kyoshiro attempted to fight them off and was slammed into the wall. He was pulled away from the wall and thrown into the railing.

Kyoshiro was seized by the neck by one of the more massive Braagglians' and thrown into the pit as well! Kyoshiro hit the dusty ground with a gasp. The fall had been much, much farther down than it looked! "Blue—!" he gasped, coughing. "Weed, are you two—?!" Blue sat up, coughing and Weed ran at the wall and tried to climb back up but to no avail. "Dammit!" he shouted, infuriated. Kyoshiro called, "When we get outta here, you rats are gonna pay!"

All he received in response to his threats were laughter and jeers from their captives. And then, over the noise, a deep growl was heard from somewhere behind them. Blue turned around, eyes wide. Behind them was a gate, a massive gate that towered above them. And from behind that gate, a deep growl could be heard. It was a growl that shook the floor. And Weed's eyes widened in fear. "What…what is that?" he whimpered, his mouth hanging open.

Kyoshiro turned around, his heart racing. "I…I think we're in a fighting ring…And…I think that's our opponent."

"Oh you cannot be serious..." Blue said, looking dismayed. And a monstrous metallic grinding started up as the massive gates slowly lifted and whatever was behind them began to move, its pace getting faster and faster as it realized its need for blood would soon be sated. The three friends backed away, craning their necks to look up, every one of their senses fully alert and their hearts racing.

And it emerged, towering above them. It must have been at least five stories high. It was a _gigantic_ worm, its body long, thick and its skin a deep red! It had massive needles for teeth! However, its speed was nothing like a worm's speed. It was _fast_, tearing towards them and all they could do was stand there, immobilized!

"What the hell are we going to do?!" Kyoshiro shouted and Blue yelled, "For one thing, we have got to move!" and she seized Weed and she and Kyoshiro sprinted away as it lunged at the ground, digging up a mouthful of dirt before cutting its way deep into the ground and vanishing from sight!

* * *

Ang'Zalmor gazed down at the crate with Scarlet Eyes in it. He asked the alien at the door, "How long before we arrive at Earth?"

"Two weeks, my Lord." spat the Braagglian. Ang'Zalmor sighed but still felt the usual sense of pride at the title he had demanded he be called. Normally aliens didn't refer to their leader as Lord. But he had insisted on it and of course, got what he wanted. "That's quite a long time to be stuck in there, isn't it, Scarlet Eyes?" he asked, placing his foot on the container.

"You know, if you had been easier to catch, my tolerance for you might not be this low. You blew your chance at getting a break from your confined space when you chose to evade me for the past four—!"

And the door slid upwards into the ceiling as a Braagglian crawled inside and snarled, "Lord Ang'Zalmor! We have intruders!" Ang'Zalmor turned around, his eyes wide. He growled, "Intruders?" _They couldn't possibly—!_

"It is the human and those animals! We have imprisoned the animals with our friend in the wormpit but the filthy human is heading this way!"

Ang'Zalmor's lip curled and he scowled. But he was still surprised that the human was still trying. From what he had seen, human loyalty only went so far before it turned to selfishness and they gave up. "How annoying. He actually thinks he can defeat me and win back his friend? What a fool. But, I'll be generous and meet him. It isn't every day I find a human with guts after all." And he strode past his comrade, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

And he felt rage boil within him as he realized that the foolish human actually thought he could stop him. His jaw clenched. He had absolutely _no_ intent of being stopped now!

Not now.

* * *

Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro couldn't afford to stand still so they moved around the ring, their senses alert. "What do we do?" Weed whimpered, looking around. Blue whispered, "I don't know, but we—move!" and they scattered as the ground exploded under their feet and the gigantic worm shot out and lunged for them!

Kyoshiro turned to the right at the last moment and the worm was momentarily confused and Blue lunged for it and sunk her fangs into its skin! The worm's head shot around and lunged for her, ready to devour her! Kyoshiro shouted out a warning and Blue leaped off at the last minute and the worm's teeth grazed its skin!

"Not too bright, are you?!" Kyoshiro shouted, some of his confidence returning. He charged with Blue and they both attacked, their fangs sinking into the worm's skin! The worm spotted Weed crouching in a corner, too shocked to move and it slithered towards him. Kyoshiro panicked and shouted, "Weed, _move_!"

Weed snapped to his senses and ran left and the worm's body cornered him. Weed's heels dug into the ground and then scrambled to turn right and the worm slid after him, its bloody mouth open and gaining speed. Kyoshiro ran across its back and sunk his teeth into its head and bit down hard, nearly gagging as the taste from the monster filled his mouth.

In an effort to get him off, the worm began to tunnel into the ground and Kyoshiro had no time to get off and ended up clinging to the edge of the hole, his nails scrambling on loose dirt! Weed and Blue hastened to help but the worm surfaced right in front of them and lunged for Blue!

Blue waited until he was close enough and then jumped up and landed on its head and raced across its slick body and leapt off before it could tunnel! She charged towards Kyoshiro and she reached him and began to try and pull him up and the worm surfaced behind her! Kyoshiro yelled, "Move it!" and the worm lunged for her! Blue leapt into the hole and Kyoshiro fell with her and the worm slid comfortably in after them.

The dogs tore through the dark, listening to the rumbling behind get louder and closer; they ran faster and smashed into a wall of dirt, light pouring in from above. Blue began trying to climb up and so did Kyoshiro. And the worm was right there, its jaws opening wide.

"Blue, we may not get out of here, so I just—!" Kyoshiro yelled as it got closer. Blue said, "We _will_, keep climbing!"

"In case we don't—!"

"Yeah?"

"I—I—!" and Weed flew in from above and sank his fangs deep into the worm's head! He began to slide down its back, his fangs and nails digging into the insect's skin! The worm reared up and broke through the ground and Weed still clung on, his fear gone and his natural instincts kicking in!

He felt himself choking as the dirt poured down around him, going down his nostrils and into his mouth—he only clung harder, his eyes watering. And finally they broke through the surface and Weed was flung off and crashed to the floor and slid in the dirt, coughing and gasping.

And the worm was tearing towards him and Weed was on his feet and began to run, blinking the dirt from his eyes! And the worm's tail slammed into him, knocking what little breath there was from his lungs and throwing him into the wall! And through his blurry vision, his saw that a single grenade had slipped from the seating area several feet above him and landed on the floor ahead of him.

And he saw Kyoshiro and Blue emerge from the hole and run towards him, spraying dirt behind them as they ran, desperate to get to him. Weed saw the worm's gaping mouth getting closer and felt despair welling in him. If he could just get to the grenade…God, the worm's mouth was like an endless, bloody pit. There was absolute blackness within its mouth, the teeth bloodstained…And Weed was on his feet and racing towards the grenade. And he knew he would never reach it in time as the worm approached. So he jumped and landed on the top of its head, his feet kicking madly to avoid slipping into its mouth.

* * *

Grimmjow flew through the halls, his sword out and his blood pumping as he neared Ang'Zalmor's location. More of his annoying minions ran out from around the corners and Grimmjow easily sliced through them. The last one dodged however but Grimmjow caught the creature's misshapen head in his hand and crushed its skull in his grasp.

He stopped flying and landed upon the floor. He could sense Ulquiorra's reaitsu coming from somewhere ahead and he scowled. The bastard inhabiting his body didn't even know how to control Ulquiorra's reaitsu! Ulquiorra would have never let his spiritual energy flare like that. He scowled, baring his teeth and strode forward. Seriously, couldn't someone a little more _worthy _inhabit his form? _Like I don't know…maybe Ulquiorra himself? _Grimmjow thought, his fists clenching.

He didn't know how this would play out. But he was not a quitter. He _would_ find a way to free Ulquiorra's mind and body. No matter what.

And he could feel him getting closer and paused before striding to the door he knew Ang'Zalmor stood behind and leaning outside it. He needed to relax. If he was nervous and went into battle, it would be difficult to focus. This wasn't Ulquiorra—okay, well it was—but he wasn't in control of his actions. _Just pretend he said something obnoxious. That'll make it easier to beat the shit out of him. Right? God dammit…_

And the door slid open and Ulquiorra strode outside and froze ahead of him, obviously staring at the bodies. He saw his fists clench. Grimmjow forced his lips to move. "You know the real Ulquiorra wouldn't walk right by me and not even see me, dipshit."

Ang'Zalmor turned his head and his empty eyes found Grimmjow's. He said, "Well, color me impressed, human. After that disaster of a fight you put up, I am surprised you dragged yourself back to my ship. And you didn't even try to steal back the Lunarr'i."

He said the word "human" like it was bile in the back of his throat. Grimmjow straightened his back and stepped away from the wall, his sword held ready in his hand, but he didn't move. Grimmjow said, "I don't give a flying fuck about the alien. All I am here for is that." He pointed to Ulquiorra. "So, I am going to only tell you once to get the fuck out of his body, you piece of shit."

Ang'Zalmor said, "You couldn't even so much as touch me before, you fool. And you expect me to take your threat seriously? You cannot so much as harm a single hair on my head as long as I am in this body. So, judging by what I've seen from his memories, pretending that this man means nothing to you won't fool me."

Grimmjow's scowl vanished and he just stared, taking this in. "You've…looked at his memories?" he said, feeling some sort of rage building within him.

"Yes, of course. Why? Did you assume all of his memories are stored separately from mine in some container somewhere in his head? I've seen them. All of them. I've got every right to look. This body is mine now, I can do whatever I want and see what I want. Don't you dare to think you even have the _audacity_ to tell me otherwise! And I've seen enough to know that in this body, I could take the Lunarr'i to Earth and have him take over and you _still_ wouldn't so much as touch me." Ang'Zalmor boasted.

_So this piece of shit has free access to every single moment between us? He has access to every single one of Ulquiorra's thoughts and every feeling associated with them. And as far as he is concerned, it's fucking entertaining!_ He said through clenched teeth, "You've got no fucking _business_ looking through his thoughts, you son of a bitch."

"As long as I am in his body, I can do _whatever_ I want! It's not like you can harm me while I am in his body anyway, so who is to stop me?! Who are you to even _imply_ that you could when you can't even _touch _me? So with that in mind tell me, would you like to hear what he's thought of you when he's angry at you? I think you would."

Grimmjow gripped his sword so tightly, his knuckles turned white. Ang'Zalmor said, "Your so-called relationship was formed through your plan to use his curiosity of human emotions and manipulate him into thinking you cared about him."

"Stop it." Grimmjow ordered. He needed to attack him; this wasn't Ulquiorra, not the Ulquiorra he knew. But his mind just couldn't tell itself that. "So, are you still doing it? He seems to think so sometimes. One of his thoughts reads that he finds it hard to believe someone could be capable of genuinely feeling anything towards him other than negativity and in his doubt—,"

And Grimmjow didn't want to hear anymore than that.

"_Shut up_!" Grimmjow roared and he charged at him! Ang'Zalmor raised a hand and blocked Grimmjow's sword. Grimmjow raised his foot and Ang'Zalmor vanished and appeared behind him! Grimmjow was kicked in the back of the ribs and thrown forward down the hall. Grimmjow flipped over and blocked Ang'Zalmor's sword! Grimmjow prepared a cero and Ang'Zalmor made Ulquiorra prepare one as well.

Grimmjow sneered. "And how are you gonna get to Earth with half a ship?!"

"Easy, I'll take yours!" Ang'Zalmor snapped and Grimmjow remembered Blue and Kyoshiro and Weed were still onboard and he seized Ang'Zalmor's wrist and dragged him forward and slammed his foot into Ang'Zalmor's stomach! Grimmjow smirked. _Ulquiorra would never have allowed that. I can do this!_

And Ang'Zalmor made to impale Grimmjow in the chest! Grimmjow's eyes widened and he smacked his hand away, vanished and appeared beside him. Grimmjow swung his sword, flaring his reaitsu in order to make a thin slash across Ulquiorra's shoulder. Ulquiorra raised his foot and kicked him! Grimmjow flew through the side of the ship and out into space and Ulquiorra flew after him, his sword drawn!

Ulquiorra raised his sword above him and Grimmjow blocked with his bare hand and felt the blade bite into his skin! Ulquiorra kicked him and Grimmjow flew backwards and crashed into the rocket and scrambled to stand as Ulquiorra flew towards him. Grimmjow gripped the ladder and Ulquiorra raised his sword above his head!

Grimmjow planted his feet in Ulquiorra's stomach and he drifted backwards into space and used Sonido to land atop the rocket. Grimmjow climbed the ladder and turned around in time to see Ulquiorra's sword inches from his neck! Grimmjow raised his sword and blocked the attack but was kicked in the chest and tumbled away across the rocket.

Ulquiorra flew towards him and prepared a cero! Grimmjow's heart jumped and he prepared a cero as well and they both fired! Their ceros collided and exploded and they both flew towards one another, their blades clashing and Grimmjow only just barely blocking each fatal blow.

And Ulquiorra's blade flew towards his face and Grimmjow ducked and stabbed at Ulquiorra's arm. Ulquiorra blocked and then pushed down hard on Grimmjow's blade and slid his sword across Grimmjow's with the intent of stabbing him in the eye!

Grimmjow watched the blade get closer to his eye and he vanished and appeared above him and Ulquiorra turned around and blocked his attack with ease. Grimmjow scowled.

_They better get Scarlet Eyes here quickly or we're gonna kill each other._

* * *

The worm tossed its head and Weed was thrown off and tumbled in the dirt and Kyoshiro ran forward with Blue and they both lunged and bit into the worm's flesh! Kyoshiro called, "Ugh, dammit, it's no good!" And as the worm was inches from him, Weed leaped on, confusing the worm and causing it to think its prey had climbed the wall and escaped!

And the worm crashed through the wall of its cage and Blue and Kyoshiro clung on for dear life as the worm tunneled up and emerged beside the Braagglians. And the creatures panicked and began to run as the worm began to slide quickly towards them, its mouth opening and closing! They leaped off the worm's back and it slid away after the aliens, devouring anything in its path.

"Good work!" Kyoshiro called, "At least we're out of the pit!" and Blue seized their guns and raced away after them. She called, "We have to find Scarlet Eyes!" He saw the worm break through the walls behind them but it tunneled into the wall opposite it in pursuit of its unlucky prey.

Kyoshiro called, "We're safe from him for now!" and from ahead of them, they saw Braagglian tearing towards them! Kyoshiro scowled and set Weed down. The aliens didn't seem to care about the fact that their "pet" had just gotten loose and seemed content to focus on both because they instantly attacked Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro!

Weed lunged and sunk his fangs into the Braagglian's neck and the alien clawed at his space suit, its nails digging into his skin. Weed managed to knock him over onto his back but his neck was seized in its jaws! Blue was lifted off her feet by a taller alien and thrown across the room and the creature sprung towards her! Kyoshiro lifted his enemy and threw him into Blue's and they both crashed into the wall and Blue ran to assist Weed!

Weed lifted his claws and ripped into his opponent's chest! The creature slashed him across the cheek with a snarl, releasing his neck in the process!

Kyoshiro ran forward and slammed his head into the Braagglian and he was sent flying into the wall and Blue reached her gun and fired a blast into his skull and then into the two others and tossed Weed and Kyoshiro their guns and yelled, "Get moving! We have to get Scarlet Eyes to Grimmjow!" and they began to run down the hall.

And the ground began rumbling and ahead of them, the worm burst through the walls and burrowed into the one across from it! "Keep moving!" Blue ordered and they all ran left and Kyoshiro recognized the corridor. "We're near!" he called and just as he reached the door, the door opened and five Braagglians emerged.

One of the let out a high pitched shriek and bared his jaws and sprung towards them! Kyoshiro slammed his arm cannon into his face and kicked him in the stomach! The alien's tail wrapped around his neck and slammed him into the wall! Weed shot forward and bit into its tail and the alien curled Kyoshiro in towards himself and hurled him down the corridor!

Blue yelled, "Weed, move!" and she hurled a grenade at the floor and the aliens, still attempting to get to them, were killed! Kyoshiro called, "Good one!" and sprinted down the steps and past multiple cells! "Where is he?!" he yelled over the crashes of the worm which were getting closer and closer.

Blue called, "He wouldn't be in a cell, search the boxes over there!" and Weed darted over and spotted a familiar container and he scowled when he saw a strange type of lock on it. "Where's the key to this?" he called and Kyoshiro simply shot the lock three times and kicked open the container.

Scarlet Eyes looked up and exclaimed, "Guys! You came to save me!" and Kyoshiro pulled him out and saw the cuffs. Blue tossed him several strange looking keys that she'd found on a stool beside one of the empty cells. Kyoshiro caught them and tried each one in the cuffs and one fit. Scarlet Eyes heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Owwy! What the hell is that noise~?" he whined. "It's a—!" Kyoshiro exclaimed and the worm burst through the wall behind them and tunneled away, blood all over its mouth. Scarlet Eyes shrieked and jumped into Blue's arms.

"We need to get onboard the rocket!" Blue called and Scarlet Eyes said, "Oh, I know where they keep their vehicles, follow me!" and he changed into a bear and charged outside and slashed and pummeled the aliens trying to stop them. Scarlet Eyes knelt down and said, "Climb on." And the three of them climbed on and clung on for dear _life _as Scarlet Eyes pelted away.

* * *

Grimmjow flew towards Ulquiorra and leaped up at the last second, flying above his head. Ulquiorra looked up and casually blocked the vicious slash from above. Grimmjow snarled and aimed a hard kick at his face! Ulquiorra easily dodged and Grimmjow landed behind him and was about to slash his shoulder and Ulquiorra made to block.

Grimmjow changed attacks and prepared all of his reaitsu behind his fist and slammed it hard into Ulquiorra's ribs and the man staggered, clearly in pain. Grimmjow internally winced but charged towards him and tried to slash his cheek, Ulquiorra raised his sword and blocked. Grimmjow slammed both feet into his stomach and then brought his sword down on Ulquiorra's shoulder!

Ulquiorra smacked his sword away and tried to kick him and Grimmjow leaped over him and drew back his fist.

Ulquiorra caught it and slammed his foot into Grimmjow's stomach!

Grimmjow tumbled away across the rocket, hardly able to breathe! And he stopped close to the end of the rocket, coughing. "How do you expect to win if you can't so much as cut me?" Ang'Zalmor mocked.

"The…idea is to find a way…to not kill him…" Grimmjow snapped his breathing heavy. And Ulquiorra used Sonido and was right in front of him. His seized his jacket and lifted him up, preparing a cero from the tip of his finger which was pointed right into Grimmjow's face.

And Grimmjow lifted his sword, flared his reaitsu to the highest and cut into Ulquiorra's arm. That was it. He needed to hurt him. He had to fight him in order to stay alive. Ulquiorra released him instantly and slammed his elbow into his ribs! Grimmjow smacked his hand away and tried to kick him but Ulquiorra vanished! Grimmjow looked left, right and then up!

Grimmjow only had seconds to move. Ulquiorra's foot came crashing down on the rocket, causing a large dent to appear! Grimmjow appeared behind him and prepared a cero! Ulquiorra whipped around and pushed his hand aside and attempted to kick him in the jaw!

Grimmjow dodged and felt Ulquiorra's foot just barely graze his ear. Ulquiorra's sword shot forward towards his neck, aiming to slash it open! Grimmjow bent over backwards and did a flip, one of his feet hitting Ulquiorra hard in the chin. Grimmjow sprung at him, his sword raised.

Ulquiorra prepared to block and Grimmjow vanished and appeared to his left and his sword only just poked at his ribs when Ulquiorra vanished. Ulquiorra appeared to his left and prepared to kick him! Grimmjow lifted both his wrists and blocked but was sent flying backwards!

Grimmjow drifted from the rocket and Ulquiorra shot after him! When he was inches from Grimmjow, Grimmjow suddenly flew at him and raked his sword down Ulquiorra's side! Ulquiorra's eyes widened, feeling blood trickling down his side. He scowled.

Grimmjow flew past him and when he turned around, Ulquiorra was flying at him and Grimmjow could only block and evade as Ulquiorra's sword began to move at a frightening pace, attempting to slash at every part of his body! Grimmjow blocked one more time and Ulquiorra seized his sword and slammed his head into Grimmjow's and then planted a rib-breaking kick into his side that sent him drifting away!

Grimmjow's heels dug into the invisible floor of space and he looked around, fighting back coughs and gasps. Ulquiorra silently appeared above him and aimed his sword down at his skull. Grimmjow looked up and he flung himself out of the way and flew back to the rocket with Ulquiorra racing after him. Grimmjow turned around halfway and Ulquiorra's eyes widened. Grimmjow punched him hard in the face and slammed a kick into his stomach and Ulquiorra aimed a blind stab at his face!

Grimmjow raised his sword to block Ulquiorra's attack and Ulquiorra kicked through the block and sent him crashing into the rocket! And Grimmjow flew up into the air, blood dripping from his mouth to float away into space. Ulquiorra appeared inches in front of him and Grimmjow seized the sword that was inches from his chest and managed to slash a deep wound across Ulquiorra's chest!

Grimmjow then slammed his foot against the injury and Ulquiorra leaped backwards, his eyes wide. Grimmjow flew at him and used Sonido to get inches in front of him and then kicked him hard in the jaw! Ulquiorra vanished and Grimmjow turned around to attack but as he turned, Ulquiorra instead appeared right behind him!

"Dammit, stop jumping around like a fucking coward!" Grimmjow roared and he saw that Ulquiorra had frozen and was staring at something behind him. "Oi, what—?" And Grimmjow could see it reflected in Ulquiorra's eyes and his fighting spirit was gone momentarily.

For in Ulquiorra's dead eyes, he could see the massive supernova behind them and could feel himself being slowly pulled towards it.

* * *

Scarlet Eyes stopped running when he reached the basement, completely exhausted. "Geez, you guys are heavy!" he said and Kyoshiro climbed off and tore towards a spacecraft that looked large enough for them. "Come on, we gotta get—!" and the ship lurched forward and Kyoshiro latched onto a spacecraft.

Blue fell against him and Kyoshiro gripped her waist and said, "What was that?!" Scarlet Eyes said, "No idea…stop touching my woman…" he growled and Blue glared at him and said, "Be quiet and let's get on board this—!" and the wall next to them exploded!

The worm emerged, its mouth covered in blood and it tore towards them! Scarlet Eyes screamed and began to run and the beast slid after him! Weed shot forward and bit hard into the worm's flesh! The worm reared and shook him off! Weed crashed to the floor and Blue raced forward with Kyoshiro and they both lunged and sank their fangs into the worm's moist skin!

Weed stood and made to run over to help, but the worm's tail slammed into him and sent him crashing into the wall! Weed looked up, his head aching. Time was running out. They needed to get to Grimmjow before Ulquiorra made the biggest mistake of his life. And this thing was slowing them down.

Weed stood up. He was not going to let that happen.

Kyoshiro was thrown off and hit the floor. He yelled, "Ha! Is that all you got?" and he charged towards the guns that he had dropped when the ship lurched! He reached his cannon and fired a hot blast at the worm, but for all the good that did, he might have just hit it with a hot sponge!

He tossed Blue her gun and she fired rapid bursts at it, but though the bullets burned and stung, that was all they did. And Weed pulled his small gun from his belt and fired a massive jet of fire at it! The worm was confused now, not knowing who to go after as Blue, Kyoshiro and Weed circled it.

And its tail shot out and smashed into Weed and Kyoshiro! Blue did a flip over the tail and instantly had to dodge the worm's teeth as it attempted to swallow her! Weed sat up and prepared to fire but realized that his gun was broken! "Crap…" he muttered and he began to run. His grenade belt was empty. He looked over at Kyoshiro and saw he had one grenade left! "Kyoshiro, pass me the grenade!" he called and Kyoshiro had to tumble across the floor as the worm lunged for him and missed, biting into the ground!

Blue was smacked by its tail and sent flying into the wall and Scarlet Eyes gasped and changed into a lion and charged into battle—only to be smacked on the head by the worm's tail! Kyoshiro hurled his grenade at Weed and Weed leapt forward to grab it! The worm's middle came crashing down in front of him and he gasped and attempted to climb over it and the worm turned around!

Weed only had seconds to scramble off its back before the worm bit into its own flesh and instantly thrashed its tail in agonized anger at Weed! Weed was sent flying into the wall and he spotted the grenade lying on the ground just as the worm turned towards him!

Weed began racing towards it at the same time the worm began sliding towards him! _It's no good, I am not going to be able to make—Wait…_and an idea came to him. He realized that the exact moment he reached the grenade; the worm would swallow him whole.

The idea was terrifying, disgusting, risky…but it was the only good one he had. _And I remember correctly, worms store their food somewhere before digesting it, so I should be safe from its gizzard. I hope…_

He had to do it. For his friends, for the safety of Earth, for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra…And he reached the grenade and picked it up in his jaws as the worm bore down upon him! "Weed! _MOVE_!" Kyoshiro roared, running towards him!

And before Weed could have made any attempt to toss the grenade inside, the worm had swallowed him!

Weed managed to slip past its razor, bloodied teeth and into its digestive track. The stench was unbelievable, he could think of no words to describe what he smelled. All he wanted was to get out! So he unpinned the grenade, turned around and hurled it towards its teeth and heard it start to beep!

And outside, Scarlet Eyes was shaking in fear as Blue and Kyoshiro battled the worm. He saw Blue got thrown into the wall and saw the worm preparing to eat her and he knew he couldn't stay still anymore! He sat up and charged with a roar of, "I'll save ya, Blue!" and Scarlet Eyes was splattered in what remained of the worm's head as its head exploded. He coughed, spitting something out onto the ground and blinking gunk out of his eyes. Blue had shielded her face in her hands and so had avoided most of the mess. Kyoshiro staggered forward, unsure of what the heck had just happened.

They approached the headless worm and looked inside. There was nothing but complete, utter darkness ahead of them. "Weed?" Kyoshiro called, his voice echoing. And, from the dark, they heard something…were they footsteps?

Kyoshiro stepped forward, squinting and sure enough, he saw something getting closer and closer…They saw the silhouette of a dog stumbling towards them!

And a blood-covered paw stepped forward and all of them looked down, their eyes widening when they took in the sight of their young friend! Weed had emerged from within the corpse completely covered in blood and other unmentionables, and looking like he was about to faint from disgust. But even so, he stood tall, even as thick, green blood and God-knows what else slid down his face.

"Weed…Are you—?" Kyoshiro began, looking stunned. And Weed just gave a stiff nod and moved forward slowly and stiffly, as if trying to keep anymore of the stuff on him from touching him.

"L—let's just go help Grimmjow." He said, tossing back his head to keep the slime out of his eyes. "Sure, yeah." Blue said, trying not to hold her nose as he walked by. "You want a towel or something?"

"Kind of." Weed said.

And within seconds they had found a functioning aircraft, Weed, Blue and Scarlet Eyes boarded it and Kyoshiro opened the bay-doors. "Alright, let's—holy shit…" he whispered and though the pull wasn't very strong—yet!—he latched onto the door for fear that he might get sucked into space.

Blue gasped when she saw it and Scarlet Eyes exclaimed, "_Wowie_!" There was a supernova several miles ahead of them, but it was getting bigger and bigger and the ship was slowly getting closer to it with each passing second! "What do we do now?" Weed gasped and Blue said, "We do what we are supposed to. Stick with the plan." And she put on a burst of speed and flew the spaceship towards Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro leaped in and Blue closed the door and flew out into space.

She put the ship on the highest possible speed and managed to fly around the giant ship and towards the rocket where she could make out Grimmjow and Ulquiorra fighting. "Get Ang'Zalmor out and do it fast, we have got to get out of here with the rocket!" Blue called to Scarlet Eyes, opening the door and jumping out onto the rocket. The others followed, gripping the ladder for support as they hurried towards their friends.

Meanwhile, Ulquiorra smashed his foot into Grimmjow's ribs and sent Grimmjow toppling to the ground, gasping. Ulquiorra turned towards his ship as it was pulled into the supernova, and as he turned away Grimmjow could see pure fear in his eyes. And Grimmjow suddenly had a horrible feeling that he knew what Ang'Zalmor wanted to do.

"Don't go over there. Stay put!" Grimmjow ordered, not wanting Ulquiorra anywhere near it. "Shut your insolent mouth." Ang'Zalmor snarled, and Grimmjow could hear his real voice coming in over Ulquiorra's through his rage and fear, distorting Ulquiorra's to the point where it was unrecognizable.

Grimmjow stood, his hand gripping the ladder. "Listen to me, do not—!" Grimmjow roared and Ang'Zalmor took off, flying back towards his ship! _"No!"_ Grimmjow yelled, horrified! He heard Blue shout, "Grimmjow, _where_ is he going?!" Grimmjow yelled, "Back to his ship! Get the rocket away, now!"

"Scarlet Eyes, get with me! We have got to separate them!" Grimmjow yelled and Scarlet Eyes raced towards him and the both of them climbed into the spaceship and flew after Ang'Zalmor. As they got closer to the core, they felt the ship being pulled forward. Grimmjow flew the spaceship up to the side of the Braagglian's ship and saw Ulquiorra trying to open the door from the outside.

The instant he did open the door, there was an explosion that nearly knocked him off and Grimmjow could see fire raging in spheres inside the ship! Ang'Zalmor shouted something inside, clearly looking for someone, possibly his comrades. Grimmjow could make out the bodies of aliens floating inside. Ulquiorra attempted to race inside, but the risk of being burned alive was too great. He flew away from that door and up to the roof of the ship. Grimmjow flew the spaceship after him.

There was a hatch on the ceiling and he could see Ulquiorra pulling hard on it. Grimmjow's heart leaped as he saw Ulquiorra's feet nearly slip out underneath him as the gravitational pull increased! Grimmjow put on a burst of speed and flew the spaceship over to him and landed it atop the ship.

The Espada was frozen, a look of shock on his face. Ang'Zalmor said, "My friends are all _dead_ because of you! If you hadn't been so foolish and tried to stop me, we would have been miles away from this!" he shouted, pure rage in his voice and anger and sorrow in his eyes.

"It ends _here_, human!" he roared. Grimmjow pointed his sword in front of him. "Finally." He snarled. "I'm done with your bullshit. I'm taking him _back_!"

"Just try!" he roared and he drew his sword and prepared to attack when suddenly he froze.

Grimmjow's eyes narrowed in confusion as Ulquiorra doubled over, his hand gripped his chest. "What…" he snarled, his voice a guttural growl, "What are you doing, Lunarr'i…?" He was staring at Scarlet Eyes, the alien's red eyes glowing and a look of concentration on his face. Ang'Zalmor said, "You honestly think that you can…that you…can force me out?!" and he seized the hilt of his sword, trying to remain in control of his body.

"What are you staring at?! Let's finish—!" and his eyes widened as Ulquiorra's hand suddenly began moving to sheath his sword. With an enraged snarl, he wrenched his sword out and pointed it at Grimmjow and charged forward but half way to him, his feet stopped moving, his hand flew to sheath his sword and he said, "No! Stop it, I am in control do you hear me? Me! I—!"

And his sword was forcibly sheathed but he said, "Fine. I don't need a sword to beat you into the ground, I will—!" and a glowing red light began to ooze from his pores and the Braagglian leader materialized in front of them as Ulquiorra fell to his knees, completely exhausted.

And Ang'Zalmor flung himself at Grimmjow! The old alien was inches from Grimmjow's face when a sword was thrust through its back, spearing him in place. The Braagglian leader whispered, his voice a broken, fearful croak, "Why…? Why am I dying alone? I was promised I would never…die alone…! I thought things would be different in this life… I thought I would have everything you fought for, human…How is it that two _humans_ had everything I have searched so long for, something I couldn't even have in this life? Why couldn't I have what you have…? Why couldn't I have someone to fight for…? Why, tell me…?" And he went limp, his aged voice dying and trailing away in a choked gurgle.

And Grimmjow looked from the corpse to the man in front of him. Ulquiorra was standing in front of him, his breathing hard and a look of fear fading from his eyes as he realized that Grimmjow was unhurt. They stared at one another, neither sure what to say.

Grimmjow looked in his eyes and when he saw the warmth and concern in them, he felt a sort of calm spread throughout his body. A calm he had come to realize over time was brought out by Ulquiorra's presence. He saw Ulquiorra's shoulders relax and saw the arm he had used to hurl his weapon fall to his side and saw the tension fade from his eyes and face.

For a moment there was such a moment of peace between them, that it was as if there was no expanding Supernova behind them, there was no gravity slowly trying to pull them from the ship. There was just Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, the both of them slowly realizing the lengths they had just went to for each other.

And Grimmjow grinned his widest, his shoulders heaving as let out soft, happy laughter.

A look of gentle fondness entered Ulquiorra's eyes and though the smile that graced his lips was small, it lit up his face and brought light to his already gentle eyes. And nothing more needed to be said or done.

And the ship lurched forward beneath them and Scarlet Eyes yelped and grabbed onto the spaceship behind them and yelled, "While you two are being mushy, there's a _Supernova_ behind us!" And Ulquiorra turned and stepped backwards, feeling himself being pulled towards it. "Let's go." He said and they both raced towards the spacecraft!

They climbed in and Scarlet Eyes flung himself in the backseat and leaned over to watch over Grimmjow's shoulder as he piloted it. The spaceship lifted and began to fly away and Grimmjow put it on the highest speed possible! But the pull was even stronger and the more speed he used, the slower it got as they were pulled closer to the Supernova's core.

"This isn't working." Ulquiorra said, looking out the window. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know!" Grimmjow said his tone nervous. He put on another burst of speed and Grimmjow cursed when he saw large pits of metal and rock being pulled from the Braagglian's ship and flying towards them!

He tried to fly the ship around them but the increase in gravity made it difficult and the debris slammed into their ship. "We're gonna die!" Scarlet Eyes shrieked, covering his eyes and Ulquiorra said, "It could be worse." And another massive piece of metal smashed into their ship and the engine stopped working.

And they were being pulled backwards within seconds! And the ship slammed into something and they turned around and saw the rocket behind them, the bay-doors open and Blue waving at them! "Idiots. Do they want to get us all killed?!" Grimmjow snapped and Ulquiorra opened the door and was instantly pulled into the rocket and Grimmjow and Scarlet Eyes hurried after him.

"Real smart! Now we're _all_ gonna die!" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue said, "We couldn't leave you to die, alright?" they closed the doors and raced up to the control room and saw Kyoshiro and Weed. Kyoshiro said, "We need to think of something and we need to do it fast!"

Grimmjow said, "Like what?"

Ulquiorra said, "We need to turn the rocket around. The jets are strong enough to propel us far enough and the explosion should do the rest."

"What explosion?" Weed exclaimed.

"It's a Supernova, any second it will explode. We use the rocket's engine to gain speed and when the star explodes we will either be burned alive or propelled forward by the explosion. Or both." Ulquiorra said, sitting down and watching as Kyoshiro turned the rocket around. Blue and the others seated themselves and began to increase the rocket's speed.

Scarlet Eyes dove under the seat with a terrified scream and Grimmjow sat beside Ulquiorra and helped maneuver the rocket. The rocket was very slowly turned around so that the jets faced the Supernova behind them.

"Christ, this isn't going to work!" Grimmjow said, feeling the rocket quaking from the strain it was being put under. "Either we'll burn or the rocket will be ripped apart and then we'll burn!" Grimmjow exclaimed, actually starting to panic! Kyoshiro yelled, "Stop panicking, you're making everything worse!"

Weed watched with wide eyes as they were pulled closer to the swirling mass of red and black. "We cannot afford to get any closer than this." Ulquiorra called over the rocket's beeping and quaking. Warning signs were popping up on every screen and the alarm was blaring. The core beckoned them now and escape seemed impossible.

Kyoshiro flung himself from his seat and raced to Blue and called, "Blue, I need to tell you something!" Blue called, "Kyoshiro, we'll be fine, we'll get out of this!"

"Yeah and if we don't, I should tell you—I—!" Kyoshiro stumbled over his words and he said, "No, don't back out! God dammit! Blue, I l—!" and Scarlet Eyes shouted, "I love you, Blue! I love you so, so, so, so much! But I don't want to die with you!" he wailed, throwing himself at her feet.

Weed called, "I just want you guys to know, you guys are the best friends I have ever had! And if we have to go, I'm glad we'll go together!" he called, hugging Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra called, his tone shaking, "Stay on the controls."

Blue shouted, "What did you want to tell me, Kyoshiro?" her voice sounded desperate, like she needed to hear it, her eyes no longer on the controls, but fixed intensely on his.

Grimmjow's hand left the dashboard and settled instead on Ulquiorra's hand and Ulquiorra looked over at him with wide eyes. And Ulquiorra took his hand and held it tightly as they got closer and closer to their demise.

And the supernova exploded! And with the combination of both the rocket's engines set on maximum power and the massive explosion behind them, they were sent flying forward at top speed by the shock wave, the rocket only a few feet ahead of the explosion racing up behind them, and Scarlet Eyes flew backwards and crashed into the door! Grimmjow and the others were all flattened into their seats and Kyoshiro was sent tumbling across the floor and crashed Scarlet Eyes, crushing him against the door!

And the rocket shot off through space! Grimmjow's mouth was hanging open, too shocked to even believe their luck. He looked over at Ulquiorra and saw that he looked ready to pass out. And Grimmjow flung his arms around him in an instant and broke out into fits of lightheaded laughter.

They were alive!

Kyoshiro sat up on the floor and looked around, realized he was still alive and keeled over unconscious. Blue started to laugh and Weed started to cheer! "We did it! We're alive! We're alive!" he shouted and Blue spun around in her chair!

Grimmjow flung himself back in his chair, exhausted but grinning hugely and Ulquiorra leaned back, his arm around Grimmjow's shoulders.

And the rocket disappeared from sight, heading towards Earth.

* * *

An hour later, they had all began to relax at long last. Weed was explaining to Shizatte about everything that had happened while Scarlet Eyes ate some food, while observed by Kyoshiro, and Blue took a nap in the living room. Ulquiorra sat beside Grimmjow and helped bandage his injuries while Grimmjow shared his meal with him.

Ulquiorra said, "There's one more on your back and then I'm done." and began to bandage the wound on his lower back. Grimmjow nodded, chewing his food. Ulquiorra paused and said, "I did these. Didn't I?" Grimmjow looked over his shoulder and said, "No shit, what gave it away?"

Ulquiorra could tell he wasn't angry at him though, or at least, not angry at his actions and more annoyed at his obvious statement. "Shit, you gonna get depressed on me now? I really don't give a fuck, they're just a bunch of scratches. They'll go away. I actually think I punched you pretty damn good."

Ulquiorra gave a stiff nod and gently disinfected the cut on Grimmjow's back before bandaging it. "You did. My stomach's fairly bruised." He stated. Ulquiorra handed him his shirt and then sat back against the bed and watched Grimmjow rest his elbows upon his knees in a laid back manor. Ulquiorra took a last look at all the bandages on him and suppressed a sigh.

He had gotten all of those trying to help get him back in control of his mind. They had all nearly died today for him. He had a feeling proper thanks were in order but he was so tired he felt ready to pass out. He rolled back his head and closed his eyes and he could feel Grimmjow's intense gaze on him. He opened his eyes again and found himself momentarily surprised by what emotions were hidden within that hard gaze.

He said, "I know this will sound awkward because of how late it is but, I want to thank you for going to so many lengths for me today." Grimmjow shrugged. "You don't need to thank me, you know. That just sounds dumb." Ulquiorra said, now unsure what else to do, "Yes. It does. But I think it is better than not acknowledging it at all."

"But as dumb as it sounds, I'd much rather hear that awkward apology than not have you lying behind me." Grimmjow added. Ulquiorra nodded, unsure what else to say. So he didn't say anything and instead leaned over and kissed the bandaged injury on his cheek. Grimmjow reacted quickly and turned around and kissed Ulquiorra, his hand holding the nape of his neck to keep him close. Ulquiorra kissed him back and Grimmjow's strong arms were around his shoulders.

When they separated, Ulquiorra rested his chin against Grimmjow's shoulder and Grimmjow held him tightly, his face nuzzled in the crook of his partner's neck. He heard Ulquiorra's soothing velvety voice whisper, "What took you so long to do that? Worried about hurting me?"

Grimmjow snorted. "Like hell, I'm hurt worse than you are." But he knew Ulquiorra was right, Grimmjow had been holding back until now. Grimmjow kissed his neck and grumbled, "This stupid trip has been so much more trouble than it was worth, I swear…" Ulquiorra let his head rest upon Grimmjow's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"It has." He agreed sullenly. Grimmjow said, "I mean, freakin' _aliens_. How much more messed up can that kind of trip get? Especially when one of them is bent on world domination for not even a freakin' reason! I don't know why I expected this trip to be simple…" Grimmjow grinned. "I guess that's just the kind of life we live. Can't say I'd really want it to change."

Ulquiorra said, "Actually, his need for world domination wasn't without reason."

"What makes you say that?" he asked and Blue emerged, being tailed by Scarlet Eyes and an annoyed Kyoshiro. Weed came downstairs as well and said, "How is everything?"

"Huh? Things are fine," Grimmjow said quickly and then turned to Ulquiorra. "So, what about that alien bastard?"

"While he was inside my mind, I was given access to his thoughts. I suspect he was given access to mine, which is somewhat unsettling. The interesting bit is that he was actually a human."

"What?!" Scarlet Eyes and Kyoshiro exclaimed! "Really?" Weed asked, jumping up on the bed beside Grimmjow.

"He was…a human? _What_ happened?" Blue asked.

"Yes, he was. Anyway, his life story is dull and tainted with the types of human sadness you might see in a movie, except possibly interesting since it is true."

Blue looked over, interested and then scowled and shoved Scarlet Eyes away from her and sat on the bunk-bed opposite them to listen. Kyoshiro and Weed watched as well. Ulquiorra removed his arms from Grimmjow's shoulders and moved to sit on the side of the bed with him.

He said, "His name was Oliver Wellington. Ever since he was a child, he was regarded as insignificant. He had dreams of becoming an Astronaut, but his family didn't approve of it. He also had an older sibling who, it seemed, was the child his parents had really wanted so he was ignored mostly throughout his childhood and teenage years and all the while was bullied at school to the point where he became reclusive both at home and in his school. However he studied hard and was able to go to Nasa to pursue his career. When he finally did go to Nasa he joined a project set on sending the first men to Mars, I suppose he expected things would be different as he would be surrounded by people with similar mindsets as himself. But even there, things weren't quite how he'd imagined. He was socially awkward and very nervous around people for all those years of reclusion and as such, was criticized and teased for "not taking his work as seriously" or for other things. He trained hard and despite his training, he was not the first of the explorers to go into space and grew very angry and felt he had been treated unfairly. The expedition team went missing and they choose Oliver and a smaller team of men to get them but didn't have a rocket available. Fortunately, the team had also been working on developing smaller space crafts, interestingly the same kind the Braagglians used so now we know where those came from. They sent Wellington and his team into space with those space crafts and after a while, Oliver arrived there and, due to not wanting to be around his teammates because of their treatment of him, he split up.

"While roaming the surface of Mars, he came across a small group of Braagglian. They said that they were uninterested in the minds of his fellow humans and said that they found his mind to be more complex than the others. They offered not to kill him in exchange for knowledge about Earth. Not wanting to die and, utterly fascinated by the aliens, he agreed but only if he got a share of their knowledge as well. They agreed, but as they only shared knowledge amongst their kind, they asked that he become one of them. He agreed quickly, I expect mostly because he had nothing to lose back home. He was given a new identity, Ang'Zalmor and as the years went by, he became their leader. And though he was respected by them greatly, there was nothing between he and his people except respect, which was what he wanted, but at the same time was very lonesome to him. He saw them as family however, a feeling which was not returned. Eventually he met Scarlet Eyes' race and they lived in unity for some time until he decided that Earth was far too magnificent a planet for humans to live on and that the alien race was far more superior and when the Lunarr'i questioned his decision, he grew angry and decided no one was telling him what he could and couldn't do again and was determined to take over Earth in his new form and prove just how weak and pathetic humans actually are by taking their planet from them. And that led us to where we are now." Ulquiorra concluded.

They were all silent as they took in and understood what they had just heard. Weed said, "Oh. So that's why he wanted Earth. To get revenge and rule over it with what he felt was his true family. In that case, I actually feel sorry for him, not because he didn't get what he wanted of course. But because of how he was treated."

Grimmjow said, "He hasn't got any of my sympathy." _So that's what he meant when he was dying, then? _He thought, now knowing the meaning behind Ang'Zalmor's dying words. _He was envious of what Ulquiorra and I have because that kind of relationship was what he always wanted and it was what he couldn't have even after he gave up his identity. Sucks to be him, I guess. In that case, maybe that's why he decided to tell me what Ulquiorra thinks of me. He wanted to see if I'd question Ulquiorra's faith in me, weaken and give up. Fucking prick._

Kyoshiro said, "He was a bastard yeah, but…" Blue looked over, interested. "What?" he said, "I'm just wondering if we killed our enemies, or if we destroyed some kind of family. Scarlet Eyes told me he was absolutely mortified when he found out they died. Not that I feel bad or anything, it just makes for a nice change having a jerk actually care about his comrades rather than the sick bastards we meet all the time."

Weed frowned and Grimmjow wondered if he was starting to have mixed feelings about their actions. "Hey, before you both get sympathetic, that guy was going to take over earth! And he took over Ulquiorra's body and tried to murder all of us! Don't either of you even _think_ about getting sympathetic towards him."

"I wasn't," Weed said hastily. "Nor would I ever, I just feel sorry for how he was treated."

"Hey look, I wasn't getting sympathetic, just—," Kyoshiro began sternly and before an argument could break out, Blue said, "Let's just focus on getting home. We've been here far too long for my comfort and I think we're all looking forward to getting home."

Ulquiorra said, staring towards Earth in the distance, "I agree."

* * *

A week passed by in space. After helping turn the rocket around to prepare for the landing, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra headed to the living room for some rest.

They both strapped themselves to the long sofa up in the living room, Ulquiorra lying to Grimmjow's left. Grimmjow closed his eyes and breathed out a soft contented sigh. Finally, some quiet.

Ulquiorra laced his thin fingers across his chest and closed his eyes. And finally, though he liked the silence, Grimmjow had to ask something that had been probing at the back of his mind since their fight.

"While he was in your body, Ang'Zalmor said something." Grimmjow started, not trying to sound too accusing as he thought that would be pathetic and would give Ulquiorra the idea that he was mistrustful of him. He saw Ulquiorra look over, a curious look in his eyes. "Hm?"

"It was probably bullshit but…" He frowned. Was he nervous? Fuck that. He said, "Look, he said something about how, depending on what mood you are in, you still…have doubts about whether or not I am still taking advantage of you."

He saw Ulquiorra's brow furrow and felt some sense of relief when he recognized the look to be one of annoyance. But he couldn't tell if it was annoyance at Grimmjow's mistrust of him or annoyance at what Ang'Zalmor had said.

When Ulquiorra was silent, Grimmjow said, "Is that true, or was he just bullshitting me?" He saw Ulquiorra's lips tighten. "You doubt me. I'm surprised at you. Was I wrong in assuming that you knew me well enough to tell that I have felt about as much distrust for you as I have for anyone else in the group?" Ulquiorra said, clearly annoyed.

Grimmjow scowled, "It was a fucking _question_; you don't have to get so dramatic! And no, you weren't wrong, I was just—!"

"Apparently I was if you can so easily believe the words spoken to you by a complete stranger. And that means that I have failed in some way. My trust for you is so clear to me, but I never stopped to consider that, due to my nature, what is so clear to me might not be so clear and in fact, may be confusing for others."

Grimmjow frowned, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Could you quit all the extra words and just get to the point?"

Ulquiorra sent him an impatient stare but repeated somewhat solemnly, "My point is, we're Hollows. As you know, it isn't in our nature to be open to others at all, but when we were given these human forms and these Shinigami-like powers, some shreds of emotion slipped in, negative emotions—but emotions nonetheless. So it never was in our nature to try and act on positive emotions, like you and I do. So for us to be doing this, it is both very unnatural but incredible. I am just beginning to grasp the importance of expressing these emotions, it isn't at all in my nature to be considerate, loving, or gentle…but I try. And I try to keep the side of me that can be harsh from coming between those gentle actions, but that is difficult as well. You feel this too, I can tell. But I've always felt that you were more, pardon the saying, human than myself. You are so open and accepting of every little emotion you feel, you relish it. So it is so much easier for you to express yourself and I have the utmost admiration and respect for that. But my point is, I'm still learning. So if you were doubtful of my trust in you, then that really just shows how little I've learned even after spending so much time with you."

Grimmjow frowned at that last sentence. "Nah. I'm not doubtful of you, I was just—You know what, even if you were the most flawless, emotional being on the planet, I still would have been doubtful. It's…natural, I guess. It's got nothing to do with you." Grimmjow added, "And even if it was, it isn't like we can't…keep trying. I mean, I personally can't stand feeling weakened by stupid human emotions, but if you really feel that strongly about it…I guess I could…teach you? Or something. Shit, that sounds _stupid_ though…Heh, the hell could I do to help you anyway?" Grimmjow frowned, really not sure what to say that would help him.

Ulquiorra spoke almost instantly. "But you have helped. You—have helped me so much more than you will ever know, without even trying. And for that, I am truly grateful and…happy to have known you."

Grimmjow could tell he meant every word and just knowing that somehow, someone as flawed as himself had made _Ulquiorra_ happy…sent a thrill through his chest and made him grin widely over at his partner. He said, "Good to know. So in that case, just don't go around thinking I still wanna butcher you or that I'm using you because, as annoying as you can be, I actually don't, and with that in mind, we have ourselves set for life!" he said with a wide, happy grin.

"Certainly."

Grimmjow added more seriously, "And I'm serious about not thinking that I want to kill you. Cuz' we both know I don't. So…we're good?" He felt Ulquiorra's hand in his and Grimmjow took that as a yes.

And suddenly, something slammed into the rocket! Kyoshiro roared from the next room, "Guys! We have a problem!" and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra hurried to the control room!

From the window, he could see Earth getting closer and closer—and he could see _massive_ meteorites flying at them! "God dammit, can nothing be simple?!" Kyoshiro exclaimed. "What do we need to do?" Blue asked into the radio of her headsets and Shizatte said, "Stay calm! Can you access the rocket's guns?

Ulquiorra seated himself and pulled on his headphones and said, "No, the guns were damaged after we escaped the supernova."

And Shizatte said, "We're trying to gain control of the rocket from here! Don't panic! Wait…Oh my God!"

"What?!" Grimmjow snapped and Shizatte said, "Oh, this is terrible! This is awful! You need to try and get the rocket into position by another 50 degrees lower! If you don't, you'll crash into the space center!" she exclaimed and Kyoshiro said, "Workin' on it—!" and the lights above some of the switches on the dashboard flickered and went out as another meteorite struck the rocket!

Blue said, "The rocket is not responding to anything we do, Shizatte! Shizatte?!" The radio was crackling and whirring and the electricity crackled and went out.

They grew closer and closer to Earth. "We've lost contact Earth and the ability to control the rocket. In any case, the jets are still working so at least we aren't falling." Ulquiorra said, reaching for some tools and opening up the controls to see what was wrong. "Is anything disconnected?" Blue called.

"I can't tell, it's too dark, can someone—?" Ulquiorra began and Weed raced over with a flashlight. And the engines stopped. They all froze, completely silent as if afraid the slightest movement would cause the rocket to plummet to the floor. And the rocket fell through the Earth's atmosphere! Grimmjow latched onto his chair and Ulquiorra was thrown back into his chair as they fell towards the Earth at top speed!

Meanwhile, in Germany, Shizatte and the others were racing back and forth in the space center, trying desperately to get in contact with the rocket! "It's no good, Shizatte!" a man called. "We have to evacuate!" and Shizatte said, "But what about Grimmjow and the other astronauts?!"

And back in space, Earth got closer and closer, parts of the rocket (already slightly damaged by the supernova) being stripped away into space! Grimmjow yelled, "Ulquiorra, any luck?!" and Ulquiorra called, "No, nothing. At this rate, we're all going to—,"

And Grimmjow looked up, horrified to find that they were already near the ground and he could see the space center in the distance! "Why wasn't the rocket in position before?!" Grimmjow yelled at Kyoshiro! Kyoshiro said, also checking the wires beneath the controls, "Blame _Shizatte_, she waited to tell me to lower it!"

And Weed, who had been strangely silent, suddenly gasped as Kyoshiro sat up. Weed lunged forward towards a red wire, the wire that was mostly responsible for helping adjust the rocket's movements. He saw that it had been somehow severed. "I found the cause!" he shouted.

And, through the pressure attempting to push him back, Weed moved as fast as he could across the room and reached a box on the wall. In his human form he wrenched open the door and seized one of several small plastic containers inside the box. This container held red wires.

The ground was now in sight and the space center was getting closer and closer by the second! Blue, holding onto a chair, shone the flashlight inside as Grimmjow's hand gently but quickly maneuvered through the sea of wires! They were now nearing the ground!

Grimmjow removed the old damaged wire and Blue called

"Give me the new wire!" and Grimmjow shoved the box of wires at her and Kyoshiro took the flashlight from her as she reached inside the control panel.

And the lights on the control panel lit up and the alarm blaring all around them stopped! Grimmjow flung himself back in his seat and began to raise the rocket! Ulquiorra attempted to start the engines, but received no confirmation that it had been started!

With a scowl, Ulquiorra slammed his fist against the button and he heard the engines momentarily start but die down! They were speeding towards the space center, they could see people racing from the center and they were close enough to barely make out people racing back and forth inside the windows!

Ulquiorra said with a low growl, "_Work_. You piece of trash." And he slammed his foot against the button and the roar of the engines started up and Ulquiorra pressed his foot down on the button and called, "Lift it, now!" and Kyoshiro called triumphantly, "And we are in position!"

And the rocket shot over the top of the space center, hitting the German flag pole atop it and sending it flying away into the wind! Grimmjow flung his arms up into the air with a triumphant roar and Blue, Weed and Kyoshiro began cheering! Ulquiorra fell back into his chair with a deep, relieved sigh.

"Hey, cut the engine!" Kyoshiro called, grinning and Ulquiorra took his foot off the button as they lifted the rocket a little higher in order to land it properly. But the engine wouldn't shut off. "What…?" Ulquiorra said, his eyebrow twitching.

And Blue said, "I've decreased the speed. What's the problem?"

"I don't know." Ulquiorra said, slumping against the dashboard with an annoyed sigh. Ulquiorra scowled and kicked the dashboard and the engine sputtered and the rocket landed, the roar of the engine dying down.

And they were all silent, looking out the window at the pure blue sky and the green landscape ahead of them. And they all smiled widely as they realized it. They were back on Earth where they belonged! Blue raced to Kyoshiro and hugged him tightly, Kyoshiro's eyes widened and his face turned bright red. And Kyoshiro grinned and hugged her back, actually lifting her off her feet. Weed raced around the rocket, spinning and dancing. "We're home, we're home, we are _home_!" He exclaimed happily as Grimmjow flung his hands up in the air, whooping and Ulquiorra, in his suppressed joy, pulled him into a deep kiss that Grimmjow didn't hesitate to return.

And the door behind them opened and Scarlet Eyes strode out, wearing a nightcap and nightgown, and whined, "Why the hell did you guys wake me up?! I was sleeping! Can't you drive properly?!" and he slammed the door shut. And Grimmjow felt Ulquiorra put an arm around his shoulders. Grimmjow pulled him close.

"We're home…"

* * *

The instant they left the rocket, the six of them were greeted with cheers from the crew at the space center! Grimmjow descended the ladder and leaped down beside the crew, all of whom were ecstatic! Kyoshiro and the others hurried to him and Weed flung himself to the floor and began licking it!

Shizatte raced towards them, tears in her bulging eyes! "Oh, I am so happy for all of you!" she shouted happily and she hugged Kyoshiro, who was so happy to be home he didn't even push her away!

Blue hugged Shizatte as well with a wide smile and as Shizatte ran to Ulquiorra and hugged him she immediately let go, looking up at him nervously. Ulquiorra's cold exterior flickered briefly and simply patted her on the shoulder, seemingly too pleased to be home to be disgusted. Shizatte hugged Weed tightly and said, "I have never seen a landing like that! Not ever! Not from any pilot! You successfully saved a space center and landed a damaged rocket! I am simply astonished!"

"And," Grimmjow said grabbing the sleepy Scarlet Eyes and pulling him over, "We saved Earth!" and Shizatte gave a squeal of joy and hugged him so tightly, his eyes bugged out slightly. "Get offa me!"

"Shizzy!" Scarlet Eyes exclaimed, throwing his arms around her and she smiled widely and hugged him back. "Welcome home!" she said warmly. "You all are such heroes! I am so, so proud of you all! We must celebrate immediately!" she said tearfully and Blue said, "Thanks, Shizatte. We're tired but honestly, I see this as a cause for celebration. Right, guys?" she asked, checking with them. Kyoshiro said, "Yeah, we're tired as hell but there's no way I won't celebrate this victory!"

Ulquiorra looked at Grimmjow, wanting to know what his reaction was. Grimmjow said, "Alright, I'll stick around a little longer. But after this, I don't want _anything_ else from you. So take your alien and get lost!" and he shoved Scarlet Eyes at her. Shizatte said, "Fine, I understand. But what about you know…the Braagglian? Is Scarlet Eyes still a threat to Earth?"

"No. They are all dead. But who knows, there may be more out there that we have yet to discover in the future…" Ulquiorra said, heading towards the space center to the party. As they walked, Weed said, "Can you guys believe what we all did back there?! That was amazing!"

And Grimmjow exclaimed, "You bet your ass it was amazing! We landed that rocket like a bunch of damn pros!" Blue said, "And saved Earth! I actually think this might very well be one of our greatest accomplishments!" and Kyoshiro said, "Absolutely!"

Scarlet Eyes said, "Wait, guys! What about me? Aren't I going with you? I don't want me and my buddies to part so soon…" he whined and they paused. None of them really wanted Scarlet Eyes to come with them. Shizatte said, "Oh, I know! Scarlet Eyes, how about you stay with me in my laboratory in New York!"

Scarlet Eyes frowned. "Do they live there?" he asked.

"Yeah, we do." Weed said, "So, if you want, we can see one another whenever we liked!"

"Okay!" Scarlet Eyes agreed cheerfully.

A man suddenly rushed over, carrying a tray of wine and said, "Shizatte, I have the wine you requested!" and Shizatte said, "Splendid! All of you come and drink your success!" and Grimmjow grinned and said, "You bet!" and he snatched the drink while Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra helped themselves and Weed took the single glass of sparkling water offered to him. "My friends, this is truly a remarkable day!" Shizatte said, lifting her glass and Grimmjow and his friends lifted theirs. "Let this day mark one of the biggest successes of my time, and of course, of your time!" And she winked at them. "Especially for your noble services."

"Here, here." Kyoshiro said and Blue and the others echoed him and clanked their glasses together. "Hey, that was my first toast!" Weed said excitedly and Kyoshiro chuckled and ruffled his hair. Shizatte's phone suddenly rang and she answered it and said, "Hello! Oh! Takahashi-san! How nice to hear from you! Have you gotten back to me about that rare species of plant in your country? Oh, excellent! I'll be down there in about a week."

"What was that?" Ulquiorra asked, lowering his beverage from his lips. Shizatte said, "I'm leaving for Japan in a few days. There's a rare species of plant in the mountains of Shiga that is said to produce this intoxicating sap and—!"

"Hey," said Kyoshiro, "You're going to Shiga? Can you do me a favor, then? And don't mess it up." He reached into his bag and pulled out a glass jar and within it, sat what was unmistakably a large piece of the moon! Shizatte gaped at it. Blue watched curiously as Kyoshiro handed it to her and said, "Don't do anything weird to it, no experiments, _nothing_. This is a personal request, okay? Take this jar and its content to the Shiga Mountains. Once you're there, go north and keep heading north until you reach a big tree, bigger than the others, with graves at the foot of it. Move clockwise and count up to the eighth grave. Then, can you put this jar at the foot of the eighth grave? If you could, you'd have my thanks for it."

Shizatte's expression had grown more serious and she nodded. "Sure, I owe you guys anyway." Blue's expression had softened as she listened to Kyoshiro's instructions. She said cautiously, "I don't mean to sound intrusive, but do those graves belong to your comrades?" and Kyoshiro nodded. "Yeah. One of them wanted me to give him the moon. I think this would have sufficed enough." He said with a small smile, a distant look in his eyes. Blue felt affection and admiration for him constrict her chest and she had to smile as well.

Grimmjow stared at him, somewhat surprised. "Hm." He said. Kyoshiro said, "Anyway, here's to us!" and he drained his glass of wine and coughed. Ulquiorra finished his and Shizatte said, "You know what, perhaps you are right, Ulquiorra. Perhaps there are more species of alien life form that we have yet to uncover! So shall we just let this opportunity slip away and be lost to us? No, not in a _thousand_ years! One day, you shall return!" she said grandly, pointing up to the sky!

And Grimmjow choked on his drink! "What?! Are you out of your mind?! No way am I _ever_ setting foot in that flying coffin again! You hear me, woman?" Grimmjow exclaimed and Blue placed a hand on his arm to keep him from pummeling her, though she was annoyed too. Weed said, "She wasn't serious, Grimmjow…Were you?" he asked, his soothing tone vanishing and staring at her with an icy glare.

"Serious or not, I am never going up into space again!" Grimmjow exclaimed, seizing Ulquiorra's hand and pulling him away through the cheerful crowd, his friends hurrying after him with Shizatte moving swiftly after the group of five. "If there is anything I've learned from this experience, it's that there's only one place I want to be! And that is right _here_!" he said, pointing to Ulquiorra who looked at him with surprised eyes, having expected Grimmjow to point to the ground beneath his feet.

"And because of you, I nearly lost that! So don't _ever _try and convince me that I need to be _anywhere _else other than where I want to be." Grimmjow said his tone hard and his glare fierce, making Shizatte recoil. He felt himself relax as Ulquiorra took his hand. He looked down at him and saw Ulquiorra staring up at him with a gentle expression on his face. Grimmjow grinned, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "Come on, you lot. Let's go home." Grimmjow said. Scarlet Eyes called, "See you guys around and thanks for everything!" and Weed waved cheerfully over his shoulder at him as he hurried to stand beside Grimmjow as he, Grimmjow, Blue, Kyoshiro and Ulquiorra made their way through the cheering crowd towards the limousine waiting for them. And the engine started and the car gathered speed and drove off into the rising sunlight, the staff members, Shizatte and Scarlet Eyes waving as they watched it disappear from sight.

During the weeks that would follow despite his harsh words about the overall experience, Grimmjow would often find himself staring up at the moon and remembering his adventures there and wishing that the project hadn't been such a secret. It was an experience that had deserved to be shared with the world. So now, the world would never know the danger it had been in and who had saved it. The matter of whether the world would ever know about alien life forms however was debatable.

There was an article in the newspapers of reported alien life in Japan thanks to a hitchhiker who had claimed to see an unidentifiable white creature roaming the mountains of Shiga with a strange woman. These rumors were met with both skepticism and curiosity but they died down and people stopped believing yet again. Grimmjow, Blue, Ulquiorra, Kyoshiro and Weed knew better, however.

News about the rocket eventually did break out in Germany thanks to a member of the staff who it turned out had actually been a reporter and Grimmjow and his friends were hounded by reporters back in America. Like all things, this eventually died down. Despite all the trouble this trip had caused him, Grimmjow still had a hard time trying to convince himself that he regretted the trip.

After all, it had brought him and Ulquiorra closer together. And in his opinion, all that trouble they had gone through and all the risks that had come their way had been worth it. Because in the moment when he had thought he would never have Ulquiorra by his side again, Grimmjow had realized that a world without Ulquiorra in it—was no world at all that he wanted to live in. And he made sure to tell this to Ulquiorra when they were tangled together beneath the sheets, exchanging soft kisses and touches.

A world without Ulquiorra in it was as bare and alien as the moon and space itself. And that was why Grimmjow would continue to destroy whatever obstacles that tried to keep them apart. Because he never wanted either of them to know the fear that a world without the other would bring.

Somehow, fighting for himself and for his honor had changed over the years. He had something to fight for now. And as he felt Ulquiorra's arms wrap around him, filling him with the kind of warmth and comfort only Ulquiorra could bring, Grimmjow began to think that, really, finally having someone to fight for wasn't that bad.

It wasn't that bad at all.


End file.
